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ABOUT JERRY DAVIS Jerry Davis began making pottery when he was a junior at Vandalia Butler High School. His teacher, Ken Smith, noted his innate ability and nurtured his talent. In 1970, Jerry won his first award, a $500 scholarship for "Best of Show" in the Midwest Ceramic Association Show. This inspired him to seek a career in art, so he went on to attend college at Ohio University for two years, and then Wright State from which he graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor or Science in Art Education. Thirty-six years later, Jerry continues his love of ceramics as he creates unique, one-of-a-kind Crystalline Glazed Porcelain. The zinc crystal glaze is among the most fascinating and elusive of all glazes. For each finished piece, three parts are constructed: the piece itself, a pedestal, and a catch basin for glaze overflow. An extremely thick coating of glaze is applied which becomes very fluid in the kiln. By carefully monitoring the cooling temperature of the kiln, crystallization begins from a tiny nucleus. Four to six hours of precise temperature control is needed for the crystals to develop or "grow." After cooling, the pedestal and catch basin are carefully removed, and the bottom is ground smooth on a grinding wheel. Like the snowflake, each crystalline piece is unique. Jerry has been married to his wife, Jenni, for 26 years. The Davis’s have four sons: Andy, who graduated from Bowling Green and does web designing in Longmont, Colorado; Tony, who attends Sinclair College; Jeremy, who graduated from Otterbein College; and Casey, who attends Ohio University. One of Jerry's most unique accomplishments was being the official "Senator's Potter" for Senator John Glenn. From 1983 to 2000, Jerry designed and produced the gifts that the Glenns' gave out to their office workers and political associates in Ohio and Washington. A highlight of Jerry's career was meeting Senator Glenn and his wife Annie. Besides owning and operating Davis Designs, Jerry is one of the Yellow Springs Potters. He sells his work at the Yellow Springs Pottery, several galleries throughout the country and at high-quality art shows including: The Columbus Summer Art Fair; Cincinnati Summerfair; Columbus Winterfair; Cincinnati Winterfair; Boston Mills Art Festival; Ann Arbor Arts Festival; East Lansing Michigan Art Fair; several of the Sugarloaf Crafts Festivals; and various other shows throughout the country. Jerry's work has been published in Ceramics Monthly and a book entitled Claywork: Form and Idea in Ceramic Design, by Leon Nigrosh. A few of Jerry's most recent awards include:
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