Eric Knoche touched clay for the first time ten years ago and has had dirty hands ever since.  Originally from Minnesota, Eric studied anthropology in India, poetry in California, taught ceramics at a college in Thailand, and drove a muffin truck in New York City before apprenticing to ceramist Jeff Shapiro.  He later completed a short term apprenticeship to Japanese Living National Treasure, Isezaki Jun.  Eric exhibits and teaches internationally.  In addition to playing with mud, he enjoys hiking, reading and checking the cloud formations for the face of Elvis.  Eric works in Asheville, North Carolina.

My current work ranges from small puzzles to human size outdoor works to manipulatable sculpture to large installations with many pieces.  I make things I am curious to see. The work tends to evolve out of itself and I often feel like I am an archeologist excavating my own subconscious.  Here are some things that I think influence my work:  male and female figures, bones, machine parts, houses, clouds, landscapes, algebra equations, micro-facial movements, fact and truth, alphabets and foreign languages, spacial relationships, tools I don't know how to use, the distortional nature of memory, the limits of ocular perception, plants, neutron stars, dancing, running water, and songbirds.

The forms are constructed primarily from clay using a variety of hand building methods.  I usually do not work from sketches or maquettes, preferring to collaborate with the materials and guide the forms until they feel right.  In a similar way, the wood fired surfaces which patina my work are the result of a dynamic interaction between the materials, forms, placement in the kiln, and firing technique. 
   
It is my hope that the gratitude and wonder I have for life, energy, mystery, and art is revealed through my work.

2010        Purchase Award, Delhom Service Leage/Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC

2009        Emerging Artist, American Style Magazine

2008        Regional Artist Project Grant, Asheville Area Arts Council, Asheville, NC

2008        Japan-US Artist Exchange Grant, Asian Cultural Council, NY
          
2008        Southern Living Magazine Idea House (Featured) Sandy Mush, NC

2006        Kiln God Scholarship, Laguna Clay Company, City of Industry, CA

2006        Purchase Award, Concordia Continental Biennial, St Paul, MN
 

Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
 
Laguna Clay Company, City of Industry, CA

2012       Kiln Gods,  Baltimore Clayworks, ML
 
2012       New Work, Gallery Sintra, Gothenberg, Sweden
 
2012       New Work, Blue Spiral 1, Asheville, NC
 
2012       Serendipity, Crimson Laurel Gallery, Bakersvill, NC
 
2012       Cups, Blue Spiral 1, Asheville, NC
 
2011        Interpreting the Cup, Crimson Laurel Gallery, Bakersville, NC
 
2011        Between Bones and Words, Anderson Obrien, Omaha, NE (solo)
 
2011        Art+1, Transylvania Arts Council
 
2011        Baltic Woodfired, Hjorths Fabrik, Roenne, Denmark
 
2011        A Quick Look at Function, Crimson Laurel, Bakersville, NC (solo)
 
2011        Containment, Crimson Laurel Gallery, Bakersville, NC
 
2010        Mint Museum Invitational, Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
 
2010        ScanCeram, University of Northern Denmark, Hjoerring, Denmark
 
2010        Wood Fire International, Gallerei Klosterformat, Rostock, Germany
 
2010        Ceramics, Blue Spiral 1, Asheville, NC

2010        Studio Ceramics 2010, Signature Shop, Atlanta

2010        Buncombe County Pots, North Carolina Pottery Center,      
                Greensboro, NC
 
2010        Constructed - A Handbuilt Review, Mudfire Gallery, Atlanta, GA

2010        Shino Redux, Clayart Center, Port Chester, NY

2010        Eric Knoche - Recollection/Evolution 1999-2009
                O'brien Gallery, Roane State Community College

2009        Eric Knoche--New Work, Anderson O’brien, Omaha, NE

2009        Wood Fired Ceramics, Blue Spiral 1 Gallery, Asheville, NC

2009        Mint Museum Invitational, Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC

2009        Wood Fire Symposium Exhibition, Clay Place Gallery, Carnegie, PA

2009        Eric Knoche and Matt Jacobs, Crimson Laure lGallery, Bakersville, NC

2008        Southern Highlands Craft Guild Members Exhibition
                Appalachian Regional Commission, Washington, DC

2008        The Clay Space Co-op, Front Gallery, Asheville Area Arts Council, NC

2008        Fire and Light, Hand in Hand Gallery, Flatrock, NC

2008        Alumni Exhibition, University of Minnesota, Morris, MN

2008        Eric Knoche--Large Scale Work, Anderson-O’Brien, Omaha, NE

2008        Dale Huffman, Justin Rothshank and Eric Knoche--New Work
                Union Project Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA

2008        The Kiln Builders Exhibition
                Laurelville Mennonite Church Center, Mt Pleasant, PA
       
2008        Some Assembly Required (solo)
                Boardroom Gallery, Asheville Area Arts Council,  NC        

2008        Concordia Continental Biennial Exhibition
                Concordia Gallery, Concordia University, St. Paul, MN

2007        Big Idea, Small Scale
                H. Williams Teaching Gallery, Concordia University, St. Paul, MN

2007        New Work from the Clay Space Co-op, Art Center West, Atlanta, GA

2007        Eric Knoche -- New Work, Anderson-O’Brien Fine Art, Omaha, NE

2007        Coming Up, Down South-Emerging Clay Artists of the Southeast
                Blue Spiral 1 Gallery, Asheville, NC

2006        10th Anniversary New York-Tokyo Friendship Ceramic Competition
                Nippon Gallery, New York, NY

2006        16th Annual Feats of Clay Exhibition, Gladding McBean, Lincoln, CA

2006        Concordia Continental Biennial Exhibition
                Concordia Gallery, Concordia University, St. Paul, MN

2006        Big Idea, Small Scale
                H. Williams Teaching Gallery, Concordia University, St. Paul, MN

2005        Voices in Ceramics
                Yaeger Museum, Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY
 

008-09    Short Term Apprentice to Isezaki Jun, Living National Treasure
                 Bizen, Okayama, Japan

2004-06    Apprentice to Jeff Shapiro, Ceramic Artist
                 Accord, NY

2002         B.A. with High Distinction and Honors in Art, Anthropology,English
                 University of Minnesota, Morris, MN and Minneapolis, MN
 

2012         Guest Instructor, Landshut Ceramic University, Bavaria
 
2011         Guest Lecturer,  Australian National Art  School, Sydney, Australia
 
2011         Invited Panelist, Wood Fire Tasmania Conference,  Australia
 
2010         Presenter, First European Woodfire conference, Bröllin, Germany
 
2010         Invited Panelist,  CreaBiz Ceramics Conference, Hjoerring, Denmark
 
2010         Demonstration, Gothenburg Folk University, Gothenburg, Sweden
 
2009         Visiting Artist, Penland School of Crafts, Jerilyn Virden, Instructor
                 Penland, NC

2009         Kiln Building Instructor, Copus Pottery
                 Marshall, NC

2009         Lecture and Demonstration, University of Minnesota, Morris
                 Morris, MN

2008         Wood Kiln Building Instructor, Laurelville Mennonite Church Camp
                 Mt Pleasant, PA

2007-8      Ceramics Instructor, Odyssey Center for the Ceramic Arts
                 Asheville, NC

2005         Cob Oven Building Instructor, Catskill Native Nursery
                 Kerhonkson, NY

2002-03    Ceramics Instructor, Rajamangala University, Chiang Mai, Thailand

2000         Instructor, Art-O-Rama Art Camp, Morris, MN
 

2012         Invited Artist, Kohila Ceramic Symposium, Estonia
 
2012         Curator, Woodfired Sculpture, Crimson Laurel Gallery, NC

2009         Invited Artist, International Wood Fire Symposium
                 Carlow University/The Union Project, Pittsburgh, PA

2006         Resident, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, Newcastle, ME

2006         Studio Assistant, Jeff Shapiro, Accord, NY

2006         Studio Assistant, Penland School of Crafts
                 Sana Musasama and Jon Keenan, Penland, NC

2006         Visiting Artist, Big Table Studios
                 John Martelle and Liz Vercruysse, Omaha, NE

2002         Artist-in-Residence, Roseville High School
                 Roseville, MN

2002         Studio Assistant, Todd Clercx, Sculpture for the Blind, Roseville, MN