Ray’s interest in kiln repair has been a somewhat windy road. Ray began tinkering while taking apart his fathers drill at a very young age. He rebuilt cars through his teen years and was introduced to ceramics in the early 1990’s by a neighbor who produced raku pottery. The result of this interaction, he took a course in high school and then studied ceramics through undergraduate and graduate school. Ray earned a Bachelors of Arts degree from California State University Northridge and a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Ceramics from New Mexico State University.
Ray did kiln repair and worked on pottery wheels while in graduate school. He accepted the position of Teaching Laboratory Specialist at the University of Florida in 2007. While at UF, Ray was in charge of maintaining all of the equipment (including nearly 20 electric kilns, six gas kilns, wood kiln, 16 pottery wheels, slab roller, etc,) materials, studio maintenance, safety education, and budgets of the communal studio. He worked with Skutt Kilns in beta testing KilnLink. He also and worked with electricians and HVAC engineers on major electrical and ventilation upgrades.
Ray relocated to Kentucky to teach where he was in charge of the ceramics program at Berea College for several years. Ray and his wife, Dr. Jennifer Mitchell, moved back to Florida when she accepted her current position.
Jennifer and Ray reside just south of Jacksonville. Ray continues to teach ceramics and design part time at the University of North Florida. He enjoys (in no specific order) working in his studio, cooking, Gator Football, tinkering with electronics, brewing, constructing, SCUBA diving, and caring for their two children and 5 year old Boston Terrier, Ralph. You can see Ray’s artwork at www.gonzalezstudio.com
