b. Connecticut, 1967
Jon Tierney, a ceramic artist who lives on the East End of Long Island, gathers pebbles, shells, and other natural materials that become integral to the making process. Incorporated into the clay body, these elements burn away or melt during firing, leaving behind rugged, jagged surfaces that evoke erosion, geology, and the passage of time. After earning my MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Tierney worked extensively in ceramics throughout the 1990s. His work often relates directly to the artist’s own physical presence, encompassing the body through both their weight and dimensions. Tierney formulates all of his own glazes, continually altering their chemistry to create distinctive surface textures. Through multiple firings—sometimes ten or more, at varying temperatures—he builds complex, layered surfaces that reveal depth, movement, and change. The artist combines technical rigor with the unpredictability inherent in both ceramic and natural processes. Through these material explorations, he seeks to create objects that embody endurance, accumulation, and the quiet effects of time.
