25/05/2024
Paul Edmund Soldner (1921-2011) was an American ceramic artist and educator noted for his experimentation with the Japanese technique of Raku. He introduced new methods of firing and post firing, which became known as “American Raku,” and developed a type of low-temperature salt firing. Along with Voulkos, Soldner has been credited with creating the "California School" of ceramic arts by combining Western materials and technology with Japanese techniques and aesthetics.
Returning to the United States after serving in the Army, Soldner began a career in art. He turned to ceramics and initially focused on functional pottery. In 1954, Soldner became Peter Voulkos' student at the Los Angeles County Art Institute (now Otis College of Art and Design). As Soldner helped establish the program, he made changes to the studio pottery equipment, which led to him founding Soldner Pottery Equipment Corporation in 1955 to market his inventions. He eventually held 7 patents related to pottery equipment.
After receiving his MFA degree in Ceramics in 1956, Soldner began teaching at Scripps College. In 1966, he founded Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, CO. He was also involved in starting the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts and was the initial organizer of the Scripps Ceramic Annual, a nationally recognized ceramic exhibition which celebrated its 79th year in 2024.
"In the spirit of raku: make no demands, expect nothing, follow no absolute plan, be secure in change, learn to accept another solution and, finally, prefer to gamble on your own intuition. Raku offers us deep understanding of those qualities in pottery which are of a more spiritual nature, of pots by men willing to create objects that have meaning as well as function." - Paul Soldner, 1973
Paul Soldner (American, 1921-2011)
untitled (sculpture), 2004
ceramic
Gift of Lynn Ballantyne and Randy Welty
Photo: Allesandro Gentile
