About mud + rose
THE BEGINNINGS
I like functional art because it unites beauty and utility and purpose. I’ve always dabbled in different art hobbies, like stencil making and print-making, but I felt the need to try out a new medium. I knew pottery would be a good fit because its creative and beautiful but also has a very clear usefulness to it. It was also a way to tie in my love for plants, and to bring the outside in. Most of my pottery highlights plants, flowers, or whatever you harvested in your garden.
After reading a few books, watching tons of videos, and letting failure be my teacher, mud + rose came to be in the summer of 2018!
While I grew up in Chicago, St. Louis is my home away from home. I produce my work at Intersect Arts Center. "Intersect Arts Center is a place of community with creativity at its core. Located in St. Louis City, Intersect engages with area youth, adults, elderly, artists, congregants, educators, and activists to connect art and community, creating a collective expression of identity and belonging between a very diverse intersection of people." Check them out to see how they serve their community!
About the artist
I have always cheered for the under-dog and that led me to a career in social work. With my MSW, my mission is spreading peace! Currently I work with kids with autism and other behavioral challenges, teaching in a clinical setting and helping the development of social and emotional skills as well. I lead a mindfulness group for teen boys with autism, which focuses on becoming caretakers of our own mental and emotional well-being, and how being present can bring peace and joy to our lives.
What's in a name?
Sometimes life can feel chaotic, messy and ever changing. Its like centering the clay on the wheel. At first it seems like a swirling and unpredictable muddy mess, but if you take good care of it, something beautiful will arise. I was inspired by a quote from the Vietnamese monk Thich Naht Hahn: “if you know how to make good use of the mud, you can grow beautiful lotuses. There can me no lotus flower without the mud”. Thats true in ceramics and in life! No mud, no lotus; no mud, no vase! The name mud + rose reminds me what when a hard time comes, there is sure to be something special on the other side.