Richard Zeid
Richard Zeid (Chicago, 1964) wasn’t the type of child that colored inside the lines. He discarded the book and created his own designs. This ability to come up with original content has helped him as an artist and potter ever since.
Zeid's education revolved around art, and his interest in unique design solutions. His BFA in Design at Columbia College in Chicago (1987) and a Masters in Advertising Design at Syracuse University, New York State (2004) helped him confidently start his own business as well as teach at Columbia. The longevity of design as opposed to that of short-lived advertisement has kept him creatively fulfilled throughout the years.
A bit more than a decade ago, Zeid wanted to take up a new craft with intent, and get his hands dirty while doing it! He joined the Pot Shop up in Evanston, and spent the following years developing and refining a line of pottery that can only be creatively attributed to him. Zeid was initially attracted to wheel throwing because of the circular lump of clay he would have to center each time. The endless possibilities that could come from this one shape kept him glued to the wheel, and coming back to the studio after class was over. He could see the potential of perfection in the clay, even though he couldn’t imagine actually creating something that precise. Failure doesn’t bother him, he sees it as an opportunity to try to make something better.
Zeid’s ability to push form and narrative is rooted in his sense of design. Along with constructing and destructing a piece in his mind’s eye, he has had his hands in clay long enough to be able to transcend a form. A cylindrical vase took on a much more sophisticated construction after he rethought its function. Realizing that flowers don’t actually need a full cylinder’s worth of water, he began to play with the top quarter of the surface. Carving rings out of the crown, he reconstructed them to balance and lean on each other. The effect is a lovely visual trick. Zeid’s work adopts dual concepts, giving it both practical purpose as well as noteworthy aesthetic.
Last autumn, Zeid joined Lincoln Square Pottery Studio – Learning Center after wanting a change. He’s been pleasantly surprised and appreciative at the sense of community the non-profit has. He’s made friends, good feedback and had some successful art shows come his way already. The artist will be curating an exhibition together with Nancy VanKanegan, also an Independent Study Student. The two are uniting artists whose work fits in with their show’s title “Artoma.” The suffix “Oma” being what most cancer types end with. Zeid, along with the other artists, have all been through treatments and survived malignant growth. Zeid has used art to process his medical journey. He started off saving the hair he lost during treatment as a reminder. After realizing he could use it to decorate his work, he put together a horsehair raku workshop. Zeid took a collection of his bisque pottery, heated it up in the kiln and draped his hair (not the horse hair other artists were using) over the glowing pieces. The effect is smoky carbon imprints on the surface. The work has a great deal of contrast but is light in character. To Zeid, it is the perfect reminder to stay positive and appreciative of his remission.
Zeid also has some new designs he has been working on, including vessels that look like antique mechanic’s oilcans, but function as olive oil dispensers. This work, along with log-like vases, will be presented at the “Shifting Narratives” exhibition at the Group 10 Gallery in Ohio later this month. He credits LSPS-LC for his recent mini-Renaissance in clay. And while the designer in him drives for unity and form, the ceramicist in him continues to explore the play between what is and isn’t. And we can’t wait to see what else he comes up with.