Audrey McBride
pottery
I have a passion for working in clay. Ever since I was a little girl I enjoyed playing “in the mud” and at that time it was at a farm down the street from my home. The magic of the natural world and the bounty of Mother Earth could be found all around me. There was and continues to be a spiritual connection to the earth and the four directions. The blessings of the Creator and the infinite possibility in all creation lay in my hands and below my feet. My work in clay is my daily meditation.
My ceramic work has included all manner of form, craft, art, and firing. I have worked the basics of producing my own clay substrates, throwing on the wheel, molding, modeling, and hand building. I have been taught by those who are masters of fine art and by native peoples whose work has been multi-generational and centuries old. I am inspired by motifs from all over the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Early European culture. From the Native, Classical, and even the whimsical, I have produced all manner of artistic, functional, and what has often been called “organic” work.
I spent over 27 years teaching and providing art therapy to learning disabled and emotionally disturbed youth between the ages of five and 18 years at Rutgers University Medical School, University Behavioral Health Services, Child Day Hospital. Now retired, I am able to devote myself to the full pursuit of my beloved clay and as always, I’m “just playing in the mud.”
