Bill Kysor began creating ceramic art in the classroom — but not as a student. This Preston Hollow painter began teaching a basic art class at St. Mark’s in 1969, when he decided to give a lesson in ceramics, a medium he had never worked with. Turns out Kysor had a natural knack for ceramics, and he worked on developing his skill daily in the classroom. Today, nearly 38 years later, Kysor has established a ceramics program at St. Mark’s, where he teaches 50 of the 300 young men in the upper school. And he still believes in working alongside his students. “I want them to see how an experienced artist works and still fails,” he says. Landing a gig as a full-time art teacher is rare, so Kysor considers himself “really, really fortunate” to be doing what he’s doing. “It’s the best job in the world,” Kysor says. “Most people hate going to work, but I wake up smiling.” And when he’s not creating art in the classroom, he’s creating art in his Preston Hollow back yard, where he fires and glazes his ceramics. Kysor uses two methods to create pottery: high-fire stoneware and raku fired. And because he has a background in painting, he hand-paints all of his own pieces, some with intricate designs. He also makes his own pottery glazes with custom recipes. To learn more about Kysor’s work visit northdallasart.com or call him at 214.373.7037. —ALYSON HALL
