Staffel came to Philadelphia in 1940 to teach at Tyler, from which he retired in 1978. He moved to Alfred last August from his longtime home in Manayunk, where he worked in his studio well into his 80s.
Staffel's best-known pots are small, irregular vessels of white, unglazed porcelain, sometimes tinted in spots with blue or green metallic stains. Typical pieces might be ridged, pinched, patched or even pierced in places, which contributes to their delicate, fragile character.
The pots also are partially translucent, at least when illuminated from above by a strong light. It's this glowing quality that makes them "light-gatherer."
Staffel's work has been extensively exhibited locally, across the country and abroad.
Born in San Antonio, Texas, on June 15, 1911, Staffel began as a teenager to paint in watercolors, a medium in which light plays a prominent role. He became attracted to studio glass about 1930 while studying painting, drawing and design at the Art Institute of Chicago. In Mexico City, where he had traveled to work in a glass factory, he was so impressed by the ceramics in the city's famed archeological museum that he apprenticed himself to a Mexican ceramic craftsman. That three-month stint turned out to be the extent of his formal instruction in the medium.
Staffel came to Tyler in 1940. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Force, training as a glider pilot but also working as as a camouflage instructor and radio operator and technician.
After retiring from Tyler, he taught for several years in the continuing-education division at Philadelphia College of Art, now University of the Arts.
In 1985, he received the first award for distinguished achievement in American craft art given by the Philadelphia Museum of Art craft show. The American Craft Council presented him its gold medal, the most prestigious honor in his field, in 1995.
Staffel was married twice - briefly in the 1930s, to painter Helen Vance, and subsequently to another painter, Doris Blitman, whom he met at Tyler. They were married in 1942 and divorced in 1981.
In addition to his daughter Megan Marks, Staffel is survived by another daughter, Abby Buchanan; a niece; and four grandchildren.
His body was cremated in Alfred. A memorial service will be held in Philadelphia at a date to be announced.
Edward J. Sozanski's e-mail address is esozanski@phillynews.com.
