George Timock received both his M.F.A. and B.F.A. at Cranbrook Academy of Art. His teacher, Richard DeVore, was an instrumental mentor in his development as a ceramic artist. In 1973, Timock began teaching at the Kansas City Art Institute with Ken Ferguson and Victor Babu. For 37 years, Timock focused on large-scale, raku-fired vessels that centered on architectural and natural inspirations. The textured lava fields of Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii became a huge influence. He lived and worked in this environment in 1994, researching and replicating the intricate, lava surfaces.
For the past decade, Timock has shifted his focus to the art and culture of Eastern Europe. His travels to Hungary have inspired his artistic curiosity on many levels. The International Ceramics Studio in Kecskemet has become a creative home providing interaction with fellow international artists as they engage in and encourage thought provoking dialogue. Cultural observations, such as the epic opulence of St. Stephens Basilica and the visual record of past generations in the decayed ornamentation and weathered facade of the Old Parish Church in Budapest, inspire his transformative approach to the decorative surfaces of his work. Influenced by the Eastern European architecture and the purity of Hungarian porcelain, Timock's work reassesses the traditional vessel format as the optically intricate and stunning surfaces of metallic gold and platinum have become a predominant feature of his precious vessels. The use of luster has historical presence in European vessels and architecture but his interest and appropriation of these traditions dwell in its reflective opulence as it transforms a static surface. He is truly fascinated by the clarity and purity of porcelain clay as it responds to dramatic, reductive carving and etching, revealing a wealth of textured depth and delicate translucency.
His twelve year tenure in Hungary has inspired his personal artistic focus, established a vital connection between K.C.A.I. and the I.C.S. and fostered personal contacts with a group of artists that continues to develop. This new creative focus has continued to cultivate professional recognition. He recently exhibited at the 2013 NCECA Biennial in Houston, TX and at Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art in Kansas City, MO. In 2013, he received the NCECA Outstanding Teaching Award and was elected into the International Academy of Ceramics in Geneva, Switzerland. These acknowledgements add to the already established 50 year career of George Timock in the field of ceramics. In 2015, he retired from teaching at the Kansas City Art Institute after 43 years and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico where he now focuses solely on his creative passions...... and boy is he "HAPPY" ..... ! ! ! ! ! !
