sc rolf

We own several of his pieces. Every piece he makes is unique and very well made. I would highly suggest his one of a kind pieces of art

Steve is an amazing potter! We are constantly upgrading our kitchen with his artwork. He is super friendly and professional, I highly recommend!

If you only have time to read a one sentence review of this potter here is everything you need to know to make your purchasing decision: Each object this potter creates is exquisite in every respect, in concept, form, execution, balance, harmony, mechanics, durability, and magic.

Now if you want more detail: We have been collecting Steve's work for 32 years. Many years ago, we bought one of Steve's huge watercolor landscapes. (I am not even sure if he ever works in that medium any more, so I am glad we did.) It is still hanging in our living room, and sometimes as I walk by it, I think it is an image of a whale breaching in Alaska, and sometimes I think it is a desolate winter prairie landscape, sometimes it looks like a just-opened clam shell. His work is really about everything, and you like to keep looking at each piece becaue you always discover some new elements to it, even after 30 years. You will find that with every piece he makes. You can't take your eyes off the piece. It draw you in.

We also have some very early pieces of his pottery, including a big brown bowl he made in high school. My husband and I used this bowl for years to make pancake mix, bread dough, and cookies. The bottom has a rough draft of Steve's 3 dot signature. Like idiots, we put some chips in the rim from our heavy use. But I have recently put this bowl away in a glass case, and will not allow anyone to use anymore, because Steve will never make a "first bowl" every again. And I want to make sure to preserve Steve's initial design elements in this rude bowl, and compare it to some of his more recent, elegant pieces, so we can really see and appreciate his design journey.

Right now, I am drinking out of a coffee cup I purchased at one of Steve's recent shows. To me the design elements of this cup look like it is about the solar eclipse I saw last summer, and our relationship to our amazing sun. The sun is glazed white, and indented in the cup, so I can see it, and when I hold the cup, my thumb fits right into that "sun spot," so I also feel it. I don't like to hold any other cup, because my thumb doesn't have that place to rest, like in this cup. So the visual elements of this cup, and the tactile elements are so intertwined and complex, you can't stop thinking about it. The inner part of rim is smooth and beveled, but there some tiny, rough spots on the outer part of the rim, that your finger or lips can sometimes feel. But the inside rim is very smooth. So it feels smooth and rough at the very same time. And I didn't even discover that until I had used the cup for 6 months. This is the most complicated and yet simple coffee cup I have every owned. With all of the things I have said about this coffee cup, if you hold it, and look at it, it looks and feels very "humble," like the artist himself. Oddly, at the very same time, you will think of this as a "real" cup and also an "idea" of a cup. The design elements are very subtle, and I have only written about the top third of the cup. I look forward to having a cup of coffee everyday so I can hold this cup in my hands and look at it. I always hand wash this cup (even though it can go in the dishwasher) because I just want to hold it longer. We have other big pieces of Steve's that we bought over the years, like a big serving bowl with spiral lines inside. It starts as a circle and ends as if it wants to be a square. We have a glossy green serving platter with a "herringbone" design. When I put salmon on the platter to serve it, the stunning visual effect of the green platter against the pink makes the salmon taste even better. We also always give Steve's work as wedding presents.

We use Steve's big pottery pieces at festive family get togethers. His work does not feel like inanimate objects. They are lively vessels that have held our precious family memories, as well as nourishing food.

Like all great art, the beauty this artist sees in the world (with his piercing blue eyes) as well as the beauty of this man's soul, reside in each piece. That's the magic.

Simply amazing. So much detail put into every work. An amazing potter, artist, teacher, and awesome all-around!

Very good quality, strong, well made ceramics.