Vince has more than 30 years of experience as a professional potter and arts educator. He received his Masters of Fine Arts in Ceramics from Southern Illinois University and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. He joined the Three-Dimensional Art Department at Crealdé in the 1970s. Vince's whimsical creations have been exhibited throughout the United States, and are held in numerous private and public collections, including the Pine Castle Folk Art Center, SunTrust Bank, Orange County Public Library, and the City of Orlando.

He is a four-time recipient of the United Arts of Central Florida Individual Artist Recognition Award. He received an Honorable Mention from the State of Florida in 2000 for the Florida Individual Artist Fellowship Program.

 Bottlebrush Totem, Stoneware

Artist's Statement

"There is an orchid cactus in front of my house in a large pot. It has long ago outgrown the pot but still flourishes. Three or four times a year it blooms, sometimes only a couple of blooms or as many as a dozen. It is a night-blooming cactus and once the flower opens it withers and dies by mid-morning. The big white blossoms remind me of fireworks bursting and it comes and goes almost as quickly. Yet it is always beautiful, always glorious.

"As a craftsman I have had to be very prolific and work many years to achieve the beautiful pieces no matter how few there may have been, while the orchid cactus produced a beautiful blossom effortlessly each time. I have thought that it would be great if I could produce a beautiful piece each time I touch the clay, but then I remind myself that if that were the case it might also disappear as quickly as the flower. Over the years the work progresses and hopefully the exceptional pieces will come with more frequency, more regularity. It is for this that I work and when I open the kiln each time, I hope. "

E-mail: Vsansone@crealde.org

Double Pickle Cycle, Stoneware

Bird Jester, Stoneware