Andrew Berends has been a potter since 1976.  He earned a BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, then spent a year in Spain working with traditional folk potters before completing an MFA in ceramics and drawing at Montana State University in Bozeman.  He now works from his studio in Springfield, VT.

Berends specializes in raku and saggar fired vessels and platters, using the centuries old Japanese raku techinique to create unlikely, metallic, crackled surfaces tht are impossible to fully control or repeat. His process involves freezing a specific moment in time with water, right as the flame mark hits the glaze.  Too hot and the piece cracks.  Too cool and the glaze falls flat.  That narrow window is where the magic happens.​