Sitting at the pottery wheel, he throws clay into the center of the base, slowly but firmly working it, his foot controlling the wheel speed.

After several minutes, a pot begins to take form and Joe Filipiak smiles when his art work is complete.

CARL SULLENBERGER/CHRONICLE

Joe Filipiak poses in his Chamberlain Road studio in Grafton.

For Filipiak, 60, being able to create art any time he wants is one of life’s simple pleasures that he can now indulge in since retiring in 2004 as Midview High School’s art department chair and the district’s art director.

“Every state in the United States has a piece of my pottery,” Filipiak said. “I am curious where my stuff is going, so I ask people.”

Most people tend to be art-show enthusiasts, while others hear about Filipiak’s work from word of mouth.

A few months before Filipiak retired from the job he held for 27 years, he decided to build an art studio on his Chamberlain Road property. The frame went up in 2004, but the project wasn’t finished until 2006.

It was a labor-intensive project, and he took pride in doing it alone.

“An artist needs a place to work. I was in the basement for so long, I forgot what sunshine looked like,” Filipiak joked. “The physical labor came first, but now I am enjoying it.”

Today, Filipiak’s pottery wheel is located in the corner of his studio, where three windows allow sunlight to filter through. The rest of the studio is windowless, except for the skylights.

“I need the walls for shelving,” he said, looking around the room.

Filipiak creates several forms of art in his studio, including stoneware ceramics, portraits, woodcarvings, stone sculptures and stained glass.

“I create arts that are needed,” he said. “It’s an all-inclusive studio. The good Lord has always provided for me.” 

Filipiak’s newest creations are wind chimes.

“They are done in stages and can take under two hours of work, but it’s divided in days,” he said, adding that he has to throw the clay and make each piece of the chime by hand, and the pieces have to be fired in the kiln and glazed.

Ever since Filipiak retired, he often retreats to his art studio for several hours a day.

“I am starting to get ready for summer shows within the area,” he said. “I only enter juried shows, but all of my art is purchasable. A lot of times, I come back with an empty van.”

Filipiak is the first in his family to receive a degree in art education, though his father was also an artist without any formal training.

“Art is not a 9 to 5 job,” Filipiak said, sitting at the pottery wheel preparing to make a clay bottle. “It’s engraved in me. I will create until I can’t do it anymore.” 

---

Print this story
Report an inappropriate comment

---

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.

Need help? Email Us.

---