Feats of Clay

Ceramics artist Jean Smith chose the enigmatic title Teased, Torn, Coddled & Pampered for her annual showcase at Zip 37 Gallery, but her explanation makes sense: “It’s how I work with the clay,” she says. “Sometimes I kinda tease it, and then you have to coddle and pamper it as you work with it so it all stays together. It’s like a living thing when you roll it out.”

And it’s the perfect descriptor for her work in this show, which is rougher and more bare-bones than usual, defined by a black understain — a leap for an artist known for her bright, multicolored glazed florals. “My past works required the tedious painting-on of different glazes,” Smith explains. “Quite a few in this patch were done more quickly. It’s a bit of a raku look, even though it’s not raku. It’s a more monochromatic palette, and some of the clay is left raw.”

Teased opens tonight at Zip, 3644 Navajo Street, with a reception from 5 to 10 p.m., and runs through May 4; for the weekend of May 2 through 4, Smith will also roll out her handmade jewelry for a pop-up sale. For more information, visit zip37.com or call 720-470-6339.

Fri., April 18, 5-10 p.m.; Fridays-Sundays. Starts: April 18. Continues through May 4, 2014