Diana
Photo Credit: Clara Lewis-Valero

When Diana Kersey was growing up in Lubbock, her parents allowed her to try to dig a swimming pool in their backyard. Thirteen inches down, she discovered clay, and she has been working with it ever since. 

Kersey is a visual artist who exclusively works in ceramics, creating everything from small studio pieces to large architectural installations. Her work is instantly recognizable due to the muscular and spontaneous qualities of the clay, which she enhances with colorful and translucent glazes. 

Recent accolades include: the Artisan Award from the Texas Society of Architects, the John Staub Award from the Texas Society of Classic Architecture and Art, the Everyday Excellence Golden Trowel from the Texas Masonry Council, the Lynn Ford Craftsman Award from The Conservation Society of San Antonio, Texas, and the Mary Jo Laughlin and Eula Whitehouse Memorial Award for Visual Arts from the Native Plant Society of Texas. 

Kersey’s public works have been commissioned by the City of San Antonio, VIA Metropolitan Transit, the San Antonio River Authority, and the City of Harlingen. In 2021, she completed her largest commission to date, The Riparian Edge, for the Oxbow Building in San Antonio. 

She holds an MFA in ceramics from Washington State University and a BFA in drawing from Texas Tech University. Currently, she serves as an Assistant Professor at Northwest Vista College and operates Kersey Ceramics LLC in San Antonio, Texas. 

  

Diana Kersey, The Riparian Edge, approximately 508 square feet. Commissioned by Silver Ventures for the Oxbow Building in San Antonio, Texas. Photos by Clem Spaulding.