Mark Issenberg

1950 Born Lawrence, Massachusetts

EDUCATION

1970 AA Miami Dade Junior College, Miami, Florida

1972 BA Fine Arts, College of Fine Arts, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida

RESIDENCIES

1972 Resident Potter, Rising Fawn Pottery,  Rising Fawn, Georgia

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

1967 Assistant to Charles Counts, Rising Fawn Pottery, Rising Fawn, Georgia

1968-1970 Assistant to Duane Hanson, Miami Dade Junior College, Miami, Florida

1973 Assistant to Legatha Walston, Rising Fawn, Georgia

1973-1978 Pottery Instructor, Ceramic League of Miami, Miami, Florida

1973-1978 Pottery Instructor, Grove House Pottery, Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida

1975-1995 Owner, Operator Mark Issenberg Pottery, Miami, Florida

1978-1995 Fire Fighter, Hialeah, Florida

1999—Owner, Operator, Lookout Mountain Pottery, Rising Fawn, Georgia

BIOGRAPHY

Mark Issenberg is known for creating functional stoneware pottery including bonsai planters. Depending on the form, Issenberg’s work is created using thrown and altered, slab, or extruded methods.

Pieces created on the potter’s wheel often feature spiraled decorative handles. Vessel walls often feature an undulating surface created by the maker’s hand while still being shaped in the wet stage. Pieces created using slab and extruded methods often lean to one side and feature textures especially on pillar vases.

Issenberg’s work is fired to cone 10 (2,350 Fahrenheit). His knowledge of the use of ash glaze technology allows him to produce work with endless surface variation. Glazed surfaces often feature directional drips and mottled effects. The type of ash used yields unique surfaces from each firing ranging from rich earth tones to brilliant mottled blues.