artist statement

i endeavor to create carefully crafted fully functional artwork that appeals to the senses.  I consider myself an experimental potter who is continually searching for growth as an artist and a person.  I hope that this search reveals itself within the diversity of my work. Form, function, and finish are at the heart of my pieces.  I gravitate toward elegant and timeless forms. I hint at the ever changing role that nature and the seasons play within us all. I am addicted to the surface, whether textural or smooth, highly detailed or uniform.  And I am certainly interested in utility and ergonomics. The way the piece feels when handled is as important as its visual appeal. I have never known a material as forgiving and reusable as clay.  It gives back to me as much as I put in. It teaches about the importance of failure. It teaches me that the possibilities are endless.

About jaren

Jaren Stroback is an experimental potter and ceramics teacher living in Tucson, Arizona.  He has been continuously working as a potter for 14 years, and has been teaching for nearly as long.  He has had many influences from the arts (not limited to ceramics, and much too long to list) as well as science and mathematics.  He is mostly known for his wheel thrown pieces but does dabble in hand-building and sculpture. Jaren mostly creates distinct pieces that are as beautiful as they are functional and occasionally creates small batches and sets of utilitarian pottery.  He is mostly interested in stoneware, ranging from Cone 6 oxidation firings to Cone 10 reduction firings.  He finds great joy in alternative firings as well, particularly Cone 10 wood firings and soda firings. He currently teaches at the Tucson Clay Co-Op and at Randolph Community Center.  He hopes to have teaching tools and video demos on this website in the future.