Paul Lewing

​Paul (presenter of the online workshop China Painting), always knew he wanted to be an artist.  He started painting in oils at the age of eight, and continued into college at the University of Montana in Missoula.  There he discovered clay, studying with Rudy Autio, one of America's best known clay artists and muralists, and earned both a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Arts degree.  After graduate school, Paul moved to Seattle, and has been a professional clay artist there since 1972, first making functional pottery and, since 1986, working exclusively on ceramic tile. 
​​Paul is known for his painterly style of glazing, and for the wide diversity of imagery, styles and techniques he employs in his tile art.  

A former mule packer, horse wrangler, and hunting and fishing guide, he often shows his love of mountains and the outdoors in his landscape, floral, animal and fish murals. He is also widely respected for his expertise in glaze chemistry.  In recent years, Paul has returned to roots in painting and is building a second reputation as a painter, working in acrylics.

Paul Lewing is the author of “China Paint & Overglaze”, published by American Ceramic Society in 2007, and star of the companion DVD “New Directions in China Painting”, issued in 2010.  Articles by Paul have appeared in Ceramics Monthly, Studio Potter, The Crafts Report, Clay Times, Pottery Making Illustrated and other magazines, and his work has been featured in a number of textbooks.  Paul is also active in the crafts community, and has been President of both the Washington Potters' Association and Northwest Designer-Craftsmen, and a member of the Studio Potter Network National Advisory Board. In 2018, he was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Montana.  He has taught at Pottery Northwest, the Factory of Visual Arts, Highline Community College, and at over 170 workshops across the United States, including at least one in every state.

​Paul's work has been shown in many regional and national exhibitions and is included in the collections of the Montana Institute of the Arts, Colorado Springs Art Museum, the Archie Bray Foundation, and Pacific NW Bell.  The Mayor of Seattle once presented pieces of his work to, among others, the King of Sweden and the Queen of Denmark.

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Examples of Paul's work

Backsplashes in kitchens are not just for functional purposes, but may be part of the kitchen design.

Paul with a fox that he painted for a bathroom project. Each porcelain tile hand painted and fired in an electric kiln several times.

Paul ensures that the colors of his kitchen tiles compliments the cabinets and the rest of the kitchen design.

Paul can even even match the kitchen tiles with the dinner set. China painting allows specific coloring on the clay.