The Dictionary of American Studio Ceramics, 1946 Onward
The Dictionary of American Studio Ceramics, 1946 Onward
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1910 Born Hollywood, California
1996 Died Pomona, California
EDUCATION
1938 Teaching credentials University of California, Los Angeles, California
PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE
1939-1947 Pasadena City College, Pasadena, California
1941-1946 Director Summer Art and Craft Program, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
1948-1976 Head of the Ceramics Department, Scripps College and the Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, California
Richard Petterson's early pieces are earthenware eventually he moved to using stoneware and porcelain. Petterson typically decorated his pieces with incised designs, brushed on engobes or fritted glazes.
He first studied ceramics with Olive Newcomb and then Glen Lukens. His work is inspired by that of Marguerite Wildenhain and Glen Lukens.
In collaboration with his wife Alice, he also worked with slumped glass. In the 1950s painter Phil Dike painted the surfaces of some of Petterson’s vessels.
Public Collections
Mills College, Oakland, California
Scripps College, Claremont, California
Petterson Museum of Intercultural Art, Claremont, California
Bibliography
“Common Ground: Ceramics in Southern California”. Ceramics Monthly 60, no.3 (March 2012).
Petterson, Richard. Scripps College Annual Treasury of Ceramic Art: 1955. Claremont, CA: The College, 1955.
________________. “Removable Armatures”. Ceramics Monthly 1, no. 3 (March 1953).
________________. “Everyday Tools Make Decorative Patterns in Clay”. Ceramics Monthly 1, no. 1 (January 1953).
Citation: "The Marks Project." Last modified December 8, 2021. http://www.themarksproject.org:443/marks/petterson