Fred Stodder grew up in Laguna Beach California, and began studying ceramics at age 16. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of California, Irvine.  Currently his studio is located in San Juan Capistrano.

His ceramic art is regularly exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the country. He is the recipient of numerous awards, appears in many important collections and has been featured in Ceramics Monthly as well as other national arts publications.

Although ceramics is a very ancient art form, Fred Stodder’s work is unlike traditional ceramics in his use of extremely hard edges, bright bold colors, and razor sharp glaze delineation. His work is mostly inspired by ceramic lore, modernist art, architecture, and jazz music.

Fred Stodder's ceramic art is created with white earthenware clay and is bisque fired to about 1950 degrees fahrenheit. Multiple underglaze colors are applyed with an airbrush to create areas that are gradating, (often from warm to cool color and from light to dark). Brush on translucent and opaque low fire glazes are used in the solid colored areas.