Ann Fleming
Ann Fleming enjoyed being a successful
full-time professional potter for over 25 years, specializing in
highly-decorated functional ware and architectural work. Her sculptural
tile, lighting and accessories can be seen in homes throughout the NW
and beyond and her colorful functional ware drew loyal collectors.
In 2004, feeling the years of the physical
demands of pottery and longing for change, ann sculpted her first
figurative piece in clay. Though sculptural elements have been strong
throughout her pottery career, there always had to be a practicality or
utility to her work. and though this was the first time in a very long
time that she felt that she was doing something totally non-functional,
she soon realized that her new scuptural work did indeed have a
function: it told stories.
With the urging of friends and being drawn
to the beautiful warmth of the medium, Ann had her first 5 pieces cast
in bronze in 2006. In 2013, she released a series of 6″ wall reliefs
“boxes” that will remain in clay and will carry on her love of the
narrative.
Ann spent most of her life in Oregon raising
one son and repaceable helper Casey. She recently moved to White Salmon
Washington where she lives in a house she designed and helped build in
2012. Her studio is the first floor of her home and though it is close
to town, she has resident deer and wild turkeys. Her move was inspired
by the rich sculptural landscape of the Columbia River Gorge.
She received her training and a Bachelor’s
degree in art and teaching from Portland State University, majoring in
Ceramics with Ray Grimm, and went on to earn her Master’s degree in the
same fields from Lewis and Clark College. Ann taught full time after
college but her studio work was a calling she could not ignore.
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