Glacial Whiskey (#1), 2023, porcelain, thrown and altered, reduction fired
John Oles was born in Wrentham, Massachusetts, and holds a BFA in Ceramics from the University of Massachusetts (1998) and an MFA from Tulane University (2008) in New Orleans, Louisiana. John taught ceramics at Loyola University from 2008-2013. Currently, John is Associate Professor of Ceramics at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, AL.
“As a maker of objects, I believe that truth and insight into our own human nature can be revealed to us through the practice and process of creating with our hands. I believe in the power of the handmade object to communicate with people, on a subconscious level, the fragility and intimacy of the temporal moment.
My current body of work consists of sculptural and functional porcelain vessels and represents the synthesis of my early influences of wood fired Japanese tea ware with my interest in contemporary design and Minimalism”.