Maggie Towne, Ceramic Artist & Art Teacher in Louisville, Kentucky
I
am a ceramic artist currently living in Louisville, Kentucky. I am
passionate about anything to do with clay and ceramic processes. As
an artist I constantly struggle to find meaning in my work. The process
of the making always seems to be more important than the final product.
I love clay objects when they still have that sheen of moisture. That
is when clay is alive to me!
Very honestly, I have a split personality! On one hand I have the desire to make well-crafted functional work, on the other, personal figurative sculpture.
Fuctional Pottery, Garden Art, Ceramic Sculpture
My functional work extends from wheel thrown pottery to large coil and hand-built garden pieces. I challenge myself to make the perfect mug and a large bowl that does not weigh a ton! The figurative work has changed over the years in scale from life size to smaller table top pieces as well as there is more movement in the newer work. The more personal work is the most difficult because it is self-referential and doing the work makes me feel more vulnerable. It is also the most rewarding work for me.
I work with both low (love that red earthenware) and high fired stoneware clays and fire in electric, soda, reduction as well as wood fire environments.
On one hand I have the desire to make well-crafted functional work, on the other, personal figurative sculpture.
Welcome to my site! I primarily will be using this newest version (beautifully designed by my sister (http://gerdesdesign.com) of www.claybabe.com as a portfolio and teaching tool. I am a full time art teacher at Kentucky Country Day School teaching 5th-12th grade clay/ceramics, art history and 3-D foundation classes. I plan on adding educational links focusing on ceramic art history, contemporary ceramic artists, ceramic processes and anything else that I find interesting that I wish to share!
Feel free to email me any suggestions, comments or just a hello!
- maggie towne