Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Matt Brown is currently a student at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. Working in both traditional throwing and non traditional hand building techniques, Matt sells and exhibits his work. Matt is active in soda firing, raku, and glaze development. Matt was formerly head of the Ceramics Club at Foothill College.
He began his studies in ceramics with noted Latvian ceramist Una Mjurka at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California. Mjurka’s work, delicate, reticent, mysterious, informed his work and helped develop his initial work and work habits throwing and casting clay.
In 2005, he began to study with Berkeley ceramist and Foothill College Professor, Tom Decker. Decker introduced Matt to soda firing which is one of his personal passions. Decker introduced Matt to working more passionately, to developing memory in the fingers and hands, to being free to deform a work or cut into it to reveal roughness and asymmetry.
In 2007, Matt began to study with Andy Ruble at Foothill College focusing on improving his technique and asthetic. Matt focused on Soda and environmental firing with Japanese tea bowl forms. Also in 2007, Matt bought part interest in a soda kiln of his own.
He lives in Moss Beach with the one love of his life, Marcella, a chemist and ceramist, and his sons Aedan and Marlow.