Walking in to his sophomore Ceramics class, Brad Blair, class of ’04, knew nothing about working with clay.  But eight years later, Blair is about to complete his Masters in Fine Arts in Ceramics at Florida State University.

Ever since he first took Ceramics with art teacher Michael Gaudreau, Blair was immediately interested in the subject.

“After taking a drawing and a painting class, I wanted to explore the other fields of art.  Ceramics was next in line, and I was up for the challenge,” Blair said.  “I remember constantly heading to Mr. Gaudreau’s room during my off mods and after school to work on or finish up Ceramics projects.”

Blair attributes his skill level to the extra time spent in the studio in high school.  “Gaining more hands-on experience not only increased my skills and led to better artwork, but also enhanced my overall interest in clay,” he said.

After graduating from JC, Blair went on to pursue art at Towson University, where he graduated in 2009, although he started out as a Biology major with only a minor in art.

“That way I could still pursue my creativity while gaining a vast knowledge of the sciences.  But eventually, I found myself more at home in the Ceramics studio than the Bio lab.  With the confidence and accolades from teachers and peers, I decided to take the risk and switch over to fine arts major with focus in Ceramics,” he said.

As an art major, Blair knew it was a risk and knew it would take hard work.  “I knew that I had to give it everything I had to be successful in the competitive field of art,” he said.  “Every project I had was completed with 110 percent effort, constantly pushing myself while finding my niche in the world of ceramics.”

Today, Blair credits Gaudreau with forming his initial and current passion for ceramics.  “Mr. Gaudreau has been a supporter of mine since day one.  He was always helping me form ideas within my work to help add a deeper meaning to it,” Blair said.  “He encouraged me to push myself in his class, which led to me to win the ‘Best in Show Award’ at the JC student art exhibit with a ceramic sculpture.”

Gaudreau is still a supporter of Blair’s and even wrote a letter of recommendation for Blair’s graduate school applications.

Gaudreau admires Blair’s work and remembers him as an extremely hard worker.  “He was a great student, always thinking,” Gaudreau said.  “He was never afraid of trying something new or getting out of his comfort zone.”

Currently, Blair displays his artwork in galleries around the country in places like Baltimore Clayworks in Baltimore, Academy of Fine Arts in Virginia, and Rome Art Coterie in Georgia, as well as local art shows like “Pottery at the Barn” at Rockfield Manor in Bel Air.

After gaining his MFA, Blair does not have a concrete plan for his future.  “I will have to see how the next few years unfold to be certain, but with my degree, I will be able to teach at all levels including college.  Ideally, I would like to teach as well as be an active artist and exhibit my work in galleries worldwide,” Blair said.

Blair estimates that over the past seven years, he’s made over 1,500 pots and 75 ceramic sculptures.

Blair’s art is also displayed online at www.bradblairceramics.com.

Taylor Schafer is the Lifestyle Editor for “The Patriot” and jcpatriot.com.