ABOUT THE ARTIST

Ceramic artist Patrick Shia Crabb was born in China and makes his home in California with his wife and two children. In addition to the demands of his art, he has maintained an active teaching career. Currently, he is professor of ceramics at Santa Ana College. Patrick Shia Crabb is committed to creating vessels that redefine ordinary standards and test the boundaries of inspiration.

Since 1975, Crabb has been featured in numerous exhibitions throughout the US and in New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan, Canada, West Germany, France and Italy.

ABOUT THE WORK

Ancient cultures and artifacts have always been sources of inspiration for Patrick Shia Crabb. Japanese Jomon ware, African sculptures, pre-Columbian tripod vessels and American Southwest Indian art especially influence him. The present body of work shows the artist’s interest in Native American petroglyphs and pottery shards. Crabb finds the “shard fragmentation technique” intriguing: “The idea of taking broken pottery and turning it into a coveted aesthetic, is quite remarkable!”

Technically, the “shard” vessels are an assemblage of altered wheel forms, with press molded and slab built forms. After the initial firing, the piece is intentionally fragmented, and each shard is glazed in a distinct pattern. The pieces are then re-fired in raku, sawdust, low-temperature salt and electric kiln. The vessel is reassembled using a bonding agent.

EDUCATION

1970, Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
1976, Master of Fine Arts, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA

PREMANENT COLLECTIONS

Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Charlotte, NC
International Ceramics Museum, Florence, Italy
Kyushu Ceramic Museum, Arita, Japan
Yingee International Ceramics Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

AWARDS

2005   Nominated for Orange County Artist of the Year