About the Artist, Meredith Chernick
I love clay. I love having my hands in clay, creating beautiful forms and textured, tactile pieces. I spend my days making pots to be used and enjoyed on a daily basis. I believe that functional pottery should start with form in mind. I design and throw each piece to work at its fullest potential. Coffee cups are designed to keep coffee warm and have a comfortable handle. Bowls have a beautiful curve as well as a lovely rim to hold as the bowl frames the contents within it. Clay is an inherent part of who I am, a natural expression and extension of my vocabulary. I am happiest when creating. I personally design, throw, form, glaze, fire and photograph each piece of work from my studio.
I have had my hands in clay my entire life, beginning with clay classes at the Bellevue Parks department throughout my school years. I later returned to teach those same classes to the next generation. I attained my degree in Art Education, with an emphasis in Ceramics from Western Washington University. I have taught in public schools and was an Adjunct Instructor at the Northwest College of Art and Design for 19 years.
My clay community is a part of who I am. I am a former President of the Washington Clay Arts Association (WCA) and currently serve as a board member, an active member of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), an Advisory Committee member for the North Kitsap School District's Career and Technical Education, and the LadyMakers of Seattle. I have dedicated years to Art Education- what a privilege it is to now be able to turn my time and creative energy to my own art work.
A true northwest baby, I was born and raised in Washington State, spending time hiking, biking, kayaking, exploring the beauty of the verdant environment, enjoying the salty, barnacled beaches of Puget Sound. I live a charmed life on Fern Street, in the tiny town of Indianola, a ferry ride from Seattle, where my studio is in my forested backyard. I am living the dream with my husband, two sons, my Great Pyrenees, "Glacier" and five pugs who litter my studio as well as rule my life.
Pugs are a huge part of my life. I feel that part of my purpose in life is to love and rescue pugs. We have had many throughout the years, and currently have 5! This adorable chunk of love is Sheva, Macy is looking on, Johnny-Ocho is, as always, sleeping in the background with his tongue hanging out. He is never far from me. Not pictured here are Malone and Kitty (yes Kitty is a pug, my son wanted a cat). My pugs follow my every move, they are spoiled rotten, with beds in every room, custom made pottery dishes, and ridiculous amounts of attention. They spend their days snoring, piled together in front of the wood stove in my studio, or sunning on the studio deck in the summer. They really do rule my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.