Artist, Brandon Reese, works primarily with stoneware and porcelain. He received his BFA in sculpture from the Kansas City Art Institute where he became proficient in bronze, cast iron, steel, wood and ceramics. While in Kansas City he apprenticed with Jim Leedy until pursuing a graduate degree specializing in ceramics at Bowling Green State University. There, he had the privilege of working with artists Jun Kaneko, Don Reitz and Peter Voulkos. While at Bowling Green, he focused on salt and wood firing for creating unusual and varied surfaces on each sculpture. Upon graduation, Reese was hired by Oklahoma State University as an assistant professor of its newly expanded ceramics department. In addition to teaching, Reese regularly exhibits his large-scale ceramic sculptures. His work has been exhibited in Germany, Taiwan and across the United States. Gebert gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Scottsdale, Arizona represent his work. Although most of Reese’s exhibitions are ceramic sculpture, he balances teaching the hand-building techniques with wheel throwing pottery and functional vessels.
"My current works are constructed of salt glazed stoneware and reclaimed native wood. I combine the clay and wood to bring emphasis to both materials and to make the viewer more aware of the characteristics of each. My work is motivated by life. An amalgamation of memories, images and relationships inspire all that I do. My fascination with architecture and patterns in life and in nature become the language that exposes my intrigue with the elements in relationships that connect distinctive individuals making them function like a unit. Scale heightens the visual experience of these structural investigations…playfully defining space and pushing the boundaries of ceramics.