Tony Young

My finishes are inspired by graffiti and travels to Europe.  I took a street art tour in Shoreditch of London and that has had a profound influence on my work.  Experiencing the work of Ben Eine, Banksy, Sheperd Fairey, and more sent me down an entirely new path. 

I try to recreate those gritty surfaces by layering bold imagery and text while mixing in elements of my own design work. I am pushing the idea of taking functional contemporary forms and slathering them with so much information it captivates people to explore every inch of the surface.  My work centers around one word: RIOT.  Other common imagery I use often are cats, turtles, hedgehogs, birds and butterflies which all hold their own symbolism.  Some of my designs are hand done, while others I have generated using Ai.  I’m constantly looking for ways to connect to people and I love to hear why people enjoy different pieces of my work.

I’m attempting to create vessels that are not only functional but serve as a memento mori or carpe diem type object to their owners.  Ideally, I want people to feel special and ready to conquer the day when they use my work in their daily rituals!

Tony Young graduated from Bowling Green State University and works primarily from his home studio in Ohio.  He is a High School ceramics teacher who is entering his 20th year in education.  He loves teaching art and especially has a passion for ceramics.  He was primarily a sculptor until 2017 and since has focused on functional ceramics.  Slip casting cups gave him a vehicle to dabble in the functional, and since he’s begun to make the majority of his work on the wheel.  Tony’s work has been accepted into more than 25 exhibitions in the past few years and was published in Ceramics Monthly.  He started his own underglaze transfer company this past summer: RIOT TRANSFERS.  Tony has work in collections all over the United States, Canada, Germany,  and Australia and more.