In the Studio with Kitty Mecham, Liquidambar Studio

My name is Kitty Mecham from Liquidambar Studio. Most people think that it is Liquid Amber, like the tree resin, but it is from the name Liquidambar styraciflua, which is the scientific name of the Sweet Gum tree that surrounds our studio – my husband named it.

I tell most people that I have Artist ADD. I work on so many different projects and use a lot of different mediums. I have always loved art of all types, so I have tried a little of everything. I worked for about 15 years as an architect, but then I decided it was time for a change in my life. I quit my job and went back to school full time. I took over 70 credit hours just in studio arts.

I actually have two studios. I have a nice room with a lot of windows where I paint, sew and make jewelry. But my “real” studio is about 30 minutes from where I live. I share my studio with my husband John. We are a great team. We work well together and share ideas, comments, and critiques. We both work in pottery and I also work in glass. The studio is hidden on 5 ½ acres in the woods and next to a beautiful river (we hope to move out there soon).

I have my glass cutting, drilling, sanding, assembly area in one corner and the rest is for the pottery. My husband works mostly on the wheel, but he also likes to make slab pots. I work mostly with coiling pots. Very time consuming! We have four kilns – test kiln, glass kiln, bisque kiln, and a huge glaze kiln.

My pottery is very unique. I make what I call “head pots”. They are ceramic sculptures that usually have some other found objects added. I create these pieces for me (it would be nice to sell them, too). They all have a story that is very personal, but I like for others to interpret them. Everyone sees something different in art. I know that these are not for everyone, so I also make more traditional clay pieces. I have started to add glass into my clay and have been experimenting with the way different glasses react. The glass is very expensive, so I mostly have been making jewelry pieces to keep the work small.

I tend to work at home during the week, but try to get to the studio a few times a week. But I spend every weekend there working. There is no TV, internet or phones out there, so I can get a lot done! At home I mostly create jewelry. I like to make funky pieces that are just fun to make and wear, but I also like to make more elegant fine jewelry.

We have just started doing a few juried craft shows for the pottery. I think that is a good venue to sell at, but it is a lot of work. We also have a small space set up in our studio for sales. I do show my work in galleries from time to time. The jewelry is sold mostly on-line.

My biggest goal is to build a house next to my studio so I can work there on a daily basis. I would also like to learn more techniques in jewelry making and develop a unique line of decorative pottery. I won’t ever quit making sculptures, but I would also like to take those a bit farther – maybe enlarge the scale and incorporate more glass into them.