Bill Ensign
After watching my wife Renee produce beautiful functional pots for several years, I finally decided to sit down at the wheel about fifteen years ago. Although my involvement was initially intended as a “stress reduction” mechanism from my full-time job as a biology professor at Kennesaw State, I found myself being drawn deeper and deeper into the world of ceramics. The art and science of glaze formulation and firing appeals to my technical side, while the physical products provide a type of immediate gratification that was often absent in my work as an educator. I’m drawn to strong functional pieces with surfaces that capitalize on the directional effects created in wood and soda atmospheric firings and I look forward to being able to explore this line of work more fully now that I have retired from my academic position.
I’m also excited to be able share my love of clay through teaching. As I’ve developed my own skills in clay, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from a multitude of talented ceramic artists. As I work with aspiring potters on the wheel, I strive to “channel” whichever mentor’s voice seems most appropriate to the challenge facing the student I’m working with.