Teresa Frisch

Artist Statement

I daydream. The hours pass quickly as I work with clay, rolling it and pinching it to form petals and flowers. In this act of repetition, I find escape from the dreariness of routines that can dull the vividness and beauty of life. While I work, I reflect on memories of walks in the sun, through the woods, or on the trails where I have observed how beautifully nature repeats itself. For me, the rhythm of making has become synonymous with the search for a life that reflects and imitates the patterns that I find in the natural world.

Artist Biography

Teresa Frisch is a ceramic artist that makes sculptures and pottery, that are inspired by the natural world. She grew up in southern Illinois and her obsession with plants began at the age of two when she started planting wildflower seeds with her father. As she got older, she began planting flower beds and fruit and vegetable gardens with her parents. She loves watching the plants as they grow, especially that first initial breakthrough of the soil. Being no stranger to being covered in mud and dirt, it was no surprise that Frisch discovered her love for clay in her first ceramics class in high school.

Once she started college, she really started to develop her skills for ceramics. While studying for her associates degree she was inspired by her ceramic professor to pursue ceramics as a career. After getting her Associates of Fine Arts at Lewis and Clark Community College, she then transferred to Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville where she graduated with her Batchelor’s of Fine arts degree in 2020. While at SIUE Frisch became fascinated with the different materials, processes, and firing of clay and decided she wanted to continue to learn more and pursue a master’s degree in ceramics. In 2021, Frisch moved to Muncie, Indiana, to attend Ball State University where she graduated in 2024, with a Master of Fine Arts with a concentration in studio arts. While in graduate school she discovered a love for teaching through her graduate assistance ship. For two years, she taught and shared her knowledge of hand building to introductory students.

A person holding a clay pot

Description automatically generatedTraveling and experiencing the world has always been very important to Frisch. In her life span she managed to visit 10 countries and 25 states. In 2018 and 2019, she spent time in Italy doing a work study alongside ceramic artist Giovanni Battista Rea. In 2023 she received a scholarship to attend the Arrowmont School of Art in Tennessee where she studied with Rebecca Hutchinson. Frisch has exhibited work and received awards from many shows all over the US. Having recently finished graduate school, she intends to continue working with ceramics as she develops her ceramics career here in Colorado Springs.