Geoff Flickinger has been learning about, and working with clay for 25 years. “I became interested in functional pottery while I was attending Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire. Each day, when school was through, I would walk down the hill and spend the afternoon at Tariki Stoneware working for production potter, Jack O'Leary” said Geoff. “My work grew out of a love of the Japanese tradition emphasizing form and texture.” Geoff has studied ceramics at Denison University, Rhode Island School of Design and Alfred University. He received his Master’s Degree from the School for American Craftsmen at Rochester Institute of Technology and was selected as one of only 20 people from around the world to study at the International Workshop of Ceramic Art in Tokoname, Japan in 1986.

For years Geoff has concentrated on elegant, functional pieces that follow the Zen tradition of quiet simplicity. He works in porcelain, the dense white mixture that is the most demanding of clay bodies. The work is covered with slips and glazes, often his original formulas, then fired at extremely high temperatures. His style is based on the classical ceramic roots of form and function. “My pots are firmly rooted in the ancient concept of pottery as container. This primitive need for a vessel in which to carry one’s food and water was a basic requirement for survival. For me there is great value in making something that works and can be appreciated by others. I like knowing that people are enjoying my pieces, drinking from them and feeling the glaze in their hands.”

Geoff’s work has been shown in numerous exhibitions. Currently, he works in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.