Over 45 years ago, on a whim, Max Butler took a night class in the basement pottery studio of El Centro College in Dallas, TX. It sparked a fascination with clay that sent him to the University of North Texas (UNT) where he received a BFA in ceramics followed by an apprenticeship in France with master potter Jean Louis Gaudin. Max began his career working as a migrant potter doing piece work in Texas, Oklahoma and Arizona . He established his own studio in Bastrop, TX in 1986.
Max now enjoys focusing on his own vision in clay. Precision, speed, craftsmanship, and attention to detail, all essential skills learned doing piecework, now serve him well. Working in terra cotta, Max concentrates primarily on open forms and vessels highlighted with his expressive brush decoration.
“I am a clay brained, saw toothed warrior in a struggle over the tyranny of ageing. Inspiration comes from the amalgamation of dissimilar styles both historical and aesthetic. With influences as diverse as David Leach, Rosanjin, John Maltby, and Dave Drake, pulchritude is created from both mundane and recondite ambitions.”-Max