Heidi Zimbler
In the summer of 1985, Heidi Zimbler returned her Bavarian homeland for the first time in 30 years. She went in search of her artistic roots, and found them in a small town called Diessen, about sixty miles southeast of Munich, West Germany. It was a remarkable discovery. They called the area “der Pfaffenwinkel”, the Monk’s Corner. A lush valley stretching from the Ammersee Lake right up to the edge of the Bavarian Alps. Der Pfaffenwinkel is mostly productive farmlands dotted by medieval towns with their Old World architecture, guest houses, churches, monasteries, and storybook castles.
In Diessen, a town that Heidi has not seen since the age of six, when her family immigrated to New York City, there was a small group of potters producing stoneware pots, hand painted in the folk designs peculiar to the region. It was a style that Heidi was developing and refining in State College, Pennsylvania since the mid 70′s. Today, new designs of her own have been added to some of the more traditional ones.
What is it that she loves most about be a potter? “The joy of cracking the door of a warm kiln cannot be described”, Heidi says. “It is always a magical moment when the powdery white clay pots are transformed into glistening ceramic treasures. It’s a moment when I realize that I have created something from our ancient earth to be enjoyed and used for generations to come.”
Heidi Zimbler graduated from the State University of New York, Oneonta with a BA in Fine Arts, and has been producing fine stoneware and porcelain pieces for more than 30 years.
As a member of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen, the Potters Guild and Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania, She has participated in a wide variety of juried shows and exhibitions for the past 30 something years.
She has displayed and sold her work at craft shows across the northeast, including the annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, People’s Choice Festival of Pennsylvania Arts and Crafts, and the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsman Centre Chapter Winter Craft Market, and also sells her work year round at the Gallery Shop in Lemont, PA.
She also has been sharing her knowledge and talents teaching ceramics and jewelry making to the students at the Grier School in Tyrone, PA since 1999.
In Diessen, a town that Heidi has not seen since the age of six, when her family immigrated to New York City, there was a small group of potters producing stoneware pots, hand painted in the folk designs peculiar to the region. It was a style that Heidi was developing and refining in State College, Pennsylvania since the mid 70′s. Today, new designs of her own have been added to some of the more traditional ones.
What is it that she loves most about be a potter? “The joy of cracking the door of a warm kiln cannot be described”, Heidi says. “It is always a magical moment when the powdery white clay pots are transformed into glistening ceramic treasures. It’s a moment when I realize that I have created something from our ancient earth to be enjoyed and used for generations to come.”
Heidi Zimbler graduated from the State University of New York, Oneonta with a BA in Fine Arts, and has been producing fine stoneware and porcelain pieces for more than 30 years.
As a member of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen, the Potters Guild and Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania, She has participated in a wide variety of juried shows and exhibitions for the past 30 something years.
She has displayed and sold her work at craft shows across the northeast, including the annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, People’s Choice Festival of Pennsylvania Arts and Crafts, and the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsman Centre Chapter Winter Craft Market, and also sells her work year round at the Gallery Shop in Lemont, PA.
She also has been sharing her knowledge and talents teaching ceramics and jewelry making to the students at the Grier School in Tyrone, PA since 1999.