MARY ALDRICH |
What clay body do you use?
Primary forming method?
Primary firing temperature?
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Favorite surface treatment?
Favorite Tools? Describe your studio environment.
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How/Where do you market your artwork?
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What sparks your creativity? What drives you to work with clay?
"By nature I am someone that likes to work…. and to create. While I have worked in other media, clay is the one the suits me the best. I enjoy working in 3 dimensions. I am a very visual person so usually my ideas come some small thing I notice while I am out wandering. Often times it is something in nature." Did you come to pottery from a different career? Tell us about your journey to a ceramics career.
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How have you have taken your experience as a well-established maker in the field and passed that knowledge along to students? "The beauty of both spaces where I work, classes at MFAH Glassell Studio School and my shared studio space, is that the people are very collaborative and open about what they know. I have benefited tremendously from working with other people. I feel we are all students since there is still much to be learned. Because of that, I am always happy to share what I know and increase our pool of knowledge." "I was working on a sculpture when a fellow maker, Loes Berendschot, said “the look on your face says that you are not happy”. I told her that a portion of the piece seemed to have gotten away from me. She said, “well cut that portion out and do it over…. if you don’t like it today you won’t like it any more tomorrow.” She was right then and I often remind myself of her advice." "The best advice I was been given by a teacher came from Libby DeLyria. In class I would have a tendency to continue working on a piece before it was stiff enough to successfully continue. She would catch my eye from across the room and say “walk away”. I still hear her voice in my head…. it is good for me to stand up and walk away. It lets the piece firm up and it lets me take a fresh look when I return to work." |
Website URL and other social media platforms: www.marygaldrich.com I have always created with my hands but in 2010 I began taking ceramics classes at Houston Museum of Fine Art Glassell Studio School. Since my first class, I have loved the process of creating in clay, the constant opportunity to learn new skills and the ability to express my ideas through the manipulation of clay. As I am exposed to new processes and I am inspired by new sights and experiences, my work evolves. For me, part of the joy of working in clay is that no matter how hard I work, there is never enough time to translate all of my ideas into clay. |