Juergen Meier was born in 1965 in a small
lake-side town called Adliswil located just outside of
Zurich
,
Switzerland
. He learned his trade and did his apprenticeship as a
Master Metalsmith in Zurich. After graduation, he decided to pursue
more creative interests and spent the next several years studying
historic architectural restoration and traveling between Zurich and
Venice restoring the interiors of old churches and landmarks.
In 1994, Juergen was invited to
New York
by his uncle to join the family business producing
hand-crafted, custom made metal works. There, he was able to put his background to use designing various works out of
specialty metals such as copper, brass and stainless steel.
After several years in NY, Juergen decided to return to
Switzerland
. It was at this point in his life that he became
interested in ceramics. After taking a workshop offered by Meinrad
Hollenstein, a well-known Swiss artist, Juergen decided to make the
switch from metal to clay. He loved the way he could easily manipulate
the shapes and forms on the wheel and immediately became enthralled
with the process. Meinrad quickly became his mentor and long time
friend. Amazed at the amount of natural talent Juergen possessed, he
encouraged him to return to
New York
to explore his talents and to pursue a professional
career as a ceramic artist.
Juergen moved back to
Manhattan
for a brief period and established his own ceramic
studio in the
Bronx
. He now resides in
Schenectady
where he continues to work in ceramics and offers
classes to those interested in his craft. Although, he enjoys
working in pottery, his real love and niche is creating large
sculptural pieces with the emphasis on size and shape. He's currently
experimenting with the combination of clay and metal giving his pieces
a rustic and primitive feel.