The Slip Trail Blog

This story relates a memorable experience at Ghost Ranch by NMPCA member, Judy Nelson-Moore.

By Judy Nelson-Moore                 12/11/2022

Born and living in Denver, Colorado, I worked with clay since high school in 1964, progressing from what I now call my “early functional period” through non-functional, decorative ware, into sculptural work.  Simultaneously, as ever the practical and “driven” person, I also pursued a career in computers, ending up with a wonderful situation of independent consulting for larger companies, helping them with their Human Resources/Payroll mainframe systems.  I did and still do feel that the two contrasting careers, computer software and ceramic art were complementary, helping to balance myself, my finances, and my emotional development.  However, I often struggled to maintain both.  

Figure 1: Rudy Autio, "Astarte"

By the mid-1980’s I needed to do more with my ceramic art.  I had attended workshops with many worthy ceramic artists finding their ideas and thoughts even more valuable than their clay techniques.  I began to pursue a study of Jungian thought and mythology with Steve Gallegos and other practitioners with active imagination sessions.  I was amazed at the adventures and insights I could discover through these sessions. 

In about 1984, inspired by mythology, I made a black Halloween costume with a large stuffed head that I called the “Monster from Within” (shown below with a friend wearing a witch costume). 

Figure 2: "Monster from Within"

Then, in 1985, I attended a NMPCA workshop at Ghost Ranch.  The presenting artist was Rudio Autio.  Rudy was still teaching at the University of Montana.  It was a significant coup for the NMPCA to obtain him as a presenter.  I remember Jim Kempes was the Ranch coordinator at the time, and my friend Grett Friedman and I cemented our friendship started during previous workshops, and the interaction with others was significant.  The environment at the ranch, as usual, lent itself to inner reflection and immersion in the creative process.  During the workshop, I took a walk up to Chimney Rock and other areas around the ranch searching for an animal guide, like the guides I had met in my active imagination sessions.  I was disappointed that the only animal I found was a lizard, but I did the best I could in a conversation in my mind with this lizard.  While working on a piece guided by Rudy’s way of working, and listening to him talk about his journey, ideas and life, something began to emerge under my hands.

Figure 3: Work in Progress, Pot Hollow, Ghost Ranch

There was a monster drawn on one side of my large vessel and a lizard on the other.  When applying the colors, I made the monster white.  I called the piece "The Ghost Ranch Lizard Meets the Monster From Within." The experience of Ghost Ranch had transformed the black monster to white!  The transformation of my inner thoughts and emotions was reflective of these color changes. 

During the workshop, Rudy walked around the work area, talking to each of us, and giving us suggestions and ideas in his gentle, perceptive way.  The main comment I remember was that I should do more drawing (duh…later when I really looked at the way the monster and lizard had been drawn, I knew exactly why he said that!).  The entire experience of working with Rudy at the Ranch during this critical period of my development achieved a transformation in my mind about my creative efforts.  Prior to that workshop, I hesitated to think of myself as an artist.  After the workshop, I felt comfortable calling myself an artist.   It was a transition that enabled me to move forward, applying the skills and techniques I had learned from workshops and classes, and expressing my own vision in clay. 

To this day, I keep “The Monster from Within….” As a reminder of my transition.  Also, to this day, I remain committed to supporting and participating in the Ghost Ranch ceramic arts program so that others can continue to have transformative experiences.  

--Judy Nelson-Moore

The experiences of coming to Ghost Ranch for many workshops, the friendships developed there, and the transformation of my thinking ultimately led my husband and I to move from Denver to Santa Fe in 1992 and my long and happy association with NMPCA and Ghost Ranch.  I retired from computer consulting in 2004 but continue to pursue my career in ceramic art.  

Figure 4: "The Ghost Ranch Lizard Meets the Monster from Within" by Judy Nelson-Moore, 1985, photographed in 2022  

Re-printing of Lia Lynn Rosen’s message to NM Potters and Clay Artists, December 2013. Published in the January 2014 NMPCA Slip Trail.

Lia Lynn Rosen was a clay artist, teacher, beloved community member and more --- and a member of NMPCA for many years. On October 2, 2022 she passed away from ovarian cancer. Maybe you knew Lia, as she was the most generous sort, as you can see from this message she shared with the whole NMPCA community. Re-published to celebrate both the spirit of a wonderful member of our clay community here in New Mexico as well as the spirit of the season. Please consider adding a comment, a memory would be great. -Cirrelda S.B., ed. 

These NMPCA folks shared their memories of Lia: 

"It was sad to hear about Lia,  I met her and her partner at one of the annual meetings and we connected again at the Ghost Ranch workshop with Sheryl Zacharia,  we exchanged pieces.  I would get her emails all the time about life." - Leonard Baca

"Yes, Lia was a member of NMPCA for many years and attended some Ghost Ranch events, annual meetings…So sad to hear of her passing." - Judy Nelson-Moore

"I knew Lia well. She lived in NM many years. Her focus in pottery was a fusion of Southwest Native art with Judaica. She was a peacemaker." - Michael Thornton  

__________________ 

                

January 2014 Slip Trail 

Friends,

I understand that when solstice-time comes, the sun "stands still", or actually, the tilt of our Great Planet pauses just a bit before beginning its "turning back", causing our longer days, once again. 

I like thinking of this awesome pause; and feel we all need this time of rest and solstice or standing still, to see and to thank, in whatever ways we each do that. 

And so I share with you here, from two of my favorite writers, below; and some images of this magical time, depicted on ancient rock art of the Southwest; a piece of mine that speaks to this Winter time; and a recent great snow storm here that left a blessing of WHITE to bring in what for many, is another time of new beginnings. 

With gratitude, and all the best to you, Lia

                  ___________________________________________

Tillie Olsen: Dream-Vision; Mother to Daughter, Daughter to Mother 

"Perhaps, in her last consciousness, she did know that the year was drawing
towards that solstice time of the shortest light,
the longest dark, the cruelest cold, when-as she had explained to us as children - 

poorly sheltered ancient people in northern climes
had summoned their resources to make out of song, light, and food, expressions of human love-
festivals of courage, hope, warmth, belief." ____________________________________________

Mary Oliver: Poem of the One World 

This morning
the beautiful white heron
was floating along above the water
and then into the sky of this
the one world
we all belong to
where everything
sooner or later
is a part of everything else
which thought made me feel
for a little while
quite beautiful myself. __________________________________ 

יוצרת.Lia Lynn Rosen,Yotzeret Ceremonial Arts in Clay and Spirit ClayKodesh.com
Page 7 January 2014 NMPCA Slip Trail 

In the December 20 eNews a link was incorrectly directed.  Click here to for the article about Lia Lynn Rosen.

It was a banner year for giving through the NMPCA – in addition to the Clay Forward Campaign for Ghost Ranch ceramics programs (via over 100 donors), the board chose to award four schools this year with the Armstrong Grant. 

The mission of NMPCA includes the support of education in the ceramic arts. Schools and non-profits are invited each year to apply for a Bill Armstrong Grant to support their programs and projects. Bill Armstrong was an active member of NMPCA from the organization's beginning til his death in the early 2000's. He served on the board, and co-instructed courses at Ghost Ranch with Jim Kempes in the 1980s and 90s. The New Mexico Potters and Clay Artists established an annual grant program in memory of the late distinguished member in 2002. Bill was instrumental in teaching many people about pottery and was always interested in experimenting, learning more, and helping others.

The applications were many this year, and the NMPCA Board decided to fund several, due to the worthiness of the proposals, as well as the health of our finances.

In the spirit of celebration, read on to witness a small sampling of what is happening throughout New Mexico with ceramics education, from preK through high school. All are definitely worthy of the support of the over 200 members of New Mexico Potters and Clay Artists. Because we choose to offer this grant, we are able to keep our finger on the pulse of ceramics education in New Mexico a bit!

Holy Ghost Catholic School, in the International District of ABQ, was awarded a $1000 Bill Armstrong Grant to hire a Pueblo potter for workshops, and to purchase clay and clay tools. Sarah Madigan, Applicant; Dr. Douglas Wine, Principal.

From the Holy Ghost Catholic School proposal:

“Holy Ghost is a STREAM school inspiring students with a highly engaging curriculum that provides context for their learning and challenges to apply their knowledge. This grant supports a ceramic unit for grades K-8 with a focus on the rich tradition of pueblo pottery here in New Mexico. Funds will bring in a visiting pueblo potter/ceramic artist to Holy Ghost School. This artist will share practices, techniques, processes as well as the work’s cultural significance. The artist will engage with students around the development of their own ideas and inspire them to create their own work with clay. Funds will provide every Holy Ghost student with clay. Students will have experiences in various hand-building techniques, including but not limited to, coil building and slab building. Younger artists will begin with a simple pinch pot. Following some practice with the pinch pot, coil building techniques will be introduced to elaborate on the vessel. All young artists will have a guided experience hand building a prescribed ceramic vessel and then apply their new skills to make a piece of their choosing, whether a utilitarian vessel or something sculptural using the techniques they have learned or the inspiration they gained from the stories they have heard. A description of who will benefit from this project/program and what are the anticipated outcomes All Holy Ghost curriculums are K - 8, building knowledge and skills from previous to future years. Older students are “buddies” for younger students, so students will not only work on their projects solely in class; they will also be able to share their efforts and ideas with older and younger students. One hundred and fifty-three Holy Ghost students grades K-8 will be included in this experience. Initially, students will learn about pueblo pottery traditions in New Mexico from a visiting artist as well as from different books from our library. In addition, students will learn about and explore several clay techniques. The first piece will be prescribed to ensure the acquisition of foundation skills, and the second piece will challenge students, as we do in our STREAM mission, to apply these skills to an individual creation.”

Cottonwood Valley Charter School , a K-8 school in Socorro, NM, was awarded a $730 Bill Armstrong Grant for purchasing a new slab roller for the school. Beth Cadol, Fundraising Committee Chair and Linnea Burleigh, K-8 Art Teacher.

From the Cottonwood Valley Charter School proposal:

“One of the major goals of the art program at CVCS is to use community support and collaboration to expand the art program by planning, designing, constructing and utilizing a kiln room/clay studio that benefits students and community members. Students will identify how the plan for the building and kiln will be implemented in lab sessions with the art teacher and other community members. Students will participate in clay projects that relate to societal, cultural, historical and personal themes. So far, we have fundraised enough money to purchase a kiln for the school; the next step is building a kiln room. Our request for funding from New Mexico Potters and Clay Artists is for a portable slab roller. Slab rollers are fantastic opportunity makers! They can be used to make tiles, dishes, flower pots, boxes or anything else that needs a flat starting place. Storage for one isn't as tricky as a kiln, and a portable slab roller could fit into our existing setting. The 170 students at CVCS (Kindergarten through 8th grade) would be the ones benefiting from this program. We are a Title I school with 100% of students offered free lunch. Anticipated outcomes include continuing to empower students with the opportunity to explore new mediums, to serve our community and to promote long lasting beauty on our campus. Students will benefit from being able to easily connect with clay thanks to the opportunities and ease a slab roller provides. Students will be able to create hand built bowls for our community Empty Bowls Gala, where their ware will be auctioned off to raise money for our local food pantry. The eighth graders will be able to continue the Legacy Mural Project and leave behind a beautiful space in the school many of them have been in since kindergarten. Many, many more opportunities to use the slab roller will come up and be thoroughly appreciated! Though we may be a small school on a skeleton staff, our art curriculum is vibrant and thriving. Art in our school is valued as a way to personally process and navigate uncertain times. We continue to sing songs that remind us to love others and the world, and we create art with our friends and family for the good of our community, giving our students and our city opportunities to create, to make purpose, and to grow towards the future.”

Aztec High School, in Aztec, NM, was awarded an $800 Bill Armstrong Grant, for clay and glazes to support Ceramics program. Dr. Warman Hall Director of Federal Programs Aztec Municipal School District and Ms. Anne Hartman, Fine Arts Chair & Ceramics Teacher.

From the Aztec High School proposal:

“The Grow Ceramic Arts at Aztec High School program is an integral part of our fine arts course offering at the school. Currently, Aztec High is only able to offer one section of pottery and ceramics to our students each semester. This is due to constraints in our master schedule of classes. For the 2022-23 school year our Ceramics teacher, Ms. Anne Hartman, has received over 50 requests from students to take ceramics. This level of request has grown considerably with the school’s forward thinking decision to increase our daily course offerings in a seven period school day. Unfortunately, Ms. Hartman is Aztec High's only ceramics, drawing and painting teacher.   With the support of $1000 from the Bill Armstrong Grant, the Aztec High fine arts department will be able to purchase the supplies needed to add at least one major unit of ceramics and pottery into the existing curriculum in Ms. Hartman’s regular painting courses. Given Ms. Hartman’s load of 5 daily art classes, other than ceramics, this increase in budget for clay and glazes would allow her to deliver ceramics art instruction to an additional estimated 150 students. Such an increase in ceramics art learning at our high school would greatly increase the presence of student art on exhibit in local art shows and grow the interest in ceramics study among our general student population. Aztec High School is the comprehensive public high school in Aztec, NM. The school’s enrollment includes an average of 750-800 students; 35% of whom are Native American and 45% of Hispanic background. An estimated minimum 40% of students at Aztec High School will be eligible for free and reduced lunch this coming school. Most notably, the school expects to serve a population of 60-80 students who will reside in the Kinteel Dormitory residential facility during the school week, while returning to their homes in rural and reservation parts of the greater Four Corners region for the weekend. Aztec Municipal School District and Aztec High School are fully ready to partner with the Grow Ceramics program through continued support to Ms. Hartman in her courses; and by highlighting the students' art pieces in the school’s student concert and fine arts exhibitions each semester.” 

A Child’s Garden Preschool, in Albuquerque, NM, was awarded a $470 Bill Armstrong Grant for clay, glaze, firing and other materials to support the Bosque Bark Project. Sandria Cook, lead teacher for the project.

From A Child’s Garden proposal:

“A Child’s Garden (ACG) Bosque Education Project is an opportunity for our oldest preschool children to become familiar with our local ecosystem and to experience learning and growing in an outdoor classroom. Our older three-year-old and our pre-k classes are taken out into the Bosque to learn about this ecosystem firsthand. … the children can experience the wonders of the Rio Grande and the surrounding Bosque. The Tree Bark Clay Project has been designed to facilitate and expand upon the children’s explorations and observations during and after their excursions to the Rio Grande Bosque. The purpose of the project is to help children see their place within the natural world and cultivate an interest in, and a love for, their local ecosystem that they will hopefully spread to their families and communities.  

The project will include creation of bark impressions on clay that will be made into vessels, a model “bosque”, tiles, and/or a mural. 

This project aims to promote observational skills that the children will use to:           

*become familiar with the flora and fauna in their natural habitat

*notice and be able to differentiate between various types of trees in the Bosque

*become aware that trees are individuals just like other beings 

*learn and be able to identify different parts of a tree 

*learn and remember locations of individual trees within the Bosque

*build an awareness of what trees provide to the flora and fauna in their environment (ie: food, shelter, shade)

… A Child’s Garden Preschool is a fully inclusive non-sectarian community outreach program of First Presbyterian Church which is committed to providing a developmentally appropriate learning environment for a diverse population of young children. We accept any child regardless of ability, background, and socioeconomic status and we are respectful of the individual needs, cultural heritage, and identity of each child in our program.  The teaching staff at ACG recognize that all children are unique and learn in different ways and at different rates.” 

 

Congratulations to all!

This article has benefited from the individual applicants’ proposals as well as from the words by Vice President and Armstrong Grant coordinator Michael Thornton. 

 

-Cirrelda Snider-Bryan, Slip Trail Editor 

December 4, 2022. 

Thanks to Leonard Baca who reminded us about this article at our July 14, 2022 "Clay Connections" Zoom. 

From Slip Trail archives. Original: February 2005; re-published January 2013.

By Betsy Williams

How do you price your work? Do you have a consistent pricing system, or do you simply assign prices according to whim? Do you think prices are arbitrary and 'personal'? Are you trying to build a viable career? Do you have a long-term strategy connected with the pricing of all your artwork? These are essential questions to ask before you sell your work. Pricing is a joint venture, involving you, your market, and yes, your fellow artists. Failure or inability to price your work appropriately will create obstacles in your career. If your work is overpriced, you may alienate potential customers and galleries. If your work is underpriced, you may undermine your own reputation and long-term financial growth. According to Caroll Michels’s book, How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist, there are three approaches to pricing your artwork, each of which must be considered and coordinated. 

1. Pragmatic Pricing 

2. Market Value 

3. Confidence 

Pragmatic Pricing: 

The artist should begin with a standard formula to calculate the price of a piece. 

• Calculate your annual business expenditures, including materials costs. Divide by 12 to calculate your average monthly overhead 

For example, let's say that all of your expenses for materials, utility costs, advertising, and so on, add up to $15,000 per year. $15,000 divided by 12 gives you a monthly overhead of $1250. 

• Calculate the number of pieces you complete in one month. (While the specifics may be different for production potters, or those who make a combination of gallery pieces and production pieces, the approach is the same.) Clay artists should calculate the average number of pieces that are successfully fired each month. 

For example, let's say you've kept track for an entire production cycle through to a glaze firing, by recording your hourly work, and find that it takes about 30 minutes (.5 hours) lo complete one cup in your production repertoire - throwing, trimming, adding a handle, bisque-firing, decorating, glazing, loading the kiln, etc. This time period should represent all of your labor from start to finish. On average, you could complete 16 cups per day. If you work 22 days per month, that means you can make, give or take, 350 cups per month. 

• Determine your hourly wage. What is minimum wage for you? What do other professionals with equivalent levels of education charge per hour'? Do you have many years of education and expertise, or are you just starting out? When you have decided on a wage, calculate your monthly costs in labor. Keep an accurate record of your labor costs not only to help with pricing, but also to give you information necessary to schedule, budget, and price commissions and other projects. 

For example: let’s say you’ve set your hourly wage at $15 per hour. At this point, you can multiply .5 hours (the time it takes to make your one cup, as described above) by $15 per hour. Your labor costs alone for the cup total $7.50. Then your $1250 per month over- head must be included. If you can make a total of 350 cups in a month then your monthly overhead per cup = $1250/350 cups = $3.57 per cup. Your total thus far is $7.50 plus $3.57 per cup = $11.07. 

• Add a profit margin (recommended is 10%). That brings your total to $11.07 + $1.11 = $12.18 per cup. 

• Add 100% commission (to account for the standard gallery cut of 50%). Whether or not you sell all or some of your work through galleries, the price that you charge from your studio and the price for which a gallery sells the same piece must be the same. Always establish the retail price, rather than the wholesale price, to prevent inconsistent prices at different galleries and in different regions. When selling work directly to the customer, a discount of l0% is acceptable. If you discount more to your direct customers you are underselling yourself and doing a disservice to your gallery, as well as to your fellow artists in the same market. 

Now the total is $24.36 per cup.
Note: These examples are meant simply to clarify the method of calculation. Your figures may be dramatically different from the ones above. 

• Add sales tax, packing, shipping, etc. 

Market Value: 

After you have calculated the price of a piece or body of work according to the above formula, next compare your figure to the market value of a similar type of work by other artists with similar backgrounds and reputations. This means, simply, visit other galleries, shows, and fairs to see what's out there. Know your world. Michels advises that you “keep in mind that other artists' price ranges should serve only as guidelines, not as gospel." 

Is your figure dramatically different from other work in your field? Do you have a valid reason for this difference? Consider whether or not you should adjust your hourly wage to bring your figure closer to the perceived market value. 

Constance Smith, in her book Art Marketing 101 advises, "Think of your artwork as having a price range, not just one price. You'll determine an average price range, and then price according to size, subject, media.... and importance of work." 

A typical price range on functional items, for example coffee cups, can be clearly determined. Setting the specific price for a specific cup may require some additional thought, but is, even so, not normally a complex issue. One-of-a-kind pieces - because of their individuality and because of considerable time spent creating each piece - may require more market value study than production items, but the approach is similar. 

Confidence: 

Underselling work that you value will ultimately make you resent your own customers. Selling, at any price, work that you don't value will degrade your own image and your potential to create truly fine work. What about work that you feel is your best, and for which you have designated a price? Now confidence becomes important. Las Vegas-based art theorist and critic, David Hickey, known for his daring ideas and blue-collar approach, describes the pricing of art as a kind of casino-style bet with your potential customer. The artist says, “I’ll bet I can sell this piece for price X." If the customer buys the piece at the price X, the artist wins the bet. Of course, the artist can study all the cards and make an educated, rather than a wild, bet. Essentially this is a foray into discovering what the market will bear, at the root of our capitalist system. Where there is no risk, there is no gain. 

Garth Clark, in Shards, reprimands clay artists for underselling their work. How, can ceramics ever gain legitimacy in the art world if ceramic artists continue to undervalue their own work? He advises ceramists to dispose of, once and for all, the Leach model of inexpensive work, pointing out that Leach himself was never the successful businessman able to follow his own advice. In the chapter "The Future of Functional Pottery Part Two: Bernard's Orphans – Searching for Neo in Classical" Clark writes: The Japanese, unlike the British or the Americans" got the concept right. They built a strong following for functional wares and they kept both the quality and the prices high. ... At the end of each year potters would assemble all of their pots and destroy all but the best work. Others ... controlled their market by selecting a minority of their pieces to be boxed and signed, giving them value above the unboxed wares. Either way they developed a system that allowed their potters to live lives as comfortably as successful painters have done, or other visual artists do, rather than the subsistence existence we often find in the West. 

Do you have a piece that you don't feel is up to par? Do you just want to get rid of it? Don't affix a low price and give your customers the impression that your work is cheap. Put it in the closet for a few years, out of sight. Or go out into the yard and smash it with a sledgehammer. Or, donate it to charity. Use what you've learned to make your work better. Remember that pricing your work is part of the larger web that connects you with society. Developing a consistent pricing strategy will give you confidence, and you will be able to convey this confidence to your customer. Will you help society understand the value of your work in re- turn for an appreciative clientele's advancement of your career though financial support? Money is a link in the chain that connects us all. Will you be the weakest link? 

Recommended reading:
Art Marketing l0l by Constance Smith ISBN 0-940899-48-5

How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist by Caroll Michels ISBN 0 8050-1953-7 

Shards: Garth Clark on Ceramic Art Ed. by John Pagliaro ISBN O9725097-1-2 

The Rio Grande SUN in Española published Arts Editor Bob Eckert's review on July 14th, 2022. Thanks to Bob for furnishing these pdfs of the article, as well as for writing a vivid document of NMPCA's 2022 Celebration of Clay: Uplifted. Be prepared for lots of background info on 9 of the 50 artists in the show: Sara D'Alessandro, Lee Akins, Sheena Cameron, Sharon Brush, Marina Rabinowitz, Leonard Baca, Hebé Garcia, and Judy Nelson Moore. 

Celebration of Clay page 1 - CMRS20220713B006.pdf

Celebration of Clay page 2 - CMRS20220713B007.pdf

We came together August 19-21, 2022, to renew our community in clay and share techniques and ideas with each other.  This year's New Mexico Connections workshop brought six experienced NMPCA members to share their knowledge, learn together, and celebrate creativity in the beauty of Ghost Ranch for two full days. Album of more photos posted to the NMPCA Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=NMPCArt&set=a.5332298406853208

Presenters were Luisa Baldinger & Judy Nelson-Moore, Yuriy Luzov, Brant Palley & Cirrelda Snider-Bryan, Merlene Walker. Workshop Coordinator: Michael Thornton, NMPCA VP.

Judy and Luisa give a demo on applying Terra Sig.

Luisa Baldinger & Judy Nelson-Moore - Terra Sigillata

Luisa Baldinger, in collaboration with Judy Nelson-Moore, will be discussing the preparation of Terra Sigillata, the addition of various colorants to Terra Sigillata and its application to the hand-built form.

Luisa Baldinger: My vessels are simply sculptural forms - vehicles for the exploration of color, surface, movement in three dimensions. Terra sigillata, stains and engobes are used to enhance form and surface, followed by a "fume" firing in aluminum foil saggars. I grew up in Santa Fe, and returning here in 1980 I soon married well-known potter, Frank Willett.  For more than forty years we partnered in a number of ceramic adventures: producing a line of functional work, “Sunridge Pottery," combining our skills in wheel thrown pottery and slab-made work decorated with a landscape motif; we designed and produced “Santa Fe Lights,” a line of clay architectural lighting fixtures; and we owned and managed Santa Fe Pottery, a fine craft shop on historic Guadalupe Street carrying the work of over eighty local and regional craftspeople. More info at: https://www.nmpotters.org/luisa-baldinger

Luisa Baldinger sprays her pot with Terra Sig. 

Judy Nelson-Moore is an artist born in Denver, Colorado, who moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico 20 years ago. Having worked with clay in all forms of expression for over 45 years, she is currently concentrating on sculpture using paper clay. She enjoys exploring mixed media additions during the ceramic construction process or after the firing. These additions might be fabric, paper collage, paint, or other mixed media. Over the years, she studied with many wonderful clay artists, and realized that what she admired about many artists’ work was not the technical expertise, but the spirit and soul in their work. The combination of these experiences, plus a strong interest and affinity for primitive and indigenous art of many cultures, has helped to form the imagery and motivation for her sculpture. More info at: https://www.judynelson-moore.com

Samples of Terra Sigillata with different oxide and stain washes added. Made by Judy and Luisa.

Yuriy Luzov - Polymer Clay

Yuriy using camera over his work table to display on screen.

Yuriy Luzov demonstrated the basics of murrine construction in Polymer Clay, with several cane profiles to generate a great variety of geometric patterns and three dimensional forms. Bigger, more elaborate sculptures may be constructed with a combination of these simple tessellated forms. With a good foundation, participants were able to take this technique quite far. Materials provided for hands-on learning.

Yuriy observing Leonard Baca's cane compositions.

Polymer clay is a medium that fascinated Yuriy's inner child in high school, and he's been working with it ever since.  Yuriy discovered the Murrine technique mostly on his own with minimal external influence, and therefore his style has developed in a unique way.

Born in Minsk, Belarus in 1982, Yuriy immigrated to the United States in 1994.  "As a child, seeds of a future in clay were planted when I discovered vast amounts of wild ball clay at my grandparents’ homestead in Ukraine, where I spent my summers.  In Colorado, I discovered atmospheric firing.  Now I have an anagama kiln of my own in Santa Fe, and am excited to build on over a decade of experience firing a variety of wood kilns around Colorado and New Mexico." More info on FB - Yuriy Sergeyevich Luzov   

Yuriy observing Andrea Pichaida's compositions.

Brant Palley and Cirrelda Snider-Bryan - Stains and Oxides in Clay

Brainstormed list of how participants use oxides and stains. 

A discussion about color in clay with a ceramic materials fabrication expert and a ceramics educator, focused on oxides and stains. Participants gained hands-on experience mixing a body-stain into porcelain, and making test tiles. Materials provided. Printed information will be shared: Mason Stain Ingredients; Joan Weissman Mason Body Stains for Porcelain, and more. Brant Palley was unable to be with us due to recuperation from recent surgery.  A handout shared his words on stains and oxides, and he provided a Mason Color Inc. Reference Guide for each participant. 

Brant Palley – Owner of New Mexico Clay since 1985. Graduate of Otis Art Institute, 1979.  Clay Body Designer, Webmaster at nmclay.com, Kiln Expert, and ... Head Floor Sweeper. More info about Brant & NM Clay: https://nmclay.com/nmclay.htm

Tomás Wolff's body stain tile portrait. 

Cirrelda Snider-Bryan – Artist/Educator/Community Muralist. Creator of clay programs/instructor of: cirrelda’s clases de clay (Pot Hollow South studio) and Clay Science at the Museum (NMMNHS). Whole school tile mural coordinator at Alvarado and Alameda Elementary schools, APS. Co-coordinator Protect Our Wildlife Corridors Community Mosaics, a project of Pathways located in Placitas, NM. Board member of NMPCA 2021-2024, editor of The Slip Trail.  More info on Cirrelda: https://colorofsand.wordpress.com, www.nmpotters.org/cirrelda-snider-bryan

Andrea Pichaida's body stain applied to porcelain on a bowl form. 

Merlene Walker - Precious Metal Clay

Merlene "Mo" Walker giving her introduction to Precious Metal Clay.

Merlene conducted a hands-on workshop in Precious Metal Clay. If you like working with clay, and you love silver jewelry, this is the best of both worlds!  Participants saw Merlene demonstrate how to work with Precious Metal Clay. They learned the basics: how to texture, shape and cut the clay; how to fire, polish and finish your work to best bring out the design. Students learned these methods using 7 grams of Silver Metal clay. Tool kits were supplied. 

Silver metal clay pieces drying ahead of firing with the help of hot plates. 

Merlene Walker worked in a corporate environment for over 25 years. After years of taking art classes, and with the help of "The Artist Way" workshop, Merlene took a leap of faith and left her job to pursue a degree in art. She designs and facilitates metal clay classes and creative workshops to help others have fun and learn about the transformative power of creative possibilities in their life.  I am stimulated by museums, nature, books, and classes of all kinds. But my favorite stimulation is the exchange of ideas and experiences with others. I am better able to process my own thoughts more clearly as I listen to others share their experiences. Teaching provides the perfect venue for this exchange.” As a PMC instructor, certified by Tim McCreight, and cross-certified in Art Clay®, Merlene maintains memberships in the NMPCA and Eldorado Arts and Craft Association. 

More info at: www.thealchemygroup.biz

Mo dunking silver metal clay pieces into water while hot, just out of kiln. 

Thanks to Michael Thornton and all the presenters for the text of this article. Photos by the editor.

-Cirrelda Snider-Bryan, editor for The Slip Trail.

Rainy day at Piñon Pottery Studio, complete with moss growing on the edges of the puddles and rain plinking on the sheet metal. 

The annual membership exhibition of the New Mexico Potters and Clay Artists opened Saturday, June 18 at the Taos Ceramics Center. 

The afternoon of opening day was overcast, with sprinkles from a persistent weather system giving a much welcomed respite from the threat of recent historic wildfires. Spirits were not dampened in the least as the exhibition’s doors opened to an eager crowd. 

On display are the ceramic artworks of NMPCA members from across the state, whose individualism is mirrored in the diversity of approaches, techniques, forms and treatments in evidence. 

Personal impressions: 
Everyone has a unique subjective experience encountering an artwork, based on their own experiences, knowledge and taste. I want to highlight here a few select pieces which caught my eye and made me look deeper. 

Columna 4, by Jorge Luis Bernal. 

Columna 4, by Jorge Luis Bernal  

At first glance, this piece’s size and drum shape suggest the progeny of an African djembe and a Middle Eastern doumbek.

Evincing an abstracted portrait bust with hat tipped at a jaunty angle, this hand-built sculptural form is simple, yet comes alive with a complex surface. 

As the name implies, the base stands erect as a column, and supports a flaring capital. It’s surface is busy with deeply impressed textural patterns, which have been stained black to their depths. A thick white glaze with black-stained crackle overall gives an organic, animating patina. Accents of clay slip encircle the base and top rim in terracotta color. 

Three Ravens Running, by PattyMara Gourley.

Three Ravens Running, by PattyMara Gourley

This is a whimsical merging of vessel, sculpture and drawing. A hand built, tall, cylindrical form, flared at top and bottom is the framework for this circular tableau of three ravens running after one another, ad infinitum. 

The quirky line drawings of the ravens are reminiscent of Medieval illustrated manuscripts.  Beaks aloft, the trio parade endlessly after one another, their heads and beaks alone breaking from the curved surface to jut proudly above the rim. The terra-cotta color of the low-fired micaceous clay body underlies the thin-line drawings evocative of quill and ink. The ravens’ beady eyes of blue accent the sculpting with a mischievous glint. 

Snow Flurry, by Anna Bush Crews.

Snow Flurry,  by Anna Bush Crews 

This tall, columnar sculpture is at once unmoving and perpetually flowing.  Like an earthen Lava-Lamp rising and falling, it undulates and folds back into itself.

Terrestrial geology is evoked in the sense of its transformative, grinding, subsuming relentlessness. The earthen spectrum of colors are explored through juxtaposing and overlapping white, red and black clays. The forms are primordially organic and sinuous. 

Surfaces are rendered raw and unglazed. The bare clay evokes the natural processes of stretching, evaporation, shrinkage, while the smoothly bulging forms speak of weathering through wind and water over eons. 

I’ll Hold You, by Andrea Pichaida 

I’ll Hold You, by Andrea Pichaida 

Like a crow to a shiny object, you become drawn in to this vessel by the lurid red of its gaping maw.  

The bowl’s tri-lobed form is yawning and capacious. Thinly potted by hand, it’s elegant, sweeping curves are interrupted by 3 golden-yellow radial ribs running up from its base to its pointy, lobed rim. 

Hugging the rim are a band of perforations letting a lattice of light through, except where strategic holes are plugged with precise, wooden dowels bisecting the frieze of piercings. 

The dark, solemn, matte exterior surface contrasts starkly with the glossy, mottled, sanguine riot inside. 


These are just a few standouts in the showing of breathtaking ceramic art contained in “Uplifted”.

Do yourself a favor and see the show in person at Taos Ceramics Center, or online at 
http://www.nmpotters.org/COC2022

Michael Thornton
VP NMPCA

This is one of the strongest COC shows that I have seen in my time with this group.  The set up by owner Jules Epstein is superb!

The work in this show is varied and strong.  The strength of a member show is that the artist chooses what will be seen.  This offers an insight into the creator’s thought process.  Following an artist over time allows a glimpse of their growth process, or none.   This sort of appreciation and apprehension is not for those in a rush. 

These are the impressions of one person viewing the exhibition at the opening and then relying on the Peoples’ Choice list, to fill in names and other detail.  Sara D’Alessandro admits her many biases and preferences.   Michael Thornton says he will write a review of the show as well giving a couple of opinions to compare.  But, you know, go see for yourself. Don’t take our paltry words for it. 

By SL, eNews Editor (aka Sara D'Alessandro)

Work by Artist alphabetically

Lee Akins’s seemingly effortless surfaces always are impressive and worthy of study.  He has two hand built works in this show, fairly large.  One, a gorgeous globe shaped jar, a form for which he is known; the other is an open form called “Lobed Bowl”, an apparent new direction formally.  Both pieces have rich texture intrinsic to the forms with subtle colorations.  I hope to own one someday.

Melissa Alexander’s “Golden Bull” is a rapid study of a bull full of motion, (something clay does so well).  It is a reflection of the large Morgan Stanley bull sculpture in lower Manhattan but, as a sketch it has more animation.   Kintsugi would be a perfect solution for the breaks in the tail.

Leonard Baca’s “Turquoise Flared Bowl” is simply thrown and graceful.  It is turquoise glazed with the rim the color of the clay body.  Four light finger flares in the rim give accent.  It is lovely and to the point.  It will never will overstay its welcome.

Luisa and Frank Willett’s covered jar.  It is my understanding (I hope this is correct) that in these collaborations Frank did the throwing and Luisa did the glaze or surface treatment.  If you have managed to acquire one of these works consider yourself very lucky.  This is lovely in every way.

Luisa Baldinger’s “Basins” I had only seen pictures of this series of Luisa’s.  Pictures, almost always do not convey what an in-person experience provides.  That certainly is the case here.  These are not new works but they inspire!  The two basin snuggle together on one side encrusted with the past.  They are forms which hold, which keep.   They are a prayer.

Kathy Bartlett’s “Mudcrack” is a work I can look at again and again.  The crackle surface, frequently over used, is here expertly applied over and ancient mottled coloration, a mysterious combination.  But the real draw for me is the almost liquid globule form itself.  I am guessing a closed form was paddled to the absolute extreme of its cohesiveness, then pierced by a finger pull.  A sipapu. Extremely sensual.

Kathy Bartlett’s “Raku 1” is the same sensibility of form as “Mudcrack”, sensual, swelling from within with two “openings”.  The black and white raku surface is intrinsic to the form.  It is a voice of eternity.

Jorge Luis Bernal has six cups, small mugs, decorated with what I assume are personal motifs of his.  He is a new member and I have no past reference to relate.  It will be interesting to watch this work going forward.

Jorge Luis Bernal’s “Columna 4” looks like a doumbeck.

Elaine Biery’s two works are jars lidded with birds atop.  Jars with an animal lid.  Here they are done to perfection.  Metallic pastels are the luscious finish of the jars.  One with an interesting cut foot detail which gives a dark accent to the pale color.

Steve Blakely has two small (circa 10-12”) vases one glazed in solid turquois with red accents, the other is more green.  They present themselves as much larger than they actually are.  They could be enlarged to a monumental scale and would still hold their impact.    

Joe Bova has two animal heads. One is an owl mug, “Night Commander” quite hilarious.  The other is a very serious rabbit, with a mottled dark glazed surface.

Sharon Brush, a juror from last year’s COC 2021exhibition, offers us “Acclimation”.  This is a meticulously considered profile.  The surface is not the usual black but rather an uplifting grained white.  The variation from the profile is a widening of the left (as you face it) foot which enables it to free stand.  A symbolic birthing figure.

Sheena Cameron’s “Sea Horse” is a clever and well done variation of her Horses.  One side , is a clear rendition of the title.  The other side has her signature door in the side of the horse which contains some eccentricities. You may want to ask the gallery to turn the piece to be able to see the other side.

Sheena Cameron’s “Our Deb Haaland” is a portrait, a sincere and effective rendition of appreciation.  I hope Deb Haaland gets to see this one.

Anna Bush Crews, “Snow Flurry” is a small form, well developed to obscure the columnar core.   It wants to be larger. (Or, I want it to be larger).  A fine marriage of surface treatment with the form.

Sara D’Alessandro “River Styx” is a bozetto and as yet I have not been able to enlarge the idea to the scale that I would like.   This work is not in narrative form rather it skirts the narrative.

Caroline Dechert “Yellow Vase” is off center and organic without trying to overwhelm the flowers that would be put in it.

Jan Doris has two works: “Black Ball”, a sphere with a small hemisphere cup at the top.  The interest is the surface treatment of the sphere which is like the reading of a planetary object.  Her second work utilizes the sphere in a bead like formation, a figure reduced to its basic three elements, a satisfying arrangement of three forms which many of us have come to as stations in our own work.  This is the clay deciding. 

Adam Emery’s “The Tower” is an absolute joy to see.  The picture does not convey the exuberance of the Keep.  Adam makes monsters and now he has the castle for them to dwell.

Christine Evans, “Flying Dreams” is an exalted portrait of a mortal/ goddess, in the tradition of Roman portraiture. Her very accomplished, refined and serene work make me think of the Della Robbia terra cottas of the fourteen hundreds, Europe.  Google Lucca Della Robbia and see.

Gail Goodwin “Untitled” Just beautiful, that’s all, just beautiful.

Patty Mara Bourley “Three Ravens Running” is a black drawing over a cylindrical form in black.  Three ravens fitting on a slender terracotta vase.  And, she did it!  Very clever.

Christopher Hosbach “Scalloped Platter” This work seen in the gallery orange room is wall mounted.  A forceful dynamic pattern executed with extreme control and skill.  Impressive and intimidating; deserving of the award it received.

Svetlana Kirillova “Pitcher and Mug” Black shiny glazed top and handles with off-setting fluidly added flowers on the bottom, a pleasing contrast between the black and bright. A nice functioning pair.

Serit Kotowski “Three Tiers” This is a signature texture for Serit a texture she does so well. The proportions of the three are just right and her presentation of antiquity defying function continues.  I am loving watching this journey of hers.

Alex Kurtz “New Mexico Pollinators” and “New Mexico Plants”  are two sets of six three dimensional tiles, extremely well crafted, an interesting project and a very different interpretation of the tile form.   Tilers take notice!

Jennifer Lowell “Alegría” a small box with a golden bird flying over the waters.

Jennifer Lowell “Freedom”  Three nesting tiers each with birds flying around the sides and topped with a bird handled lid.  Birds are her iconology and they seem to be symbols for lots of people.    There are many in this show.

Dianne MacInnes “Becoming” is a small figurine, a trans figure, with a somewhat naturalistic head atop an amorphous form.

Catherine McClain “Amber Bloom” A cactus, such a clay friendly form, with blossoms on the top.

Sheila Miller “Sunset Jar” thrown form modified, fan shaped decorated lid, a fine looking jar.

Sheila Miller “Shades of Blue Leaf Jar” She embraces utility with beauty.  This piece is fun to look at because you can see the flow and joy of her throwing experience in the fluid finger marks, enhanced by the liquid blue color.

Vincent Morales “Round Wood” I would also say “round jar”.  The sphere is round and solid.  The cut of the lid provides interesting counterpoint.  The fetishized bound wood lid makes this a special stash.

Judy Nelson Moore “Back Seat Driver” is an assemblage that is self-explanatory and amusing, unless you are the driver under command.  Judy never shrinks from combining and exploring different media. She is always pushing new boundaries.  Here she has used metal and paper clay.  This is shown on a pedestal in the gallery it would be good wall mounted work, as well.  I like this 3D collage.

Richard Orlando “Hummingbird Bowl”    The hummingbirds are incised around the insides of the bowl.  You cannot see them in this photograph.  It is a shame there is not a better photo. This fine work will miss out in the Peoples’ Choice because of a poor photo.

Charlotte Ownby “Sunrise Uplifting”  I have seen other tiles of Charlotte’s and they have been of trees, birches, leaves and landscapes.  This is the first I have seen where she has introduced humans.  She worked within this year’s theme Up Lifted and has begun a narrative.

Adam Padilla “Lilies” A pleasant understated dish with three flower symbols of differing colors.  

Casey Pendergast “Turtle Chalice” is a visually interesting assemblage.  Probably not practical for function.  I couldn’t find a turtle.  I like it, never the less.

Andrea Pichaida  “I’ll Hold You” is a gorgeous pierced bowl form, glazed with her bright optimistic colors.  The bowl is very large, swelling and absolutely flawless, a result of paddling against air. 

Sabrina Pratt “Moving Forward” This work has solved a vexing problem of clay’s nature is to be “earth bound”.  Sabrina has broken through the pyramid solid to which clay is inclined, giving an open space at the bottom.  Bravo! (Also, see Sharon Brush).  The work balances on its two points.

Alma Quillian  “Big Horn Sheep” is a straight forward clear rendering of a big horned sheep.

Alma Quillian  “Pierre”  Here she has taken a serious portrait and turned this black bird into a pitcher with a red lid!  

Marianna Rabinowitz “A Series of Unnecessary Objects”  I was unable to see this more closely at the opening.  The picture tells little being too dark to make out.  Seems interesting.  I will watch for her future works.

Barbara Raulston “Celebrating Charlie” with your morning coffee and a warm hand grip.  Charlie probably would be pleased.

Jenna Ritter “Sky Bowl” is a lovely proportioned bowl with a smoked surface.

Greta Ruiz “Multi Pod” becomes even more interesting when you look down inside the pods. The lighting in the gallery encourages this view.  The photo doesn’t show this aspect.  A very different work to consider.  It garnered a deserved award.

Jill Schulman “Hanging by a Thread” A powerful portrait that doesn’t feel the need to be cute.  Seems as if I know her, or, have seen her.  Maybe I have.  I am curious about the four holes in the neck.  Makes me think of a cloth body might get attached, like the old cloth dolls with the ceramic head and hands.  I must ask her if we ever come into contact.  I found this a powerful work.   I kept coming back to it.

Joey Serim “Rising” is made up of two joined, thrown pieces.  A pathway to grow larger.

Cirrelda Snider-Bryan “10’ Above Our Roof” Here is another tile maker who considered the theme for this year. This is an interesting narrative with subtle twists by an abstract thinker.  The center is an insert with screws at the corners.

Darla Graff Thompson “When I fly” These heads of Darla’s continue to grow on me.  After the Sunport show was taken down I hosted two of these heads at home for a couple of weeks.  They have divergent attitudes depending on which side you look.  Then there is the melding in the front view.  With two heads I would make changing dialogues by moving them around. People visiting me would stop in their tracks when spying them. 

Michael Thornton “Chi Meets Epsilon” are two small columnar abstractions with openings at the top.  I am ignorant of the title reference. 

Atom Vigil “Dragon Runes” and “Runes” are two small cups about shot glass size, white with runic marks around the outside lips. 

Susan Voss “Raven Dreams” Head with Raven wrapping the head and neck, romantic, nice face.  I love the crackle most of all.

Susan Voss “My Raven Muse” Standard portrait bust configuration, pretty face, bird on shoulder, romantic.

Sheryl Zacharia “Ventanas” is a medium size, designed sculpture.  Her work is always satisfying.

The juror work:

Abby Salsbury is a juror and also has work in the show. Her work is not up to receive awards, but is included because they show a jurors point of view.  She has tiles which are an extension of her designed work.  These are tiles which advance into the space much as some children’s books which open and pop forward.  The projections offer shadow play between the levels presenting a lot to contemplate.

Hebe Garcia is a juror for this show and she has a work in the show as well.  I do not have the title of this work on hand.  It is a figure of a child holding a doll.  Hebe’s work reminds me of the writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, particularly his novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude”.

Jules Epstein, owner of the TCC, is also a juror.  His skill is apparent in this clearly structured presentation.

To view the show, visit the Taos Ceramics Center, 114 Este Es Road, Taos, NM. Gallery hours Wed Noon-5, Thu-Sat 10-5, Sunday Noon-4. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Closing date: Saturday, July 23, 2022. If unable to attend in person, here is the online gallery: https://www.nmpotters.org/COC2022

Every year Celebration of Clay allows members to enter their own selection of work, and features awards to highlight exceptional works, selected by a juror. This year we have three: Abby Salsbury, Hebé García, and Jules Epstein. They will be selecting Best in Show Award of $150, the UNM Arita Porcelain Award for Beauty, Quality and Functionality of $100, and three Merit Awards of $50 each. Read on to learn more about them.  

Abby Salsbury       

I am a visual artist working primarily in clay. Although I've concentrated on ceramics throughout my life, in recent years I've taken an interest in printmaking and I now practice both mediums. My current ceramic work is a combination of the two with highly detailed surfaces and narrative scenes depicting natural forms and their relationships within a unique landscape. My printmaking imagery is transferred using a ceramic decal process, offering many more possibilities for the creation of themes, story lines and characters; as well as pure texture, varying line-weight and depth. 

I grew up in western Massachusetts and studied ceramics with William Daley at the Philadelphia College of Art and Betty Woodman at the University of Colorado. For the last twenty-two years I've been making a living as a studio artist, working on the mesa of Taos, New Mexico. This desert and Rocky Mountain view offer a vast array of inspiration from its changing light and atmosphere to its plant life and varied creatures. The worlds within my artwork come from this view and I'm motivated by it every day.

Hebé García

Hebé García and her husband visited Abiquiu, NM, for the first time in 2013, and it took just a week for them to fall in love with the town and its surroundings. By 2015 they were ready to move from Puerto Rico to New Mexico. After a long search, they found the perfect spot for their home and García ’s Artist Studio on top of a Mesa with 360 views, including Georgia O ’Keeffe ’s iconic Pedernal.

The move has inspired and influenced García ’s work —a diverse range of painting, sculpture, and installation — to explore more the intersections of feminism, mythology, and cultural roots. Her clay and oil figurative works often reflect Jungian archetypes and are firmly ensconced in magical realism. Her figures are hauntingly beautiful, mysterious, and sometimes macabre.* She hopes that her work acts as a point of departure, encouraging the viewer to connect, interact, and ultimately create their own narrative. Hebé García graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in 1986. She has participated in numerous collective and individual shows within Puerto Rico and the USA, including the prestigious Muestra Nacional de Arte of 2013 de PR; La Entrada del Espejo 2016, San Antonio TX; Celebration of Clay 2018, Taos NM; A Certain Sense of Her 2019, Beeville, TX; Ceramic Wall Works, Roseville, CA; and From the Ground UP XXIX at the Museum of Art Las Cruces, Las Cruces, NM amongst others. Presently, García is a member of the New Mexico Potters and Clay Artists (NMPCA), the Abiquiu Studio Tour, and the Gentileschi Aegis Group Association (GAGA). Her work is held in collections in Puerto Rico, England and the USA. * Sylvia Benitez, Director of the Gentileschi Aegis Group Association

Jules Epstein

Just two years after receiving his BFA degree in graphic design from Penn State University, Mr. Epstein founded a brand design firm just north of Boston that grew to be a nationally recognized business with more than 25 employees. Thirty-three years later, in 2013, he sold the business and retired full-time to Taos, NM, with his wife and two daughters. In 2019, along with his wife Georgia, he laid the foundation for the formation of the Taos Ceramics Center (TCC), a community ceramics studio, supply store, and respected interdisciplinary gallery. Mr. Epstein continues to be the curator for the TCC Gallery and Operations Manager of the business. He has been an active board member on the Taos Arts Council since 2018 and is treasurer of his local acequia in Arroyo Hondo.    

 

How did you first get interested in clay?

My mother was a potter and artist, so I began playing with clay at a very early age. I recall making crude ashtrays and sculptures of animals when I was four or five years old. My first serious work was inspired by pre-Columbian and Native American pottery that I saw in Guatemala in 1964 and in 1967. I began experimenting with pit-fire black firing after I moved to Colorado in 1967. I met and talked with Popovi Da in 1968. An accident during a firing n 1968 or 1969 led to innovative firing methods for unglazed burnished pottery that included the first horsehair firing which I first did in 1971. 

 

Describe your studio.

My studio a room in my home in Pilar which is a small village on the Rio Grande in Taos County. The studio is generally a mess.

Describe your work.

I have made a living with my work for more than a half century. I seem to be too much of an oddball for anyone to hire me for a real job. I hand-build pottery and occasionally make clay or stone sculpture. I am largely self-taught and have developed a new coil building technique. I almost never use glaze but add color by using colored slip. I burnish the surface with a smooth stone or with my fingers or with a plastic bag. Firing adds smoke stains from various organic materials: coffee grounds, hair, feathers, flowers, leaves, and other things. I also work with micaceous clay which I dig from deposits in the Tusas and Sangre de Cristo mountains. I work with Taos Pueblo potter Bernadette Track offering native clay workshops using traditional hand-building and firing techniques. 

 

When you are not working in your studio, what do you enjoy? 

I draw with pencil and charcoal. I dabble in photography. I write.

 

Do you play music in your studio? If yes, what do you listen to?

I sometimes listen to classical music while working with clay, sometimes to blues or gritty rock. One day recently I binge-listened to over a dozen versions of "Ghost Riders in the Sky" while building a pot.

What other pottery do you have in your home? 

Years ago, my first wife, Mary Blake Witkop, and I would participate in many art and craft fair shows. We would trade pots with other potters. I have quite a few pueblo pots from that time, and pots by several Anglo and Hispanic potters. I much prized an effigy pot by Fred Wilson but lost it to a divorce.

What caused you to join NMPCA?

Joining NMPCA was, of course, a no-brainer. I'm a potter and I live in New Mexico.

By Carl Gray Witkop. Hand-built burnished vessel, smoke-fired with hemp leaves, 2021. 7” diameter.

By Carl Gray Witkop. Hand-built native micaceous clay pot. Pit-fired.  2019, 61/2”. The clay is from Pot Creek area.

Places to view Carl’s pieces:

https://www.facebook.com/CarlGWitkop.Pottery?ref=tn_tnmn

http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolios/c/cgwitkop

From the editor:

Carl Gray Witkop is one of 38 new members who joined NMPCA in 2021. Thank you, Carl, for taking time to answer these questions and share your intriguing clay journey with all of us.