Mosaics Clay Class to Be Offered

Holly de Saillan will teach a class in Making Mosaics at the BMCA Clay Studio on four consecutive Mondays, April 12 - May 3 from 2-4 pm. Cost is $125, which includes clay, glazes & firing. In the class students will make their own tiles using a variety of techniques, then put together a sampler mosaic. A supply list will be provided before the class begins. Class size is limited, so early registration is recommended. For more information and to register, call the Black Mountain Center for the Arts at 828/669-0930. The Center is located at 225 W. State Street, and the Clay Studio is adjacent to the Center.

de Saillan is an experienced potter and teacher who lives in the Asheville area and also teaches ceramics and mosaics at Odyssey Center for the Ceramic Arts and around western NC. Her inspirations come from nature, contemporary folk art and (currently) artists Niki de St. Phalle, Antoni Gaudi, Raymonde Isadore, Joan Miro and Marc Chagall among many others. Clay and mosaic have been her mode of artistic expression for thirty years.

In her classes she believes it is important that every student feel successful. For her the work of art is about the love of creating. Imitative work is not her intent – she teaches techniques and ideas, not how to make a copy of her work.

About her work in clay, Holly writes, “My work is an echo of the world that surrounds me. I experience life through my various senses and allow my hands to form representations of that life from clay. Through this process of raw creation, I hope to connect others to the complexity and mystery of life and bring to all a sense of wonder.

“My work is very organic in form; clay, unlike many other mediums is not far removed from the earth in which it was created. Having such a close connection with the natural environment allows my work to be extremely dynamic and spontaneous. There are few constants in my ever-evolving work; color, shape and texture all seem to oscillate and surprise, which, to me, is the most fascinating aspect of creation.

“My most recent line of work stems from a long-lived affinity for beetles. Being such a diverse order of the animal kingdom, I became entirely enthralled with the variety of their body shapes and colorings. From this pet fancy blossomed an entire stage of work that has truly redefined my perspective of art. These pieces are not only art, but also, more simply, extensions of my being alive, here, on this earth. “
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