This is part of a continuing series featuring artists who have pieces at Gallery for the Arts, Ada.
Photos and story by Monty Siekerman
He talks about grog, slip, and recipes. He burns wood at 2,350 degrees...even in the summer.
That's Andrew (Andy) Steingass, a lifelong resident of Ada, and a ceramicist.
Andrew graduated from Ada High School in 2004, then earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from ONU. He now spends most of his time at the potter's wheel producing a variety functional pieces.
Andrew has had work accepted in several shows. He presently has several pieces for sale at Gallery for the Arts at 115 S. Main. The gallery is open Fridays and Saturdays. He's also taught some at ONU.
Andrew works from County Line Studio, which, as the name implies, is on the Hardin-Hancock line (CR 10) just east of SR 235.
The studio is located behind his rural home (yes, chickens peck away in the yard). He built the studio from the ground up with barn timbers on site. The studio contains plenty of room for creating and displaying his work. It has a loft where one day he hopes to teach others the art of sculpting clay.
Out back is the wood-fired kiln, which helps makes his pieces distinctive. Not many potters fire their creations with wood because it takes intense heat for a long period of time, but this process adds beauty to the clay.
A potter using a wood kiln never knows how his work will turn out because each piece is unique depending on the type of wood used and how it burns.
His wife, Melissa, also does some ceramic work when not working as nurse at Blanchard Valley Hospital. She is a graduate of ONU's nursing program.
Want to learn more? Stop at the Gallery on Main or check out his Facebook page (Andy Steingass) or his web site, Andysteingass.com.
A tip: buy now before he becomes famous and the prices go out of sight.
