Artist Bio

Sharon Greenwood is a potter living in Portland, Oregon. She grew up outside of New Orleans and received her BFA from the University of Southern Mississippi in graphic design, with a minor in sculpture. This is where she first learned to love clay and spent countless hours in the ceramics studio. After 15 years in advertising, she took a sabbatical and enrolled in a local clay class. After her first class, she loved it so much she decided to retire and start her second career as a potter. For 15 years, she has been working out of her home studio, creating wheel-thrown porcelain home decor and tableware. The blend of her backgrounds in graphic design and sculpture informs her use of carved and stamped patterns in combination with her bas-relief surfaces. Her love of the Oregon coast, her garden and the creatures that visit them inspires her creations.

Artist Statement

My ceramic art is inspired by my garden and the creatures that visit it. My process involves wheel-thrown porcelain that I alter and decorate with a pattern. The pattern is underglazed and the pulled handle is attached. The natural elements are created with porcelain paper clay sprigs and slip trailing. Their organic movement contrasts with the pattern beneath it, a metaphor for experiencing nature within the urban environment. Each piece is glazed with a celadon that complements the underglaze color and is finished with accents of gold luster. The natural world brings me endless joy and my work’s subject matter, along with its colorful palette, brings that joy into the home.