Clayton Thiel Bio Born in St Charles, Missouri in 1956, Clayton Thiel received his BA in sculpture from Maryville University in 1979, then came to California to study with Peter Voulkos and Joan Brown at UC Berkeley. At San Jose State he studied with David Middlebrook and Stan Welsh receiving an MFA in 1985 . He has been a full-time professor of Sculpture (clay, stone, and bronze), Art History, and Design at Chabot College in Hayward, CA since 1990. Thiel’s work has been shown widely in exhibits and galleries, and he has received numerous commissions from private collectors.