We were lucky to catch up with Wendy Pierce recently and have shared our conversation below.
Wendy , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I was fortunate to grow up near NYC and to have a family that supported my interests. My passion for the visual arts rooted early in a love for drawing and a growing interest in viewing the great collections in NYC. At Carnegie-Mellon and RISD I was exposed to traditional and cutting edge media and ideas and artists in exciting, creative environments.
I set up a home studio and initially worked figuratively in wood and have eventually immersed in explorations in clay.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am now in a transitional phase as an artist. I recently retired as a public school art teacher, a career I launched mid-career after years of working as free-lance artist, woodworker and in landscape design. I love teaching and working with teens, opening minds to visual problem solving, developing skills and ideas.
I came to a point where I felt compelled to return to studio art. My love of working in ceramics and 3D design is a response to the plasticity and wonder of the media as well as to a specific creative drive towards working with my hands in 3 dimensional form. Clay connects us to the history of humans and culture. It responds to forming, drawing, intentions and is full of surprise.
Currently I am giving myself time to play, experiment and develop my ideas. I am a hiker and am involved with conservation end environmental concerns. My current work celebrates local native trees, any of which are under stress from climate change and environmental challenges.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goals include the desire to achieve in my work some of what the arts do for me. This includes celebrating beauty in unique ways, and to distill some of the challenges and complexities of our 21st century world.
I am currently drawing and working on a series of carved vessels and relief tiles combining drawing and form. I have a lot to learn and to experiment with along this path. This is a great time to be a ceramic artist. The community of artists is strong, and museums and galleries exhibit the richness of ceramic art.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
As a student, artist and teacher the arts have always served to open the mind, increase observation and deepen experience.
As a studio artist, the rewards are many. Though I am never satisfied, the journey of developing, creating and completing ideas is sometimes deeply meditative, often frustrating and difficult- but still one learns and builds confidence through trials, successes and failure.
When I have a block or feel repetitive I read or visit an art show or recharge by sketching or reading artists’ voices in venues like CanvasRebel.
My goal as a visual artist is to continue the studio artist discipline. As a professional artist I hope to promote a body of work that is personal and unique, when ready.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://artmaw.wordpress.com/?_gl=1*kbn3n4*_gcl_au*MjYwNDE0MTkuMTcyNzk4NjA3Mw..
- Instagram: @wlotch
- Facebook: Wendy Pierce
Image Credits
Photos by Wendy Pierce