Blue Moon Clay Studio

Clay Art

Bustin' Loose
12" Vase

Clay art are fine porcelain carved vases and urns all hand made by Ceramic Artist Brenda McMahon.

Brenda forms each clay vessel on the potter’s wheel, paying close attention to the shape and how the carving will work with the form. Sometimes long narrow cylinders will be a perfect canvas for the dancing figures, other times full, round forms will best embody these celebratory women. Once the shape is established, each vessel is brushed with an engobe, which is a colored clay slip. The slip will help create the striking difference between the figure and the energetic lines.

Brenda’s imagery and design craft is then drawn on the surface of the "leather hard" vessel and deeply outlined. Slowly, Brenda removes clay from the surface of the pot in a carving process, creating energy with lines and beveled edges with her sculpting tools.

The carving process takes anywhere from 8 to 18 hours per piece, depending on the complexity of the form and the number of figures inter-relating. Once the general carving is complete, it takes hours to clean the lines, soften the edges and complete the vessel into an esthetic decorative design.

These carved clay art vessels are the result of intense studio time, focused creativity and a deep love & celebration of the female form, from the inside out. They are smoke fired in Brenda’s Saggar kiln and waxed. They are not designed to hold water.

Brenda McMahon
2242 Route 113 Greenwich, NY 12834
518.692.7742
Contact Brenda