Dan Ishler

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Bottle Series  12"-14" Tall  2006  Pitfired porcelain colored with washes, slips and salt

Urn with Glass Top 20" Tall 2005 Pitfired, colored with Copper,Salt and Luster Glazes

Hand Thrown Pottery

Work History

Over the last thirty-plus years my life has revolved around designing, producing and marketing pottery. I began my pottery career by working part-time in my basement and expanded over the years to a separate studio with as many as 8 employees under my supervision. My studio produced a wide variety of utilitarian art pieces of my design, using numerous production methods ranging from wheel thrown and hand built to jiggering and ram pressing. I designed and built the molds and dies for the production equipment in addition to formulating the glazes for come 6 to cone 10 ware. I successfully marketed this work in galleries and art shows throughout the United States as well as through wholesale outlets covering 12 states nationwide. As time permitted, I also taught private classes to beginner to intermediate students with interests from functional to abstract art pieces.

In 1995 we closed our production studio in Montana, selling all of our manufacturing equipment except a potter’s wheel and an electric kiln, choosing to focus on one-of-a-kind pit fired pieces and developing my crystalline glazes for shows and galleries.

My wife and I moved to Whidbey Island, WA in 1999, renting studio space in Oak Harbor and continued making crystalline glazed and pit fired work. Still participating in art fairs nationwide, we relocated to our present home in 2003 where I have my studio and gallery on site.

Education

Rio Hondo College Whittier, CA 1970 - 1974

Alfred University Alfred, NY 1974-1975

Awards and Exhibits

Trade Publication Clay Times Magazine November/December 2006

Group Exhibit Museo Gallery, Langley, WA 2005, 2006

Three Man Show Northwest Crafts Gallery, Seattle, WA 2005, 2006

Best Ceramics Cincinnati Summer Fair, Ohio 2005

Best of Show Krasl Art Fair, St. Joseph, MI 2005

Best of Show Chagrin Falls, OH 2005

Best Ceramics Art by the Lake, Excelsior, MN 2004

Purchase Award Art by the Lake, Excelsior, MN 2004

Best Ceramics Valley Art Fair, Cleveland, OH 2004

Purchase Award Inland Craft Warnings, Spokane, WA 2003

Best Ceramics St. George Art Festival, St. George, UT 2003

Purchase Award St. George Art Festival, St. George, UT 2001

Personal Exhibit Sutton West Gallery, Missoula, MT 1996

Jurors Award Art in the Park, Great Falls, MT 1993, 1994

First Place, Ceramics St. George Art Festival, St. George, UT 1993

Best of Show St. George Art Festival, St. George, UT 1992

Student Exhibit Alfred University, Alfred, NY 1975

Student Honors Exhibit Rio Hondo College, Whittier, CA 1972 - 1974

WHIDBEYWORKINGArtists

Directions for Tour

Dan Ishler

30678 SR 20, Oak Harbor