Matt received his BFA in Ceramics and Sculpture from Ashland University and his MFA in Ceramics from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. After his graduate studies he was an artist in residence at St. Pete Clay Company. In 2010, Matt became co owner of St. Pete Clay Company. Schiemann is now the manager of the artist in residency program at Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg, FL. He is currently adjunct faculty at St. Petersburg College and Eckerd College teaching ceramics and foundations.

Born the son of a studio potter, Matt spent his childhood helping his father create his studio work. This early exposure instilled in him a deep love and appreciation for the handmade object and led him to pursue a life as a potter.

Growing up in a house filled with handmade pots and objects, Matt strives to create work that resonates with people, inspiring them to populate their homes and lives with handmade objects; to be a part of the narratives and celebrations, both large and small in peoples’ lives. Walking the rural Ohio backroads of his youth, exploring state and national parks and taking in the beaches and dunes of his current home in Florida all contribute to the visual cues and inspirations for his forms and surfaces.

Matt’s work is produced in a large wood fired kiln. This process is a large part of his making process. The stacking of the work in the kiln is critical to creating the path by which the flame travels through the kiln. This flame path flows through the kiln like a river travels over rocks and through a valley. The elemental nature of wood firing is intrinsic to the wood firer, the rounds of stoking, the choice of wood and length of firing all contribute to the mark of the flame, leaving subtle flashing or heavy ash as it passes over the work. There is an acceptance of providence in some way while firing an atmospheric kiln. This serendipity is the sought after result, the juiciness of an ash drip, the blushing of a flashing slip on the belly of a pitcher. Matt’s pots are a perfect marriage of functional vessel and canvas for the mark of the flame.

We are so pleased to have Matt and his work join us this year. To see more of Matt’s work visit matthewschiemannpottery.com