Paveen Chunhaswasdikul, he goes by the name given to him by his father at birth “Beer” for short, was born in Thailand on May 23, 1967. After graduating from high school in Thailand, he came to the United States to study English at Gadsden State Community College in 1985. After graduating from GSCC, he attended Jacksonville State University.

Beer discovered pottery in the course of an art class taught by Steve Loucks at JSU. In 1993, Beer graduated from JSU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. During his education at JSU, he discovered a love for designing and making pottery. After successful business ventures, he longed to return to his first love, pottery. In 2002, he set up a small studio, and he started to work with clay again on his own.

Now Beer is a full-time studio potter. He makes mostly wheel-thrown utilitarian stoneware with unique whimsical touch. He add objects he finds in nature and unique features to many of his works i.e. locking mechanisms, moving parts and items from the natural world adorn many of his pieces.

Beer’s pieces range from plates to tea pots to hummingbird feeders or any utilitarian stoneware that fits his creative mood. Persuaded by friends and inspired by media coverage, Beer has entered his work at art shows to rave reviews. He shells his potter at art shows in Alabama and neighboring states. He has won numerous awards.

“I make functional pottery. I like things that work, I want to make unique one of a kind pottery. My goal is to make pottery that is expressive, fun and function. I make my own tools, formulate my own glazes, and develop my personal techniques. I think every thing determines the look and feel of the finished pottery. I make my pottery one at a time putting all my heart and soul in to every piece of my work. So much so, that I often find myself being a perfectionist. While designing and making functional pottery is fun and enjoyable for me, nothing gives me great pleasure than watching someone pick up one of my pieces to examine it and then smile their approval.”