At Redlands East Valley there is an up and coming art class taught by a man named George Bressant. The class of Ceramics is only in its second year at REV with Bressant, yet it is quickly growing into an extremely popular art college prep (cp) class. Though the class is fairly new, Bressant has already completed one major goal in rebuilding and renovating the only gas kiln in the Redlands Unified School District that reaches the highest temperature needed for firing clay.

The art of ceramics is the molding and shaping of clay into different shapes or items. After the clay is molded into the desired form, it is fired in a kiln to harden into a permanent state. In the class, students use clay to create various projects throughout the year.

Bressant’s introduction to ceramic art was at the relatable age of 16 years old. Bressant was first introduced to ceramics when he took a high school class at REV, and he said it quickly became his passion. He has been creating ceramic art for 17 years, and has shaped it into a great career. Before teaching, Bressant was employed with a company out of Lake Elsinore creating dinnerware. Aside from teaching Ceramics at REV, he continues to create pieces such as mugs and jars for sale.

When asked about what he is most proud of about his Ceramics class, Bressant said, “Ceramics teaches the skill of being able to work a problem out creatively. That is the beauty of clay. Clay is forgiving. If you mess a project up, you grab some new clay and work out the problems you had.” He also said that, “Ceramics brings back the hands-on factor of art. It teaches students to actually use their hands to create.”

When asked what student’s mind sets should be when entering the class, Bressant said, “If you are ready to work hard, you will get a lot out of this class.” Effort and creativity are the main categories that Bressant looks for when grading the artwork created in his class. 

If you are a REV student looking for a fun, creative hands-on art class to have in your schedule, consider taking Ceramics with the talented Mr. Bressant.