"The pots I create are intended to bring artwork into daily living while enhancing the interactions between food, drink, people, and their community. As a craftsperson, I endeavor to create highly utilitarian wares for people to use, touch, see, and experience on a consistent basis.
My forms are loosely inspired by the natural world. Just like all oak trees are distinguished from any other species in the forest, each tree is also unique unto itself. I find beauty in the diversity that handcrafted works bring into our assembly-line culture. The realm of function gives me parameters in which I can explore the purpose and utility of each form and how handmade ceramics augment everyday experiences. By considering how the forms are interacted with I strive to help the user get more satisfaction from commonplace occasions.
Food and drink sustain our bodies, but the camaraderie, empathy, and conviviality of good company sustains our souls. Handcrafted utilitarian wares augment the nourishment of food and companionship at a meal or with drinks, and adds a deeper layer of care and compassion. My pottery ventures to make not only the profound moments, but also the mundane actions of daily living, more artful, cherishable and fulfilling."
Andrew Linderman is a studio potter and former high school chemistry teacher originally from the Twin Cities, MN and now living west of Madison in Arena, WI. Inspired by a childhood spent outdoors; he makes functional pots to make the best moments in life better, to make the mundane moments more enjoyable, and to make the difficult moments more bearable. Linderman uses his background in chemistry to create surfaces that are enhanced by the varied firing processes in which he produces his pots. Since 2017, He has been exploring how wood firing affects his surfaces. He ventures to create a body work in which the functionality of a piece is enhanced by its aesthetic and tactile qualities.
Linderman graduated from Luther College (Decorah, IA) in 2012 with a B.A. in Chemistry and has been working with clay since 2011. He has learned his art and craft primarily from George Lowe, S.C. Rolf, Simon Levin, Michael Kline, Lisa Orr and through an Artist Residency at the Cobb Mountain Arts and Ecology Project and the Clay Cohorts program. Linderman seasonally teaches at Cream City Clay (Milwaukee) and from his home studio; he leads workshops and artists talks nationally.
