Born in Brooklyn, NY in the 1950's, R. A. Pesce, known to his friends as Bob, has been fascinated with ceramics since the age of four. Learning to throw pottery on a kick wheel at age 15, his interest led him to ceramic/sculpture majors at both Pratt Institute and Brooklyn College. At Pratt, he was the only sophomore to have his work shown in the annual senior ceramic show and the one man show of his wood sculpture at Brooklyn College showed him to be both talented and skilled at his craft.

He has designed dinnerware and flatware for the Farberware Company. Working as an antique dealer, he specialized in pottery and textiles of the Arts and Crafts period. The influence of this period is seen in much of his ceramic work today.