Paula Blackstien-Hirsch

Throughout my life, I have been drawn to the arts and specifically to ccrafts. Until 2016/17, I had never seriously pursued any single craft form. While thinking about future retirement, I delved into ceramics and have never looked back.

I find working with clay and other raw materials meditative, addictive, and challenging, as the body of knowledge is large and the number of challenges that surface at each step in the creation of a single piece is many!

My work ranges from ceremonial Judaic forms, to functional everyday pieces, to sculptural forms. I deploy both hand-building and wheel throwing techniques. And, while I enjoy each stage in the process, I am passionate about finding glaze combinations that melt and flow to create beautifully fluid and elegant surfaces.