At Play w. Bird

Cathy Broski’s work is steeped in archetypal and personal symbolism. Figures, houses, boats and pottery are all vessels to contain things we hold dear, and sometimes those things we would cast off. Broski chose these forms to work with because they have several levels of meaning that she has been intrigued to explore. The surfaces reflect her experience and attitude.

She loves the idea of found objects, because of their wear and marks of their journeys. Broski sees people in much the same way. When she goes to a museum or a friends home and sees these objects put into a special environment, they are reborn. To accomplish this in her own work, she uses a layering technique.

By using the figure as a three-dimensional (3D) canvas, they eye will travel completely around the surface, which helps to enhance the pattern or surprise in a story.

Each piece begins on the potter’s wheel or with slabs. The piece grows with the application of coils or additional slabs. When each piece is completed, Broski carves the surface and lets it dry. The base color is applied and fired. Once the first firing is complete, she applies and wipes off a combination of terra sigilatas, slips, stains and glazes, then fires again. This process is repeated until the desired effect is achieved.

Since receiving her Bachelor of Fine Art from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1990, she has worked in the ceramics field in many capacities.

Today, she is represented by numerous galleries, teach many pottery classes, instruct workshops, sell at art fairs, and she has been published in several ceramic periodicals. In 2000, her husband helped her build her studio, which is right out the backdoor.

Life is good…As she likes to say.