Fred Yokel's obsession with clay started in high school. He enrolled in art classes when I was a sophomore. Yokel took ceramics classes throughout his high school days, and learned as much as he could through classes and extra-curricular activities such as workshops and seminars. Upon graduation, he enrolled at SJSU, where he concentrated my studies in ceramics under James Lovera, Robert Fritz and Herbert Sanders, with some influences thrown in by David Middlebrook. Yokel also joined some friends in a studio which they shared off campus for a few years. There, they built their own kilns and made items to sell in the local art fairs.
After graduating with a BA in Ceramics, Yokel became a production potter for several years at two Bay Area production pottery houses. He taught summer classes on production pottery while he was working in the field, and an Adult Education ceramics class. The production pottery was fun and educational, but Yokel said he got more pleasure out of designing one-of-a-kind pieces and exploring raku surfaces and organic looking textures. This experience led him to where he is today, continually experimenting with new ideas, shapes, textures and surfaces, expressing his unusual perspective in ceramics.
"Lately I have been interested in replicating textures that look like wood in clay. I’ve been experimenting with various carving and coloring techniques that will hopefully fool the viewer into thinking the pieces are actually made from wood. I like the old weathered tree look and driftwood surfaces and have been trying to mimic them in clay. I use underglazes and multiple firings to achieve the look."
