Robert Lawarre III is a ceramic artist working and teaching in central Florida. His work can be found at The Design Gallery in Burnsville, NC; Mudfire Gallery, Decatur,GA; Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville, FL; C'Komsa Gallery, Vallauris, France; and Contemporary Ceramics Gallery, Sanyi, Taiwan..

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    Lawarre was born in February 1972 in Lima, Ohio and moved to Titusville, Florida at age 13. At age 14 he started working in his family’s aerospace business as a machinist’s apprentice and began working on cars. In the early 1990’s his family sold the business and started a stockcar race team; a continuation of a family tradition that started back in the 1960's with a dirt sprint car and an Indy team. Working for this NASCAR team would allow Robert to develop mechanical and fabrication skills, which he used to create his unique texture tools from discarded automobile components, and was an essential part of developing Lawarre’s visual language. References to automotive industry often appear on his work in the form of riveting, nuts and bolts, casting marks and upholstery stitching.

    Lawarre started working in clay in 1990 but did not realize his attachment to the clay medium until 1997 as he completed his AA degree at Valencia Community College under the direction of Michael Galletta. His education continued at the University of Central Florida, where he earned a BFA in Ceramics under Professors Robert Reedy and Hadi Abbas. Lawarre's true education started as he began work as a "Teaching Artist" in summer camps and public schools in central Florida. It was this interaction with kids that inspired the youthful mindset of his work. Playful exploration of materials, techniques, and forms is at the core of what he does. Lawarre’s  approach to everything art related can be summed up as having “Serious fun”.   

Robert’s work has been displayed at galleries and museums nationally and internationally, totaling more than 130 shows in the last 9 years. His international exposure, including publications, extends through the USA, Canada, China, Korea, Taiwan, Austria, Croatia, Italy, France, Germany, Slovenia, and England. He has earned 33 national and international awards since 2006.

 

Image taken after his 2012 Hand-building workshop at the Artistic Hand.

Image taken after his 2012 Hand-building workshop at the Artistic Hand.

Lawarre’s recent notable shows include:

  • 2014 Mungyeong International Chasabal Festival, Mungyeong, Korea (awarded Gold Prize)

  • 5th Taiwan International Gold Teapot Prize, Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taipei, Taiwan (awarded Silver Prize)

  • Exposition Crazy Teapot, Vallauris Institute of Art, Vallauris, France (awarded 1st Place and People's Choice Awards)

  • Big Fish Small Pot 6 – 6th International Small Teapot Competition, AMOCA  American Museum of  Ceramic Art, Pomona, CA (Honorable Mention)
  • Ceramica Multiplex 2012 International Festival of Postmodern Ceramics, Kerameikon. Varazdin, Croatia
  • 4th Biennial Concordia Continental Ceramics Competition,  Concordia University, St. Paul, MN (2nd Place)
  • 2009 Jingdezhen International Contemporary Ceramic Exhibition” Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum, Jingdezhen, China
  • Taiwan Ceramics Biennale 2008, Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
  • See Vita for full list