A native Washingtonian, Nancy Bocek began her artistic journey with a bachelor’s degree in art history from Reed College. At work in Palo Alto, California, after graduation, Nancy accelerated her craft as a studio potter with a love for throwing on the wheel and a passion for functional design. Back in the Northwest at last, she expanded her practice at Pottery Northwest with increasingly sculptural pieces, often melding the functional with the ornate utilizing molded elements to create art vessels. Nancy took time away from her practice to raise her family in Seattle. In 2012, Nancy entered Gage Academy of Art and began sculpting in earnest under the instruction of sculptors Michael Magrath and Tip Toland. She is currently pursuing her practice in the Magrath Atelier*.