Peter Voulkos

Happy Birthday Peter Voulkos!! American born in Montana, 1924, Voulkos is a considerably celebrated Abstract Expressionist, working in ceramic sculpture. His work crossed the line from craft to fine art. He taught at several colleges and universities, including Archie Bray Foundation, University of California, Berkley, (where he founded the art ceramics department) and University of Montana. He offered many visiting artist seminars, summer workshops, etc. one of which I was lucky enough to attend at the University of New Mexico. His work was quite large, torn, slashed, gouged, weighty, and crudely painted. He fired much of his work in wood fired kilns after learning from Peter Callas the process, in 1979. He suffered a heart attack and died while giving a demonstration at Ohio’s Bowling Green State University, in 2002, he was 78. Voulkos was the recipient of six honorary doctorate degrees.