An Interview with "Art-to-Art Palette.com"

How did you first get interested in clay?

I first became interested in clay when I was in high school. I took every art class that was offered and especially loved clay. My mother still has a really ugly slab built pitcher that I made in high school. After high school my love for art was put on the back burner and getting married and making a living took me down a different path. I lived in Tulsa, OK for a couple of years and they offered wheel classes through their Parks & Rec Dept. The instructor was very positive and encouraging and I loved having my hands back in the clay. But again, life happens, I moved to the Atlanta area and clay was shelved once again (literally I had a 50 lb. bag of clay that I moved from Tulsa to Atlanta that sat on a shelf for several years). I had convinced myself to go back to school and get a degree in Library Science and become a Media Specialist. The first math class I had to take was excruciating and a friend of mine gave me a class schedule and application for Gwinnett Council for the Arts. I dropped out of college and enrolled in pottery classes at the art center and haven't looked back since. I took every pottery class they offered from every instructor. Gwinnett Council for the Arts has a wonderful facility with 2 raku kilns. Raku appealed to me because of the surprise factor. The same glaze will turn out entirely different depending on the thickness of the piece and the reduction time. A sculpture class taught by Greg Johnson was offered at Gwinnett and I knew after taking that class sculpture was the direction I needed to go.

What is your basic approach to sculptures? What is the nature of your raku works?

My basic approach depends on the piece. I sometimes carve the figure out of a block of clay, cut it in half, hollow it out and put the two halves back together. Other times I coil build the body. I always work on the head separately and attach it last. Native American artwork and Southwestern artwork are very appealing to me and influence my work. I think if you asked a therapist they would say that my fascination with mother/child sculptures helps me deal with unresolved childhood issues. Working in clay is cheaper than therapy and way more fun.

My raku kiln is home made out of a trash can and I fire in my back yard. I typically use three glaze recipes, one is a shiny luster, one is a matte luster and the third is clear crackle. These glazes help define the native, rustic look that I try to achieve.

Advantages of Structure

Now that I am not formally employed, I am finding myself floundering with no schedule and no sense of purpose. Art is not selling so I'm not motivated to work in my studio. I don't want to just make a bunch of things that will sit around in my studio. I am excited to have a piece in the Southworks art show coming up in April at OCAF. Hopefully things will begin picking up with that exposure. Anyway, I find myself spending too much time watching TV. I've been reading books too and working on some things for the art center. I'm wondering what other people do to keep disciplined and focused. Maybe it's time for me to look for additional shows to participate in and get back into some sort of structure.

Twentynine years and counting

My husband and I just celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary. Wow, where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday we were newlyweds and starting our family. Now we have grandchildren. My husband told me he didn't regret a minute of the past 29 years, I would say that is a great compliment.

Things are looking up around here. Our daughter & grandson have moved into their own place. We have a great renter in the downstairs apartment. One of my sculptures was selected to be in an art show that will open on Apr. 3. Very excited about that. My husband and I have made a decision about moving when the house sells. And we have had some traffic thru the house in the past few weeks. We are ready to begin the next phase of our lives. I guess you would say we are looking forward to the next 29 years.

We were blessed a couple of weeks ago to be invited to King David Baptist Church in Anderson, SC where I did my presentation on the potter's wheel. They have a program called The Potter's House that is a drug and alcohol rehab facility and it was a graduation ceremony. It is an awesome program and an unbelievable group of people. Hope to be invited back.

Blessings,
C