Stan Bitters (1932-2021) was an American sculptor and ceramic artist known for his unique style of creating large-scale, textured, and sculptural ceramic murals, wall sculptures, and pottery.
Bitters graduated from UCLA in 1959 with a BA in painting. He also attended San Diego State University, and Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles.
. In 1958, immediately after college, he was hired to be the principal artist at Hans Sumpf Company in Madera, California, a company known for inventing a special emulsification process for water-proofing adobe bricks.
The company's main product was adobe, but Mr. Sumpf sought the creative potential of clay as a decorative element in homes.
Bitters was the first artist at Hans Sumpf, and his creations — such as the birdhouse, thumb pot, and other ceramic designs — would provide the company a stylistic imprint and creative identity.
In 1963 Bitters left Hans Sumpf and started his own studio after being commissioned by Garret Eckbo to build fountains for the Fulton Mall.
As a pioneer of the organic modernist craft movement in the 1960s, Bitters has been producing rough-hewn ceramic birdhouses, planters, pedestals, mural tiles, totems, boulder walls, and fountains for more than half a century.
He is an American ceramic sculptor rooted in the abstract expressionism which is understood as a modality suited for American ceramic art.
"The power of an object comes from its ability to tell you a story." Bitters reflects.
"Good sculpture makes you listen."
More of Stan Bitter's wonderful sculptures can be found at https://www.stanbitters.com/sculptures.
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