"As an artist, Salvador Dali was not limited to a particular style or media. The body of his work, from early impressionist paintings through his transitional surrealist works, and into his classical period, reveals a constantly growing and evolving artist." Photo by Carl Van Cechten, 1939 Check out the rest of this in-depth biography of the Surrealist master.

Wish you could paint like Jackson Pollock? You can come close by clicking below! Martha Holmes, Jackson Pollock Dribbling Sand on Painting While Working in His Studio, 1949

"In their typically large abstractions, these artists delved into the unconscious, both individual and collective, through either expansive, heroic gestures (the gestural expressionists) or broad areas of color (the color-field expressionists)..." Still curious about Abstract Expressionism? Learn more about the movement while browsing images from LACMA's permanent collection. Jackson Pollock, No. 15, 1950 Photo: Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society From: LACMA

Learn more about clay with this wiki article. Photo by Janet L. Giles, 2008

Browse LACMA's Collections Online for none other than the topic at hand: Ceramics! You'll find well over 3000 records! Robert Arneson, Untitled, 1972 Photo: Estate of Robert Arneson From: LACMA

"His unique vision of American Landscape and its manifestation in work ranging from vessel form to tile and sculpture has brought him international recognition." Wayne Higby, Flat Rock Falls, 1979 Photo: Wayne Higby From: LACMA Check out the bio and artist statement of Wayne Higby.

"The fractured human figure has been the subject of Stephen De Staebler’s sculpture for many years. In a 1998 exhibition at the Franklin Parrasch Gallery in New York he reduced this image to only the human leg. Now, in his new work, those disembodied legs—fragile but immutable—have become larger, nearly six feet in height, and stand as witnesses to human endurance. They fuse the tangible corporeality of clay with a sense of the metaphysical." Further explore this 2002 article on De Staebler's "Figure Columns" Stephen De Staebler in his Berkeley Studio by Danae Mattes, 2001

"Doug Jeck's fragmented sculptures of the male figure remind me of Rodin's statement, 'When a good sculptor models a torso, he not only represents the muscles, but the life which animates.'" Learn more about Doug Jeck in this brief review by Peter Selz.

"By combining the commonplace with the whimsical, the humorous with the mundane, Shaw captures the poetic and the surreal with the sensibility of a comedian." Frank Lloyd Gallery presents you with a chance to browse through their Richard Shaw collection. Richard Shaw, Basket with Empty Pockets, 2009 From: Frank Lloyd Gallery

Here's some of what the New York Times has to say about Ralph Bacerra: "To look at Ralph Bacerra's gorgeous ceramic vessels is to wallow in visual hedonism. Mr. Bacerra, an immensely skilled craftsman based in Los Angeles, does not try to express any important meaning, social, psychological, philosophical or otherwise. His works are witty and sophisticated in their manipulation of influences ranging from Japanese to early modernist to Pop, but mainly he wants to delight the eyes of his viewers." Read more by cliking below! Ralph Bacerra, Portrait Vessel, 1994

Care to find out how much you know about kilns? Click on the link below. Photo by Steve Wing, 2008

Scroll down various artworks by Geo Lastomirsky Geo Lastomirsky, Teapot #35, 1997

"My work is a language that resides in me. My work is me on whatever surface I use. It's an ever changing thing which is a mixture of a plan and where the painting takes me." This interview with John Gill shows a sense of humor as handsome as his artworks. John Gill in His Classroom, 2009 From: Alfred Online: The Official Alfred University Online Magazine & News Site

"Only someone impulsive, and perhaps a trifle cussed, someone who loves life and believes profoundly in risk taking, could produce so wide a range of objects so strikingly combining strength, power and delicacy." Get a more indepth look into the life of Ewen Henderson. Ewen Henderson, Abalonelike Bowl, 1982 From: LACMA

"Whether Weiser’s work is interpreted as three-dimensional painting or sensuously decorated porcelain, the pots he creates are among the most vivid and decadent of modern ceramics, providing a distinctive contribution to the ever-expanding medium." Check out more of Kurt Weiser's bio and browse through various works of art at the link below. Kurt Weiser, Bird Merchant, 1991 Photo by Anthony Cunha From: Bellevue Arts Museum

"By deconstructing and reconfiguring, by distorting and manipulating, by combining two forms to make one, by grouping multiple pieces to create one, and by incorporating new materials—fabric, cardboard, wire mesh, and sea salt—I have tapped a new well of sculptural possibilities." Read more of what Anne Hirondelle has to say about her art form at the link below. Anne Hirondelle, Remember / Wall (purple), 2008 From: Francine Seders Gallery

"One cannot but help getting a distinct feeling of surrealism here. The fantastic images Lucero paints on his forms seem to spring from the sub-conscious and speak to sub-conscious strands of the viewers mind." Get to know Michael Lucero a little better as you travel through his story and artworks. Michael Lucero, Baby Carriage, 1994 Photo by Goodbody From: The International Expositions of Sculpture Objects & Functional Art

Watch this instructional video and learn how to glaze a pot. Become one step closer to being a ceramics genius!

"Akio Takamori's ceramic sculptures evoke an eerie sense of reality and presence. Often drawn from childhood memories of small-village life in Japan, his standing and sleeping figures depict ordinary people going about their day-to-day existence." Get this and more by clicking the link below. Akio Takamori, Mother and Daughter, 2001 Photo: Akio Takamori From: Arizona State Univ. Art Museum

Get some insight on Robert Brady from this cool interview on cars, road trips across California, and of course ceramics! Robert Brady, 2007 From: Conversations.org

Learn more about stoneware on Wikipedia. Anonymous, Storage Jar, 1568-1615 From: LACMA

"Banned from art school in Germany, Duckworth fled to England. She carved tombstones for a living, and worked in a munitions factory making bullets during the war." Pretty interesting! To read more, check out this fascinating CBS News article on this ceramics master! Ruth Duckworth, Untitled (Blade Cup), 1994 Photo: Ruth Duckworth From: LACMA

Learn more about Pre-Columbian art by exploring art of The Ancient Americas in LACMA's online collection. Figure (ocarina) on Double-Headed Serpent Throne, 100 B.C.-1000 A.D. From: LACMA

"Voulkos’ work dances the thin line between the suggestive vulnerability of ceramics itself and the muscular and sturdily built structures the clay becomes under the artist's transforming work. An organically informed energy drives the works' shapes, fired-hues and colors into a never-ending bouquet of surprises." A website devoted to information about the great Peter Voulkos is just a click away.

Find out more about the Archie Bray Foundation and the man for whom it was named. Photo from ArchieBray.org

Learn the 5 steps to making bricks!

Listen to an interview with Rudy Autio from the Smithsonian Archives of American Art. Rudy Autio, Kharma, 2007 From: Montana Museum of Art & Culture

"Paul Soldner has made numerous invaluable contributions to the field of ceramics, including developing what has come to be known as 'American Raku', and a technique known as 'low-temperature salt firing'. Explore these unique ceramic techniques and more at the official website of Paul Soldner. Paul Soldner, 84-85 Pedestal Piece, 1984 Photo: Paul Soldner From: LACMA

Learn about the origins of the potter's wheel. Henry T. Takemoto, Peter Voulkos in Glendale Boulevard Studio, 1959-1960 From: Artnet.com

"Rothman’s creative spirit, fueled by fascination with math and science, as well as commercial package design, furniture making and the principles of Russian Constructivism and its permutations, helped shape a body of work that is full of fascinating examples that are refreshingly difficult to label." Read more about Jerry Rothman's life and artwork here. Jerry Rothman, Tureen, circa 1970 From: Arizona State Univ. Art Museum

"I know what I'm doing after the fact, but I prefer not to know what I'm doing before I do it...There's this ultimate groove that you're trying to serve, and you play to that...It starts to show you where it wants to be, and you have no choice'' Read the rest of this fascinating San Francisco Chronicle article on artist Ron Nagle. Chris Hardy, Ron Nagle works on small-scale ceramic sculptures in his studio, 2004 From: The San Francisco Chronicle

"I am seduced by the role ceramic plays in our lives and the esthetical values it carries. I am a watcher, an anthropologist, who is constantly discovering how we form relationships with these objects and their functions." Get acquainted with Marek Cecula and his body of work at his official website. Marek Cecula, Erotic II, 2000 Photo by Sebastian Zimmer From: MareckCecula.com

"Which of the arts is best equipped to rival nature - painting or sculpture?...While some of us might prefer one more than the other, most would accept that each has its inherent individual qualities. But during the Renaissance the debate regarding the merits of painting versus those of sculpture as to which could emulate the forms of nature most successfully, became a hotly contentious issue for many artists and early theorists." Painting vs. Ceramics, Painting vs. Sculpture, Sculpture vs. Poetry, Poetry vs. Music...learn more about these artistic rivalries at the link below!

Mingeikan Folk Art Museum in Japan gives you a brief introduction to one of the most influential potters of all time. Shoji Hamada From: Nihon Mingeikan Japanese Folk Crafts Museum

"One of the great figures of 20th century art, Bernard Leach played a crucial pioneering role in creating an identity for artist potters." Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada founded Leach Pottery, studio and museum, in 1920. It's still up and running today.

Here's an interesting article for you to enjoy on five artists from the "California Funk Art" movement coming out of UC Davis in the 1960's. Robert Arneson, A Hollow Gesture, 1980 From: The Nelson Gallery @ UC Davis

Let the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) teach you about Pop Art. Andy Warhol, Elvis, 1970 Photo: Andy Warhol Estate/Artists Rights Society (ARS) From: LACMA

Check out some cool Surrealist works in LACMA's permanent collection! René Magritte, La Trahison des images (Ceci n'est pas une pipe), 1929 Photo: René Magritte Estate/Artist Rights Society (ARS) From: LACMA

"Jim Leedy is an international artist in terms of his interests and achievements. He is an artist who crosses boundaries between materials and genres, representation and abstraction, art and music, creativity and scholarship. His diverse and unique talents have led him to a lifetime of accomplishment in clay, painting, public art, works-on-paper, prints, assemblages, installations, and performance." Explore the official website of Jim Leedy. Photo by Nick Vedros From: Kevinmcgrawart.com

Learn more about Nancy Selvin on her own official website. Nancy Selvin, Rough Yellow From: Pacini Lubel Gallery

"My work's not about sculpture in the traditional sense - volumes, planes. I'm not working with clay like a sculptor. I'm making drawings and paintings in space." Check out the rest of this Artweek article from 1974 about Bob Arneson. Robert Arneson, Ear Piece, 1991

Read about this mother and daughter team. Photo by Philip Harvey

“A major figure in ceramic sculpture, Mason emerged in the mid-1950s as one of the leaders of a revolution that transformed clay from a craft to a fine art medium… In his latest work, Mason has proved himself a master builder and sculptor who knows how to get the most out of a relatively simple three dimensional form.” --Suzanne Muchnic, ArtNews Read on about John Mason's life and artwork. Photo from Frank Lloyd Gallery

What's process art? Find out here! Gianfranco Gorgoni, Splashing Molten Lead, 1969

"Anne Currier makes ceramic sculptures that are shaped by the interplay of masses and voids. Projection and recession, light and shadow, substance and impression are the subject matter of her work. The shapes are the players, intersecting, extending, colliding or passing through / over / under / beyond one another to command space." Check out an impressive array of sculptures by Anne Currier. Anne Currier, Lockport, 2008 From: Lacoste Gallery

"Many of my pieces are psychological portraits that explore what one feels rather than what one sees. I'm drawn to the contradictory and everchanging sides of ourselves, our yearnings and fears, our strengths and fragility and beauty." Explore works by Beverly Mayeri, read her artist's statement, and be amazed by her ability. Beverly Mayeri, Family Support, 2005 From: Perimeter Gallery

Go through this cool article covering just a few works of artist Neil Moss. Neil Moss, Landscape Platter, 1989 Photo: Neil Moss From: LACMA

"How I imagine, and make, and reflect on each piece shapes the atmosphere it generates and influences how it becomes positioned in cultural space. I am interested in pottery form for its familiarity and congeniality; its ability to disappear into private/personal activities and places..." Let TheClayStudio.org give you a brief background on Linda Sikora. Photo from Huntington Museum of Art

Read an essay by Dr. Jayne E. Shatz, which "traces the accomplishments of women ceramists and their prominent position in the ceramic field." Photo from Jayneshatzpottery.com

Read the Artist's Statement of Andrea Gill. Andrea Gill, Spiral Jar, 1982 From: LACMA

"The mixed media objects I present here are hybrids of symbolic male and female representation: perforated and projecting, hard and soft, inside and outside. They are loaded to evoke all manner of 'female' allusions by their small size and by the mult-layered use of such materials as flocking, feathers and fabric." Visit the official website of Phyllis Green to learn more. Phyllis Green, Odalisque, 1994 From: LACMA

"Ken Ferguson (1928-2004) began as a strictly functional potter. Now, forty years later, his work is still rooted in utility, but his platters, teapots and jars have evolved into new beings entirely. Teapot handles soar vigorously upward, thick platters blossom with gestural drawings, and jars slump and stretch, melting out of their utilitarian past into a new dimension." Read more of this in depth biography provided by The Frank Lloyd Gallery. Ken Ferguson, Rabbit Vessel, 1989 Photo: Ken Ferguson From: LACMA

Artinfo.com profiles artist Betty Woodman. Betty Woodman, Teacup and Saucer, 1987 Photo by Viola Frey From: LACMA

“He seemed able to summon up an infinity of colors and a range of textures that went to polar opposites, from scaly to rough to iridescent or covered with crystals,” - Lisa Hammel, The New York Times Photo: Associated Press From: The New York Times

"Her witty and provocative ceramic sculptures flout the conventions of Western decorative arts and 'good taste' in favor of narrative complexity and psychological richness, qualities not typically associated with the art of vessels." Get a brief introduction to the world of Cindy Kolodziejski by clicking below.

"Whether DeVore’s work brings to mind worn, weathered skin or the roughened surface of a crater or hillside, it is the sensation or feeling evoked that is so significant. The objects DeVore references are starting points, the essence of which he captures through reductive and carefully chosen physical qualities. If one takes a moment to concentrate, standing before a DeVore becomes an intimate and breathtaking experience.

Check out works by Rosaline Delisle in LACMA's permanent collection. Roseline Delisle, Jarre Simple 3, 1986 Photo: Roseline Delisle From: LACMA

Check out Patti Warashina's official website at the link below! Patti Warashina, Strong Man, 2003 From: Warashina.com

Want that "super ceremony" experience? Listen to the theme song of China Town. Chinatown, 1974 Design: Diener-Hauser Artwork: Jim Pearsall Distribution: Paramount Pictues

Like tea? So do we! Read all about tea at the link below.

Get to know David Furman a bit better with this biographical description provided by The San Angelo Museum. Photo from The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts

View Yellow Ford From the East in LACMA's online collection. Patti Warshina, Yellow Ford From the East, 1988 Photo: Patti Warashina From: LACMA

"Her work pays homage to the functional roots of ceramics while elaborating on historical and decorative elements. Her ceramics have been exhibited throughout the United States as well as in Russia, Azerbaijan, Switzerland, Italy and Australia." Want to learn more about Karen Koblitz and see samples of her work? Susan Einstein, 47 Vessels from Sheki installation, 2007 From: Craftinamerica.org