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.
LESLIE SARAFIK
Education
I earned my BFA and MFA from The California Collage of Arts and Crafts in Oakland California. My first years at CCAC were spent exploring different media. In my second year I met Viola Frey and Art Nelson and I decided to focus on creating large-scale ceramic sculpture. While my major is ceramics I also pursued a second field of exploration in printmaking. In printmaking my main influences and teachers were Jack Ford and Malaquias Montoya.
1984 - California College of Arts And Crafts, Oakland, CA - Masters of Fine Arts, Ceramics
1982 - California College of Arts And Crafts, Oakland, CA - Bachelors of Fine Arts, Ceramics
One Person Shows
2006 Large Ceramic Sculptures Seyhoun Gallery, West Hollywood, CA
2006 The whole kit'n Kaboodle Bonner David Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2005 Joie de Vivre Steel Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2004 Flying Colors Steel Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2003 Holiday Show SafarikMedia, Oakland, CA
2003 Showcase Shakti Space, Los Angeles, CA
2002 Showcase Gallery 30 Showcase Hillsbrough, CA
1995 Mostly Animals Gallery 30, Burlingame,CA
1993 Ceramic Woman Gallery 30, Burlingame,CA
1993 Large Felines and such Barclay Simpson Fine Arts, Lafayette, CA
1991 Bright Woman Barclay Simpson Fine Arts, Lafayette, CA
1989 Leslie Safarik Sculptures Green Valley Cultural Center, Henderson, NV
1989 Recent Sculptures Smith Anderson Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
1988 Painted Clay Figures Smith Anderson Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
1988 New Work Gallery 30, Burlingame,CA
1985 New Ceramic Sculptures Gallery 30, Burlingame,CA
Group Shows
2012 18th Annual Sculpture In The Garden Show The Ruth Bancroft Garden : Walnut Creek, CA
2010 16th Annual Sculpture In The Garden Show The Ruth Bancroft Garden : Walnut Creek, CA
2009 15th Annual Sculpture In The Garden Show The Ruth Bancroft Garden : Walnut Creek, CA
2008 14th Annual Sculpture In The Garden Show The Ruth Bancroft Garden : Walnut Creek, CA
2007 CCAC 100th Aniversaryy Celebration Montclair Gallery, Oakland, CA
2006 Steel Gallery Event Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA
2006 Under the Big Top Art Scape, Walnut Creek, CA
2005 Holiday Show Steel Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2003 Hope Joy Peace Steel Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2003 Inaugural Exhibition Steel Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2003 Sharing Spaces IV Lankershim Art Gallery, North Hollywood, CA
2003 Night of 101 cats juried show Triton Museam, Santa Clara, CA
1998 Summerfest ADR Fine Arts, Los Angeles, CA
1997 Caring Strokes Le Centre Culturel du Lycee Francais, Los Angeles, CA
1996 Group Show Valerie Miller Fine Arts, Palm Desert, CA
1992 Matrex Int'l Juried Exhibition Matrex Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1991 Group Show Barclay Simpson Fine Arts, Lafayette, CA
1991 Inaugural Exhibition Oakland Museum Sculpture Garden, Oakland, CA
1991 Bedford Biennial Juried Exhibition Regional Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA
1990 Holiday Group Show Barclay Simpson Fine Arts, Lafayette, CA
1990 Top of the Table Virginia Breier, San Francisco, CA
1990 Gallery Artists Group Show Allport Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1986 Group Show Barclay Simpson Fine Arts, Lafayette, CA
1985 Gallery Artists Show Gallery 30, Burlingame,CA
1985 Group Show Barclay Simpson Fine Arts, Lafayette, CA
1985 Gallery Artists Gallery 30, Burlingame,CA
1985 Animals, A Group Show Barclay Simpson Fine Arts, Lafayette, CA
1985 Gallery Artist Group Show Anna Gardner Gallery, Stinson Beach, CA
1985 Collages and Ceramics Anna Gardner Gallery, Stinson
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.