Artist Statement:

Growing up in Fresno, Stan Bitters understood that ceramics was only about tea cups and saucers. Today, he is the last of the ceramic abstract expressionists who, in the 1950s under the iconoclast Peter Voulkos, sidestepped traditional and rigid approaches to material in favor of energy and experimentation.

This group of artists started a California design aesthetic that resonates to this day, an approach that values simplicity, the use of native materials, and a serious consideration of the environment. About his own work, Bitters says that “the energy of Voulkos, the controlled output of John Mason, and the adoption of color of Paul Soldner has led me to creating my own voice in ceramics.”

Ever since he was given 20 tons of clay to “play around with” by Hans Sumpf some 65-odd years ago, Stan’s journey in ceramics has been prolific to say the least. He has commissioned works not only in California but New York, Mexico, Berlin, and even as far as Tahiti. Through all this, Stan has been steadfast in believing that our lives are richer when our environment is enriched. One of the ways that happens is through art. To see ceramics as art, one has to think beyond tea cups and saucers.

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