Meet the Artist - Ffion Collinsworth

Ffion Collinsworth is a Rochester-based artist who sees clay as a vehicle for connection with both the material and her community. With a foundation built at Alfred University (BFA) and Boston University (MAAE), her practice flows between sculptural exploration and functional utility. Drawing deep inspiration from the natural world, specifically the movement and life of birds, she specializes in sgraffito techniques to carve these organic narratives directly into the surface of her pots.

For Ffion, the studio and the classroom are deeply intertwined. She believes that teaching art is as creative an act as making it, a philosophy she lives out daily as a K–5 Art Educator in Rochester and an instructor at a local studio in Honeoye Falls. This balance of sharing knowledge and refining her own craft has led her to residencies at the Red Lodge Clay Center and, most recently, the Sister Jane Mary Residency at Lourdes University.

Her recent solo exhibition, UnEarthed, was a culmination of this journey, highlighting her evolving love for texture and form. Whether she is working in her home studio or guiding a student’s first experience with clay, Ffion is constantly looking for the next discovery. Ultimately, she remains dedicated to the messy, beautiful process of learning through making, inviting others to find their own grounding in the clay.