Winter Beauty

BIO:
Joan Pinto is a ceramicist specializing in elegant, and sensory art. Her organic work is influenced by her fascination with seed pods, desert formations and the subtle illumination of porcelain. She loves the outdoors, takes daily walks and considers her work to be an echo of the nature that surrounds her. Joan obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from UCDavis and studied Art History while living in Holland. Her post-graduate studies took place at Brooks Institute of Photography, where she specialized in Architecture and Digital Media and where she met her husband. She then taught yoga for several years. Possibly due to the intense self awareness of her yoga practice Joan realized she was always meant to be an artist. She immerses her early studies in art, photography and yoga in her ceramic works creating beautiful, visual meditations.

Artist Statement:
Looking at some of my recent pieces, I recognize my history coming to life. My work echoes the textures of land and agricultural machinery. Dark clay with green oxide creates rusty, mossy surfaces reminiscent of weathered farm equipment, and criss-cross patterns of furrowed fields can be seen in the texture of the pieces.

My childhood was immersed in an agricultural lifestyle, amongst tractors and farmland. Beyond farming, I also draw inspiration from scale-like patterns of seed pods I find during my morning walks in Walnut Creek, California, as well as the diverse features of desert vegetation.

The design elements in my work hold personal significance and serve as the driving force behind my artistic endeavors, creating an organic body of work that macts as a reflection of my intimate connection with the beauty of land and nature. I work with high fire white porcelain and dark brown clay, thrown and coil built, using glazes and oxides. My pieces are bisqued and fired to cone 10 reduction in a gas kiln.

In the same way as morning walks quiet my mind and open space for creativity, I hope my art provides a moment of contemplation for those who engage with it.