Oestreich Jeff

Born: December 7th, 1947 – St Paul, Minnesota.

1965 – 1969  Bemidji State University – BA Studio Art

1967 – 1968  University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

1969 – 1971  Apprenticeship, The Leach Pottery, St Ives

On his return to the States in 1971 after leaving the Leach Pottery Jeff set up his own workshop, making porcelain and stoneware. His work is thrown and altered. He variously uses electric, gas and wood fired kilns, and also has a salt kiln. His decoration is sometimes banded, sometimes wax-resist, sometimes brushed – always in keeping with the form of the pot and with coloured areas in carefully planned proportions.

Driven to achieve a personal style, he overlaid this foundation with a passion for Art Deco design and a ceaseless exploration of glaze and decoration techniques. His signature “beaked pitcher” is the refinement of a personal challenge to combine form and function elegantly.

A highly regarded studio potter, Jeff has exhibited widely in museums and galleries world-wide, his work can be found in the outstanding collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Inchon World Ceramic Center,  the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art among others. He opens his studio to the public every year.