Sandra Zeiset Richardson was introduced to ceramics while earning her BA in Art Education from the University of Washington in 1985. Her instructors—highly respected ceramists Robert Sperry, Patty Warashina, and Howard Kottler—emphasized nonfunctional work and expanded her ideas of what was possible with clay. Her work is narrative, figurative, and representational of the human figure in a symbolic way. Many of her themes come from her background and faith as a Mennonite: social-justice issues, the lure and love of money, the irony of wealth, and the futility of violence.

After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis her work has taken a more personal direction, dealing with feelings of loss, dependence, life, and hope. Because of her disability she reached a point where she could no longer work on her own. She enlisted a former classmate and friend, Janet Still, to be her creative hands. The Foster/White Gallery has exhibited Sandra Zeiset Richardson’s work since 1999.