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I was professionally trained in commercial art and advertising and have a degree from
Texas State Technological Institute in Waco, Texas. After working in the commercial art business for eight
years I felt it was time to return to school and continue my education. Upon returning to school at West
Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, I was exposed to the fine arts for the first time in my life. After seeing the way the potters' wheel worked, I became intrigued with the wheel throwing concept, thereby enrolling in a ceramics class as my art elective. At mid-term of that semester, I changed my major to art and went on to receive a B.F.A. in Studio Art with an emphasis in Ceramics. Nearing the completion of my undergrad degree, I felt the desire to learn more about clay, and in turn share my newfound feelings and information of clay with others. I then enrolled in the graduate ceramics program at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas and received my M.F.A. in three years. While in grad school, I studied many different styles and processes and soon discovered that the many things which held my interest could be translated into and explored through clay. Influenced by my rigid commercial art training, the process of dismantling objects to study their inner workings, the architectural style of Frank Lloyd Wright and the art of Oriental packaging, I started making pots. As a result of my formal training and personal influences, I found that I enjoyed coming up with an aesthetic that is representative of the simple delights of my life. Upon the completion of my M.F.A., I accepted a tenure track teaching position at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. In March of 2004 I was granted Tenure and promoted to Associate Professor, and I'm presently in my ninth year at Sul Ross. Sul Ross has a fairly small art department and as a result I currently teach about sixteen different courses on a rotation schedule. Some of these courses are: Ceramics I, Ceramics II, Handmade Ceramic Tile, Kiln Building, Extruded Ceramics, Ceramics for Educators, Design I, Design II, Sculpture, Fine Arts Appreciation, Alternative Photographic Printing Processes, Pinhole Photography, Fused & Slumped Glass, Fused Glass Jewelry and Graphic Design. Although teaching demands the majority of my time, I still make time for attending and presenting workshops, curating exhibitions, and making all the pots I can. Jim Bob Salazar |
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