Gently but firmly, the hands shape the moist and formless clay as it spins on the wheel. Finally, a pot is formed, the hands of the sculptor covered in the residue of reddish clay. The pot will bake in the kiln, hardening to its form. And at long last, the sculptor’s piece is finished, rising from a lifeless lump of water and earth into a fine piece of art.

Bob Kizziar, 66, is well aware of this artistic process. He started teaching art at Fresno City College in 1981, but after 31 years on campus, he is ready to retire. In his office, cluttered with pots made by him, his wife, friends and students, Kizziar watches over young artists with a satisfied smile behind his frosty, white beard.

A Bob Dylan poster hangs off his wall, along with an iconic “War is not healthy for children and other living things” sign taped to the window, subtle connections to fondly remembered times gone by.

Kizziar began his artistic path in life in high school, but ironically, it wasn’t his choice at first; it was a punishment.

“I’m not the student any teacher wanted in their class ever. I got kicked out of study hall for talking too much, and the only place worse to send you was art,” Kizziar recalls. “And I met that art teacher, and he was a good guy. He lived on Newport Beach and I’d go surfing with him after school.”

His friendship with this art teacher peaked his interest in the subject, one that has lasted to this day and helped in sculpting his career. But in 1965, duty called him as it did so many others. Wanting a gateway into college, Kizziar enlisted into the U.S. Navy for a four-year stint in which he took two tours of duty in Vietnam. While serving, he was faced with his own personal conflict on the matter: Kizziar was morally opposed to the war, but he continued in his duties nonetheless, performing missions over enemy airspace in the aircrew.

Still, despite opposition, Kizziar knew well to discern peace from hatred in the heat of the moment. With admiration, he stated his respect for one particularly brave group that he witnessed.

“The last demonstration that I was in any way a part of was at Stanford. And the ‘peace’ people were throwing rocks at twhe cops. A group of people had stepped out of the movement and stepped out in front of the cops. And they were shielding the police from the rocks with their own bodies. That was a peace protest,” Kizziar said.

But it was while serving in the Navy that an important part of his life began- his discovery of pottery.

“In 1967 in Okinawa, Japan, this guy talked me into walking five miles to get a heavy bag of clay, and bring back to the hobby shop to try and throw a pot,” he said. “It was pretty unsuccessful, but that was my first attempt.”

Despite his initial failures, Kizziar returned to pottery when studying at Fresno City College, where sculpting became his niche. Most importantly, it was here in 1971 that he met his wife. Together they would raise two children and become grandparents. Traveling with her and sharing his passion for the arts, Kizziar said she has been more than a spouse, she is his partner and best friend.

With his wife, Kizziar began sculpting regularly, even to the point that he took a lecturing tour in Ireland and spent time teaching in West Germany during the last years of the Cold War. In 1979, he and his wife opened a pottery together and ran it until 1994. Kizziar’s skills in the art, meanwhile, only grew over time, leading him to think back on one particular moment of well-deserved satisfaction with his work:

“We made the pots and the minute they came out of the kiln, we’d ship them out to galleries on the East Coast or Europe, and not get to see them,” he said. “One day, I was walking through the Fresno Art Museum and happened to notice some pots that were really gorgeous. I turned around to get a closer look and realized that they were my wife’s and mine. ‘Whoa!’ I said ‘I must be improving!’”

Since he got his job teaching at Fresno City College, Kizziar has only continued to grow in his passion and joy for life. He is loved by his students, who have enjoyed his kind smile and warm sense of humor. He not only teaches art, but has a profound influence on the paths of his students.

Kizziar laughs as he talks of his students. “Every once in a while, I run into a student that says, ‘Mr. Kizziar, you changed my life’,” he said. “And it totally freaks me out, because I hope it‘s not for the worse. Their dad sent them here to get an MBA and I turned them into an art major.”

But with time comes weariness. All good things come to an end and so will Bob Kizziar’s time as an instructor at FCC. Though at times he may glance briefly back to his rich past, Kizziar is looking forward to fostering his passions for art and life with his loved ones – these are what he most anticipates.

His secret to life is simple. Kizziar says, “Choose joy. Fun is something you do. You ride a roller coaster for fun, but happiness and joy — that’s something you choose.”

Kizziar has chosen joy.  He has been to places many have only seen in travel books. He saw Robert Kennedy speak in 1968 and watched his children grow. He has grown old with the woman he loves more than life itself.

He has taught, molded, drawn and loved his way through a fascinating life that many can only imagine behind their desks. And while he will be missed at Fresno City College by students and faculty alike, those that Bob Kizziar has inspired will continue to craft and know exactly who to thank.