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...

By Susan Froyd

May 1, 2014

Audio By Carbonatix

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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

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Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

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