Mark Hendrickson

Biography

Mark Hendrickson is a fourth generation Californian currently living in Irvine California. His introduction to clay cam in the early 1970’s when a friend offered to teach him how to “throw clay on a wheel” at Cal State Fullerton. Mark became immediately “hooked”. 

Mark Hendrickson has a Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in ceramic art and sculpture.  While at C.S.U.F., Mark was captivated by ancient art and art relics, and experimented with hand stretched clay. Once he started to get control of the stretching process, Mark began getting unusual and exciting results relying on clay’s natural and random tendencies to rip, tear and create stretch marks. Mark continues to use this technique to give his ceramic pottery and sculpture a unique and original look, to and age old craft.

Artist Statement

When asked about techniques, Mark describes how he makes many of his ceramic pieces, be it a jar, a vessel, or a sculptural form. “I start with a uniform thickness slab of clay. I then inscribe or press into the slab a texture. I form a cylinder with the slab, and join the edge. After that I put on a bottom, then start hand stretching the cylinder to a desired shape. Then, depending on what the piece is going to be, I add necks, feet, lids, and handles.”

Art Education

Bachelor of Arts, California State University, Fullerton 1980

Awards

January 1992 Ink and Clay XVII, California State Polytechnic University. Regional Juried show. Award: Purchase Award