Yost Pottery Pottery

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Bob Yost
Bob's career as in clay was inspired by his high school art teacher Ms. Peggy Forman, who shared her passion for the medium of clay. She introduced him to a Japanese firing technique called Raku, a unique firing process that yields metallic and crackled glaze results.

He subsequently received a BFA from the University of Akron's School of Art in 1985.

After spending time in the art world in New York, Bob returned home to be the resident potter at Hale Farm and Village from 1985 to 1987, reproducing 19^th century salt-glazed ware.

He taught credit and non credit classes at the University of Akron's School of Art from 1987 to 1996.

In 1995, Bob established Yost Tile, a hand made, custom ceramic tile production facility.

The same year, he also started Middlebury Pottery and School, and the Ohio Canal Clay Guild.

Bob Yost's Work

The construction of pottery is a decision-making process.

"My decision to work with traditional forms may limit my vocabulary of shapes; but I find the history of traditional forms to be inspiring. The pitcher form encourages the opportunity to alter proportions and manipulate the profile. I strive to retain the tactile qualities of the clay by emphasizing the details, such as the pressed seams and folded edges. I hope my pots are intimate, sensitive and gentle objects while still maintaining a functional form".

Most of Bob's work is slab constructed, where clay is rolled out in sheets about one quarter inch thick with a slab roller. The final piece is then formed and cut away from the slab to create the final functional form.

Functional items include cups, pitchers, teapots, tea bowls, vases, plates, and bowls.

Bob also creates decorative items such as masks, wall plaques, and mirrors.

A specialty of Bob's is garden items, including bird houses, feeders and baths; toad and bat houses, and garden pots.

Alternative Firings

"We fire some work at a double chamber wood kiln in Holmes County. The kiln is fired for approximately thirty hours using wood as the fuel. When the second chamber reaches 2400°, we introduce salt into the fire box. The salt vaporizes in the extreme heat and the flow of the fire carries the salt into the chamber with the pottery. The salt settles on the pots and the sodium fuses with the silica in the the clay body and creates sodium silicate which is glass. The unglazed pots are now salt glazed pots. "

"Raku is a Japanese firing process of pulling pottery out of the kiln when the glaze has matured. American Raku has added the post firing reduction. When we pull the pottery out of the kiln as the glaze melts at approx. 1900°, we place the pottery into a container that has a combustible like leaves pine needles or saw dust. The combustible ignites and we place a lid on the container. The flame needs oxygen to burn so it goes to the pottery for oxygen and starves the glaze of oxygen which changes a copper green glaze to a copper red."

Yost Pottery and Tile
1643 Massillon Road
Akron, OH 44312
330.734.0763

Bob Yost, Proprietor

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