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Born
and raised in
Jakarta
,
Indonesia
, artist Tiwi Wood now makes her home in
Fresno
California
. Tiwi holds a Masters Degree in linguistics from Fresno State, where
her love for ceramics was ignited while studying under
California
ceramic artist Jim Shepard.
Tiwi
creates salt-fired stoneware sculptural and utilitarian works, often
with applied and incised animal and floral elements.
Her work is influenced by her background as a linguist, and by
the study of traditional ceramic forms.
The influence of Japanese
folk pottery, Celtic styles, and other ancient pottery traditions is
reflected in her work. Although
many of the forms she creates are influenced by traditional styles, they
are constructed with a personal touch and an organic freedom that adds a
wonderful asymmetry to the work, and makes her work unmistakably her
own.
“My way to clay was a long way, beginning after years of
schooling in linguistics and years of college teaching, something not
directly related to the arts. Somewhere
along the line, I took a beginning ceramics class from Jim Shepard, a
prominent potter in the
California
Central Valley
and a marvelous teacher. This was the turning point in my life.
I realized then that this was what I was meant to do, but I have
no regret whatsoever about the years I spent searching for it.
My linguistics background now serves as the backbone of my work
in clay as I'm very fond of incorporating language, such as narratives,
in my pieces. I am grateful
for the journey that has taken me here, but I see a long way to go
still. As long as
there is more for me to learn, this is the road I'm traveling.”
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