Leslie Safarik learned ceramics under the tutelage of ceramics matriarch Viola Frey at the College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. Her sculptures are Glazed Low Fire Ceramics. All the work is hand built using a special clay body that she has formulated especially for her by her supplier. The work is built in sections, glazed and detailed and fired in the kilns in her studio. The larger pieces take months to make. She doesn’t sketch — she just imagines and visualizes and gets to work. Leslie uses pinch and coil method to form her pieces, adding just a few inches to a piece a day. And then come the glazes and the firing. Safarik’s work is all about her exquisite glazes which entail a tremendous amount of skill and craftmanship. She fires each piece eight to ten times, different temperatures for different colors.
The final application of color is added using China Paint—a glaze like material that is frequently association with porcelain China dinnerware. There it is used for patterns and floral designs and silver or gold trims. Leslie uses it much the same way in creating details on faces and hands, drawing patterns and animal designs on top of the fully glazed work.
“The most amazing part is when I finally get to see the finished work for the first time. It's a long process and it takes patience, but it is always worth the great feeling I get when I see my vision take form and enter the world. I am so grateful that I make art. And I am so pleased that so many people love and own my work.”
Leslie’s state of the art ceramic studio is located in Mendocino, CA near Fort Bragg.
"I am an artist and craftswoman. I strongly embrace an aesthetic that embodies beauty, joyfulness and superior craftsmanship. I love working with my hands and making my artwork unique. I feel art should be beautiful, imaginative and engaging. It's my goal to create work that energizes the space it inhabits. I especially enjoy making large-scale work for exterior spaces and gardens."