Stacy Kuropata

"For functional pottery, I primarily use Laguna B-Mix, and sometimes use Laguna Speckled Buff and Armadillo Cinco Rojo. For sculptural work, I use Armadillo Balcones and Laguna Speckled Buff."

Primary forming method?

" Both wheel work and slab building."

Primary firing temperature?

"Cone 6"

Favorite surface treatment?

"My work has a unifying surface treatment in the form of heavily textured presentation. My glazes vary from piece to piece but are almost always representative of some natural element, especially earth, water, and growing things. Blue, green, and brown regularly adorn the surfaces of my highly textured work."

Compass

Space Vessels

Casssiopeia

How/Where do you market and sell your artwork?

"I am currently selling at local markets and art events throughout the state. I am slowly but surely building my online commerce through Etsy, Instagram, and Facebook."

Karkanos

"My creativity comes from a place of needing to find joy and express the joy I discover. My inspiration may come from fond memories and nostalgia, like when I think about the dishes my grandmother used to serve me a homecooked meal. My inspiration may come from observing ancient pottery and the stories that generations of humans from all over the world have to tell. Either way, my inspiration is the history of humanity, whether it is a kitschy mushroom mug that my grandma used to serve me coffee milk, or a prehistoric vessel that honors the memories of loved ones past. The daily use of ceramics across our human history highlights our most intimate moments, and that is the overwhelming inspiration behind all that I create."              

Stein

Wo(man) in the Moon

"I always knew I wanted to be an artist, but I didn’t recognize clay as my primary medium until I studied under Lotus Bermudez at the University of Houston. At that time, I had my mind made up to be a painter. However, after taking several ceramics courses with Lotus, experiencing her mentorship and encouragement, and taking inventory of my own enjoyment of my practice, I realized that clay was my natural form of expression."

How have you have taken your experience as a well-established maker in the field and passed that knowledge along to your other artists?

"I have taught ceramics in many different environments, from teaching children of all ages to senior adults. I currently teach ceramic sculpture and pottery at Third Coast Clay and Houston Baptist University. My primary message to any student I teach is that there are no limits to what you can create, and the only limits are those you enforce upon yourself. I believe that clay is such a versatile medium and that each and every student that puts their hands in clay can create things and connect to things that are much larger than themselves."

What’s the best advice you’ve been given by a fellow maker, mentor, or teacher?

“Stop thinking about what you should or should not make. Stop worrying about if it will succeed or fail. Those worries will keep you stuck. Instead, just create, observe, learn, and change based on your successes and failures. Don’t let your fears keep you from creation."

Sub-TEA-rranean

Agave Nocturne