Colorado Art Studio

Mary Cay at the opening of her show this past summer at Firehouse Gallery in Denver
My good friend and local ceramic artist, Mary Cay, approached me about a month ago about writing a guest blog post. At first, being the wise aleck that I am, I replied, “Get your own blog!” Okay, I really didn’t say that - I said sure, I’m running out of things to say (not really).

Mary Cay and her development of kiln jewels were published in Ceramic’s Monthly in February 2006, A Glittering Obsession
Let me back up and tell you how I met her…. I moved back to Denver in the summer of 2004 after graduating from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in art - ceramic’s concentration. I did not feel very confident when I graduated because I didn’t have a really good technical background. I found the Art Student’s League of Denver and signed up for their advanced throwing classes taught by Mary Cay. She’s generous with her knowledge and is a wonderful and inspiring artist. While I am no longer taking classes with Mary Cay, I know that I can always call her with a clay question and she’ll point me in the right direction.

Two porcelain vessels with kiln jewels by Mary Cay
Meanwhile, she has also become my friend. On Friday night, I went out to dinner with her and a new friend of ours, Jane - who recently moved to Denver from Steamboat Springs. The 3 of us could get in serious trouble. I spent yesterday recovering from our night out. Let’s face it, I just can’t party like a rock star anymore!

Wheel thrown and handbuilt porcelain planter, watering can and tray with kiln jewels by Mary Cay
So, with no further ado, I give you Mary Cay’s first ever blog post. Maybe now, she’ll go get her own blog! ;D
Cynthia

Janet and Jules, Mary Cay’s students
Mary Cay:A few weeks ago I asked Cynthia to let me blog about my students, Janet Andrews and Jules Muscari, who are taking semi-private lessons from me and doing really well. A “private lesson” situation is not for everyone because I think potters are naturally drawn to a “community” of artists. But then there are the students who seem to need more time and ask a lot of questions, which is a good match for private lessons. My goal for all my students as well as Jules and Janet is to meet them were they are in their learning process and then push them just out of the comfort zone.

Janet’s bowls on left, Jule’s stemless wine goblets on left
Before starting these classes they had about a year of experience in a community art center. So our first assignment was to work in multiples of six, using the cylinder form, and making pieces that were the same size and shape. Intention and Consistency was the point of the assignment. They chose shapes inspired by the Lark Book 500 Cups. The next assignment for Janet, who wanted to improve making handles and have a signature mug, was to choose a shape she liked and add a handle, again working in multiples. Jules, who is a wine connoisseur and distributor, chose to pursue a simple yet elegant stem-less wine goblet. Jules decided to make the inside of her goblets a golden color after drinking wine at my home from a Connor Burns mug. So we are testing rutile washes under white glazes in oxidation, which is their available firing method. Janet found a new altered bowl shape she liked while working on her own, so we made it into an assignment of making 20 with the quirky handles. Currently, we are working on making trays.

Bowls by Janet

Janet and Jules both have busy lives—they own their own businesses and Jules is planning her May ‘08 wedding. But they have chosen to be committed to their ceramic work through building a studio, buying a kiln and other equipment, and most importantly dedicating time to their assignments — when they are making pots they are working with Intention! I think their progress is impressive and I look forward to our mutual goal of having a show and sale in the fall of ’08.

Jule’s wine goblets
On another note, I just returned form a road trip to Taos, NM, and there are some wonderful new ceramic studios and a BIG wood fired kiln that the two studios are using. If you are into wood-fired pots, don’t miss J. Bradford Pottery and Taos Clay. One of my all time favorite shops in Taos is Wabi Sabi because I love the Japanese aesthetic-awesome glazes.

Thanks Cynthia and Happy Holidays to everyone. I think 2008 is going to be a great year!

Mary Cay

Thank you Mary Cay - Janet and Jule’s work is shaping up beautifully! By the way, visit Mary Cay’s Etsy Shop to see some of her kiln jewel jewelry and other work. She does not currently sell her pottery online.