Richard & Susan Roth
Drawing on Each Other
Our first collaboration happened when John stabilized a wobbly piece for me by welding a cart of found objects for it to stand on. We have been working together for seventeen years and the way we work together is always changing. Right now we have two distinct bodies of work but share a collection of stories that we pull out and piece together like found objects. We share ideas and we share skills-- trading work and finishing, drawing, stabilizing for each other. We hope people will see bits of stories they know next to bits of stories they don't know and become connected to a larger cache of collected stories so that we can all draw on each other.
Richard Roth has been a professional potter and teacher for over 30 years. After receiving his BA degree in Art Education from the University of Washington and teaching for several years, he established several galleries and studios in California. He now lives and works in Winlock at his Grand Prairie Designs studio and family farm. His work is found in many private collections
around the world and is currently shown in several West Coast galleries and at his studio.
He is known for decorative floral designs in both porcelain and stoneware clay. Soft clay is
either hand thrown on the potter's wheel or rolled into a slab. When sufficiently dry, the work is
trimmed and smoothed ready for the design work. A colored liquid clay "slip" is brushed over
the "leather hard" partially dry clay and is then carved and cut with various "sgraffito" tools
producing the chosen original design. After a low "bisque" firing the pieces are coated with
liquid glaze and fired to 2300 degrees making a very durable high-fIred functional piece of
artwork that is dishwasher and oven safe.
''My fascination with clay began when I discovered how easily and quickly shapes and ideas
become alive on the potter's wheel and are transformed by fITe from soft earth into permanent
vessels. The focus of my present work is to 'produce objects that are both functional and
beautiful for people to use from hand to hand for many generations."
Grand Prairie Designs
Richard Roth. Potter/Ceramic Artist
Drawing on Each Other
Richard Roth has been a professional potter and teacher for over 30 years. After receiving his BA degree in Art Education from the University of Washington and teaching for several years, he established several galleries and studios in California. He now lives and works in Winlock at his Grand Prairie Designs studio and family farm. His work is found in many private collections
around the world and is currently shown in several West Coast galleries and at his studio.
He is known for decorative floral designs in both porcelain and stoneware clay. Soft clay is
either hand thrown on the potter's wheel or rolled into a slab. When sufficiently dry, the work is
trimmed and smoothed ready for the design work. A colored liquid clay "slip" is brushed over
the "leather hard" partially dry clay and is then carved and cut with various "sgraffito" tools
producing the chosen original design. After a low "bisque" firing the pieces are coated with
liquid glaze and fired to 2300 degrees making a very durable high-fIred functional piece of
artwork that is dishwasher and oven safe.
''My fascination with clay began when I discovered how easily and quickly shapes and ideas
become alive on the potter's wheel and are transformed by fITe from soft earth into permanent
vessels. The focus of my present work is to 'produce objects that are both functional and
beautiful for people to use from hand to hand for many generations."
Grand Prairie Designs
Richard Roth. Potter/Ceramic Artist
