Patrick "Pat" Siler, an internationally known ceramic artist and retired WSU professor of Fine Arts, went to his eternal rest after a protracted battle with ITP on May 15th at his home in Pullman, surrounded by his family and dogs. Born in Spokane WA on August 19, 1939, to Sidney Donald Siler and Pansy Hazel Bohanan Siler, he grew up in Tacoma and Richland, WA. His first grade saw his future, noting on his report card, "Needs to work on spelling. Draws too much." He graduated from high school in Tacoma and was tracked to find a job, wife, and child, until his mother, a school teacher, insisted he try a year at College of Puget Sound (now UPS) where he caught fire academically and decided he would continue with post-secondary education at Washington State University in Pullman, where he majored in Fine Arts. In 1961, he graduated, having completed his first public arts piece, a mural, at Grand Coulee Dam.

He decided to explore art in California, so he moved to the Bay Area. Having heard about the art scene at Berkeley, he decided to interview for admission at UC Berkeley; at the time, this involved showing paintings he had brought with him to California. Two years later he graduated from Cal Berkeley with a master's in Abstract painting, but it was an encounter with Pete Voulkos, a luminary of the California Funk Art movement, that again determined his future. Working as Voulkos' assistant at what was known as the Cal Pot Shop, he explored the use of clay as canvas and the development of imagery on clay surfaces. That imagery often included wacky characters developed in a comic-noir style. Like his mentors, he came to be associated with the funk school.

In 1973, he was hired back at WSU, his undergrad alma mater, where he spent the rest of his life developing his art. He retired in 2005 as a full professor of fine arts. Under his leadership, WSU became one of the leading MFA programs for ceramic arts. He later changed directions and moved into painting and drawing, spending several years as the WSU drawing coordinator.

His work has been acquired by and shown in some of the most prestigious galleries and museums in the world, including the Smithsonian, the Kaneko, the American Museum of Ceramic Arts, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Tacoma Art Museum. He is also in the collections of Washington State University and the Museum of Northwest Arts and Culture.

In 1990, he met his wife, Elizabeth, when she moved next door to him; in 1995 they had a son, Brian; in 1997 they formalized the arrangement by marrying in Coeur d'Alene Idaho. Retiring in 2005, he spent the last decades as part of an artists' residency in ceramic art in industry at Mission Clay, Phoenix, Arizona. There he worked on giant ceramic pipes that have been shown in such public venues as the Sky Harbor terminal in Phoenix; the Cal Shakes festival (CA); Fort Mason (CA); the Railroad Arts District in Napa, California; and in public venues in Lincoln, Nebraska. He also created mural art, including the mural at Pullman’s Pine Street Plaza, a giant work that took him three summers to complete.

Pat met the great love of his life --- visual arts --- when his mother handed him a package of crayons and encouraged him to draw on the backs of old envelopes. He spent the next 81 years chasing that love, but he also enjoyed hiking with his dogs, Mowgli and Rascal, learning about plants of various regions of the world, drinking beer and critiquing it, gardening, encouraging others to plant milkweed to save monarch butterflies, and in recent years making signs to protest the depredations of the current political administration of the US. If he had one great wish it would be to encourage everyone to vote in November.

For several months, he battled ITP, a debilitating blood disease. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth, his son Brian, his (step) daughter Pamela Mejia, his granddaughter Frances, his son-in law, Robert Reckard, and his dogs Mowgli and Rascal, all of whom will miss him terribly. He will be buried at Pullman cemetery in a private ceremony. A celebration of life will happen towards the end of the summer. In lieu of flowers, you are encouraged to directly donate to Pullman Community Gardens at Koppel Farm (https://sites.google.com/site/koppelfarm/).

Corbeill Funeral Home of Pullman, WA has been entrusted with arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to www.corbeillfuneralhomes.com