Jeff Margolin

Jeff Margolin’s sculptures are hand-built porcelain which are often mistaken for stone. These highly evolved forms are burnished and intricately carved, standing between 18 inches and 6 feet, reflecting twenty years of refined craftsmanship.

The process involves four distinct steps. The forms are thrown or built; then they are carved. Next, the surfaces are burnished and finally they are fired. The shapes are simple traditional designs. The carving is often ethnically inspired or geometric in nature. Burnishing is done by hand with a stone. The firing includes the use of organic materials to provide the smoky patterns.

Jeff Margolin started making pottery some twenty-five years ago, working at studios around West Los Angeles. While he was young and not until he reached college did he ever consider clay as a serious choice of career – he held this opinion even though he was devoted to ceramics, and at times had his own studio, even taught and held shows.

At a certain point in his studies at Berkeley in political theory, it became clear to him that clay had chosen him more than he had chosen clay. The only life he could justify was as a ceramic artist. For him, this was a moment of realization as surprising as it was certain. He immediately reoriented his approach from functional to sculptural and began to present his work seriously. He has been gradually refining and evolving his work ever since.

Aside from working in his studio, he devotes a proportion of his time to helping ceramics studios that are public, non-profit, and inexpensive. He tries to create working atmospheres that are cooperative and non-competitive, places where people can discover their own creative potential.