John Pagliaro is an artist working from his studio on Shelter Island, where he resides year round. He has exhibited professionally for 10 years. His ceramic work has been collected internationally, and is in many prominent private and museum collections.

"Pagliaro "pinches" his pots, the oldest vessel making technique, predating coiling, throwing and molding by thousands of years. This is a non-additive process that begins with a ball of clay that is literally pinched into shape using forefingers and thumbs. It is little used today by contemporary ceramic artists because it is difficult to master, depends on a highly intuitive response to clay and is usually limited to small-scale work. At its best it communicated an extraordinary level of direct intimacy between maker and material. While his method of forming is ancient, he employs the most contemporary and non-traditional of materials to create rich polychromatic surfaces."
- Garth Clark, 2005, NY