Alumni to Watch

Craig Cheply Sandra Luehrsen’s (M.F.A., Arts, ’79) work was inspired by her great, great grandfather who fought in the civil war. He was shot in the head, but miraculously, survived. The thoughts of his sacrifice and suffering, kept Luehrsen up at night and sparked her passion for family history that inspired her ceramic work.

With clay, she mirrors her experiences and memories, from planning a zinnia garden to creating glazed works reflecting historical themes. Luehrsen enjoys using floral forms which allow her to use lively color, an element characteristic of her work. Some of her fired-matt glaze may remind the viewer of surfaces on many of the pots made during the Arts and Crafts Movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She uses red sculpture clay and hand-forming techniques, including slab building, coiling, carving and pinching, to build her pieces.

Luehrsen’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally for 30 years and appears in several prominent ceramic books, including The Ceramic Design Book, The Best of Pottery 2 and Smashing Glazes. In addition to creating her art, Luehrsen shares her passion with others, teaching three-dimensional design at Mesa Community College. She has also served as a guest artist to the Herberger College ASU graduate ceramic studios in 2003.

Cheply Art

Sandra Luehrsen, Cinderella’s Chariot, 2005, Red-sculpture clay and glaze, 15” x 24” x 6”