Barbara Walch

1950 Born Niagara Falls, New York

EDUCATION

1972 BFA State University of New York, New Paltz, New York

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

1972—Studio Potter

Barbara Walch is known for pinched stoneware functional vessels that begin with a block of clay. The exteriors are unglazed allowing the texture and natural patina of the clay to enhance the piece. The interiors are glazed  blue grey or brown, colors that recall elements from nature.

Her work strongly suggests shapes and textures found in the natural world, and spring from both her intimate involvement in that world and from the nature of the clay itself.

In 1979 Walch along with Leslie Ferrin and Mara Superior founded Pinch Pottery in Northampton, MA. In 1986 she left the business to work full time as a potter.