Return to Clay and Fire: wood fired ceramics by Ben Twingley

Ben Twingley was introduced to clay at an early age by his father, Dale, who was a potter and art teacher for nearly 30 years. He spent time on the wheel as a child and immersed himself in ceramics in his early college years but, then put ceramics on hold to pursue a career in photography. He graduated with a B.S. in Mass Communications from Minnesota State University Moorhead. Twingley has worked as a photojournalist for the Pensacola News Journal since 2004. In 2005, Twingley began working with clay again and meeting local ceramic artists. Since then he has been active with the Pensacola State College ceramics department as both a student and volunteer. His ceramic work ranges from functional to sculptural, using electric, gas or wood firing techniques to finish the pieces. He often celebrates classic forms such as the teapot and the Japanese tea bowl, or Chawan. Twingley has shown his work regionally for the past five years and has received awards of merit at the Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival. His work has been sold nationally and donated locally to fund raisers such as Manna Food Pantries' annual ''Fill a Bowl'' and ''Pick a Bowl.'' He is member and volunteer with the Gulf Coast Kiln Walk Society. Each year he and other area potters gather to fire their wares in large, wood burning kilns. Twingley also teaches beginning to advanced pottery classes at Pensacola's First City Art Center. Twingley explains a large part of his attraction to the medium, ''With all the technology at our fingertips these days, it's nice to be able to create objects through an organic process that has essentially been done this way for thousands of years.''