Paula Blackstien-Hirsch

I have always been drawn to the arts and specifically to crafts. However, until around 2017 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 both enjoyable and challenging; the body of knowledge is vast and the number of variables involved in each step of the process of creating 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 creating glaze combinations that melt and flow to create beautifully fluid and elegant surfaces.