Nick Schwartz
Nick Schwartz was born in Manhattan, N.Y. in 1975. He grew up in a family embedded in the music industry and was surrounded by artists for much of his childhood. After discovering clay in high school, he went on to study at a small liberal arts school in Florida, where he was encouraged to travel abroad and set up independent studies in ancient cultures and their ceramic works. After graduating from university, he traveled to Japan for an apprenticeship. After a fortuitous turn of events, he found himself working with an avant-garde artist who had shared a studio with John Cage and Robert Rauschenberg. Upon returning to the United States, Nick moved to Northern California and received a grant to build a community wood kiln. He founded a circus, made ceramics, baked bread in a clandestine bakery and then founded Flynn Creek Pottery, and now Cider Creek Collective. Nick has been a volunteer firefighter for the last 15 years and enjoys long walks on the rugged beaches of northern California and reflective time amidst the old growth forests around his home. where he currently lives and works with his wife Jessica Rae Thompson.