Raised in the Midwest, I focused my undergraduate art education on print-making and drawing. After receiving a BFA in art from the University of Iowa, I taught high school art fora year, and then moved to Albuquerque for graduate studies in ceramics. Many of my early ceramic pieces focused on human heads and hands. My studies lead me to a deep appreciation of Asian, Native American, and mezo-American artistic sensibilities.
Hooking into the vibrant ceramic art studio scene of California in the mid 1970s, myselfand my partner, Richard moved to Berkeley in 1975. Starting as a ceramic sculptor, I quickly turned to nurturing my innate sense of whimsy and began my first venture in business with a line of handy bathroom accessories.
In 1996 my six year old son wanted his own special project in our ceramics business, which his father turned into a fun hands on activity of casting a mold of his small hand. As it was the perfect size to fit into my ceramic hand soap dish, it was just too appealing and such a fantastic visual pun to create his hand mold into soap. After the success of our ‘handy’ soap, we began experimenting in additional artistic soaps focusing our line on Asian and Latino themes dominant in our Californian cultural landscape. We’ve turned our appreciation for California’s vibrant cultural mix into an assortment of fun and functional sculptures/creations that lend visual spice to home/life.
nancyfunkceramics 