Artist

Paul Soldner

born Summerfield, IL 1921-died Claremont, CA 2011
Media - portrait_image_113304.jpg - 90217
Courtesy Paul Soldner.
Also known as
  • Paul Edmund Soldner
Born
Summerfield, Illinois, United States
Died
Claremont, California, United States
Active in
  • Colorado, United States
Biography

Paul Soldner was one of the first students of Peter Voulkos, an influential American ceramist who taught at the Otis Art Institute in the 1950s. Soldner taught for many years, dividing his time between Aspen, Colorado, and Scripps College in Claremont, California. He inspired a younger generation of artists through his teaching methods and his creation of the "American Raku" firing technique. Based on the Japanese Raku ware tradition, Soldner's method uses different processes to create works that have shapes and glazes that set them apart from Asian ware. Soldner believed that experience and mistakes lead to progress and innovation, an idea that allowed him to produce a substantial number of pieces throughout his career.