Sarah Riley's ceramic work aims to maintain elements of the process and the potential of the fresh clay in the final product. She alters freshly thrown forms to resemble the flexibility and forgiveness of the material and hold the spontaneity of that present moment in the time of creation. She constantly challenges herself to explore the elements of surface design and push the material to its potential. Her pleasure in making these pieces is getting lost in their textures and she is energized by the challenge of preserving those moments of process in the fired, final product.  She enjoys creating original forms on the wheel, then altering and enhancing the structure through hand building. Sarah is constantly inspired by her students, landscapes and textures found in the outdoors, and the process of creating with wet clay. 
She graduated from Elon University in 2016 and moved to Washington, D.C. to pursue her career as a ceramic artist. Sarah has taught workshops and supervised a ceramics studio in the mountains of western North Carolina, assisted artists at Haystack Mountain School and Penland School of Crafts, and worked as a professional ceramic artist in Washington, D.C. She currently teaches Middle School and High School Ceramics at The Field School in D.C. and makes her own work when she can find the time. 

​Instagram: @sarahrileyceramics
Email: sarahrileyceramics@gmail.com

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