My Journey to PMC:
My interest in art goes back to early childhood. My parents owned an art gallery in the town where I grew up. I remember meeting many wonderfully talented artists at the gallery openings. I was particularly taken by the printmakers.
This experience set me on a path of discovery. Early on I spent much of my time sketching with pencil and charcoal and then with pen and ink. The discovery of soap sculptures only furthered my talents.
In high school I was introduced to watercolor which I fell in love with. It was at this point that I realized I had real talent and decided to major in art in college.
College was a kaleidoscope of wonders. I loved every art class I took. I thought I was in love with printmaking, and then jewelry making and then I took my first ceramics course. That was it. I was truly hooked!
I was married the summer after I finished college. Two years later my son was born. The one thing I truly missed was having my hands in clay. This was the late 1960’s. You couldn’t buy premixed clay anywhere at that time. Luckily I had a very understanding and supportive husband who drove me several hundred miles to dig clay out of the Colorado River, bring it home and processing it. I learned so much about mixing a workable clay. At this point my husband surprised me with a new kiln and used potters wheel made from an old blue bed frame, a red tractor seat and the side of an old yellow school bus. I was thrilled!
For the next 5 years I worked out of my garage doing local shows. My pottery really began to catch on. After many requests I started a line of dinnerware. These sold immediately. Before I knew it I was a production potter, not only throwing dinnerware but a line of baking dishes and covered casseroles. I loved it. I discovered copper plating on porcelain. Another big hit!
I continued with my pottery until we moved to the San Francisco area in 1985. It was time for a change. I decided to pursue my first love, watercolor. I was making more money selling my watercolors that I ever made selling pottery. I stayed with watercolor through several corporate moves, New York, Tennessee, Arizona. When we landed in Houston, Texas I decided it was time for another change, but what?
It wasn’t long before I knew. Christmas 2000 my son, who grew up in my ceramics studio and learned to throw at age 6, gave me my first package of PMC+ clay. Looking back, this was only natural. He had completed his MFA and was teaching Art at a State University and knew instinctively that I would love it.
When I opened that Christmas package, I was so surprised to see a packet of PMC. My son had shown it to me several weeks earlier in the Rio Grande catalog. All that I could think was $32.00!! At that time a 28 gm package of PMC+ sold for $32.00. I was use to buying more than 100# of wet clay for that.
Not to disappoint him, I made a box with beveled edges and a set in bottom. I was later to learn that I had chosen a most difficult project for a beginner. I felt right at home with the clay. It worked much like the finicky porcelain I was use to working with. I knew this was my new medium.
In February 2001 I took my first PMC Certification class through the PMC Guild with J. Fred Woell. I wanted more! In March I took a cross over certification class through the PMC Connection with Sherry Fotopoulos. I said, "What's next?" In May I completed the PMC Connection's Level II certification. I like to tell the story of this class.
When I got to Dallas and walked into the certification class, I didn’t realize that this was the first Level II certification class and that all the senior teachers would be there. Instead of being intimidating it was actually very validating. I felt like my work stood on its own merits.
As a senior teacher, Sherry Fotopoulos was at this class. Meeting her again was a delight. Little did I know at the time that Sherry and I would be working and traveling together teaching PMC.
I began working with Sherry at the time she formed PMC123. This was the best internship I could ever have dreamed of. Sherry is a wonderful teacher with infinite patience. Not only did I learn about the business end of PMC but how to teach. Sherry 'threw' me out there until I was comfortable with teaching. Admittedly that took a little while. We had many great adventures together before parting to pursue our own interests. This is a time I will remember forever. Thank you, Sherry!
I love teaching and watching people discover their inner creativity. It’s funny, when students first come into one of my classes they often think or say they can’t create. But by the end of the class you can see the pride they have in their finished pieces. It’s a wonderful process to watch.