Hoard's ceramic work engages the viewer with sculptures of bright colors and bold decorations, deftly rendered onto strong asymmetrical forms. From hand-built large platters to geometric vases and containers, the trajectory of his ceramics has always been prompted by simple exploration of form and the space that surrounds them. A skilled draftsman, some pieces contain sketch like drawings both figurative as well as abstract. The drawings meld easily into humorous figurative sculpture with heads and outstretched arms. Artist Statement:I attended Wisconsin State University, River Falls and received my Bachelor in Science in 1965. Following my undergraduate studies, I attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI, and received a Master in Fine Arts degree in 1967. From 1967 to 2008, I was a professor of art at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN. I am a Professor Emeritus and retired to Green Valley, AZ. I have been making masterworks in clay for over 60 years, and I am currently focusing on making hand-built, high fire ceramic art. Since the mid 1960’s, I have been working in clay. I continue to engage in the exploration of the expressive possibilities of the material and the myriad technical opportunities presented by different types of firing, glazing, staining, marking, tearing, smoothing, poking, throwing, hand-building, slab construction, coil building, mold making, drawing, painting, forming, and sculpting. Throughout it all, I continue striving to develop and refine a visual language that respects the traditions of the craft and pushes those traditions in ways that are unique, original, and new.