We recently connected with Mary Elizabeth Anderson and have shared our conversation below.
Mary Elizabeth, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on has to be the series I created using glaze’s made from my deceased service dog’s ashes. I was devastated after her passing, and when we got her back from being cremated, I knew I wanted to find a way to make her into something beautiful I can look at and admire, rather than keeping her in the brown box she came home in. With the help of my college professor, I was able to come up with a glaze recipe using her ashes that was able to then be used and fired to make unique colors and effects depending on the color glazes you layer with it. Since then, I’ve used that same recipe to create more memorial pieces for family and friend’s deceased pets and it has been the most fulfilling work I’ve produced to date.
Mary Elizabeth, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I was originally introduced to the art of handmade crafts by my great grandmother who I referred to as Granny Kirk’s. When I was about 6 years old, Granny started to teach me how to knit and crochet, as well as basic sewing skills that could be useful around the house. As I got older, she would teach me how to take things a step further in order to complete full projects such as sewing clothing, household items, bedding, and general mending and alterations of clothing. Granny was also a practicing potter and had her own home studio on her farm where she specialized in slip casting which is where my initial interest in the world of ceramics was sparked. In most recent years, I’ve focused my work mainly towards my ceramics, but my passion for clothing design and creation of wearable objects still persists! Seeing someone walking down the street wearing something I’ve handmade will truly never get old and is probably one of my favorite parts of being an artist. I think the thing I’m most proud of as an artist is my ability to figure out how to make pretty much anything I want. It makes me really proud of myself as well to be able to provide and create pieces for members of our community that align with their own visions and ideas.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Personally, I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is seeing how others appreciate your work. There’s nothing quite like walking into someone’s home and seeing your work proudly on display, or seeing someone in public wearing an original piece of yours. Visually seeing that support as an artist is one of my favorite things about sharing my work with others.
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