Text Box: Norman Deesing was born and raised in San Diego, California, in a culturally-mixed household. As a child he toyed with drawing and was drawn to a creative lifestyle, but those talents lay dormant for over 20 years due to a troubled home life and an overall lack of guidance and direction. In 1984, Deesing graduated from the University of California at Davis with an undergraduate degree in Fine Art methods, including ceramics. At Davis, he studied under well-known artists such as Robert Arneson for ceramics, and Wayne Thiebeau for painting. After graduation, Deesing worked in many art related specialties: graphic design, painting, printing, and photography, and he later began teaching ceramic sculpture in 2000. Teaching ceramic arts for over a decade at the high school level is especially rewarding to Deesing as he works hard to inspire and mentor young artists, many of whom are at-risk teens, as he had once been. In addition, it has allowed for a long-awaited focus on one particular art form: sculpture. He is a figurative sculptor specializing in the female form. Some of Deesing's inspiration comes from female artists such as Camille Claudel, Mary Cassatt, and Louise Nevelson. Text Box: To Contact the Artist: