Join us for this specal duo exhibition featuring new utilitarian works by NY artist Alison Palmer and MT artist Sue Tirrell.
About Alison Palmer:
My goal is to make unique, functional and charming pieces. Animal imagery underpins all of my work whether animals decorate the plates, bowls, platters and mugs or animal sculptures are assembled from thrown or hand-built pieces; I like the fluidity of moving between the two modalities. The tesselations found on the plates were/are designs that I started to develop during the pandemic when everything was so up in the air and unnerving. In retrospect, it was a personal way of containing and controlling (in my head) the chaos that was going on in the world. I immensely enjoyed the long hours I spent in the studio during that time of isolation. As with any art form, one idea leads to the next. Sometimes my inspiration comes from the previous pieces I've worked on and sometimes I turn to ancient pottery to be inspired.This has been my mode of creating through many years of working with clay. I remember back to when I made my first piece in pre-school, the feeling of being totally enchanted by the magic of working with clay. Luckily, for me that feeling still holds true.
Born in NYC, we lived there a short while before moving to the suburbs of NY. Art always played a major role in my life. My mother is an artist and my father was an accomplished wood worker. I was introduced to tools and art materials early on. I attended the Kansas City Art Institute's foundation program which gave me a basis in sculpture, drawing, design and painting. I graduated with high distinction from California College of Arts and Crafts with a BFA degree in ceramics. After that time, I worked in a health facility's art department for four years. I developed a special program to engage the patients by giving them support to discover their inner creativity. Following that period, I felt it was time to branch out on my own and entered the world of wholesale craft shows. During that time, I met and married the love of my life, Steve Katz. We joined forces to run the business, which was low-fire, slip-cast colorful tableware, while he continued his musical career. The business was very successful for approximately 25 years until the economic down turn in 2008, where we, once again, had to reinvent ourselves. I discovered wood firing and my interests shifted in the direction of one-of-a-kind, limited production pieces in the atmospheric kilns. I now have both a wood- and soda- fire kiln. One thing led to another and we developed a program to bring ceramic artists to the area by hosting a variety of workshops with well-known, world-wide artists.
Nowadays, I usually participate in one show per year. Once the new work is unloaded from the kilns, Steve photographs and adds to the collection of work for sale on our Shopify page. Also, our increasingly popular Clayway Tour, which includes multiple local artists, brings many buyers to the community.
Winters are spent in Mexico where we organize the workshops for the coming year, which involves scheduling the artists and designing their advertisement flyers. I also enjoy spending time creating new ceramic work and linoleum printmaking.
About Sue Tirrell:
Born and raised in Red Lodge, Montana, Sue Tirrell holds an AA from Cottey College in Nevada, MO and a BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Her work draws inspiration from her experiences living in Montana and the West, her fascination with animals and interest in folk art, illustrated fairy tales and vintage kitsch. Sue’s work has been exhibited widely in the US, Canada and Australia and she has taught ceramics and multi-media workshops across the country from college classrooms to one-room schoolhouses. Sue lives and works north of Yellowstone National Park, in Montana’s Paradise Valley.
I came to clay as a college freshman, intent on studying Graphic Design and was won over by the prospect of activating sculptural and functional objects with narrative surface design. My pots employ mythic animal imagery, crisp design and riotous color to bring playfulness, character and storytelling to daily kitchen rituals and special occasions.