Current Events
Past Events
Darius Brotman
Jody Bryan
Jen Hubbert
Fire Arts Center Gallery
September & October
Artists' Reception Friday, October 13, 5-7pm
Jody Bryan
Jen Hubbert
Fire Arts Center Gallery
September & October
Artists' Reception Friday, October 13, 5-7pm
Darius Brotman, Jody Bryan & Jen Hubbert, Fire Arts Members, Exhibit New Works.
The Fire Arts Center Gallery is exhibiting the functional ceramics of Darius Brotman, Jody Bryan and Jen Hubbert, and watercolors of Jody Bryan. The artists are long term members of Fire Arts. The artists welcome the community to a reception at the gallery in conjunction with Arts! Arcata, on Friday, October 13, 5-7p.m. All are invited.
Brotman prefers to throw on the wheel, citing that “the spinning clay is therapeutic.” His works highlight the intersection of aesthetic beauty and functional beauty. “A pot wants not only to look beautiful but to feel just right when in use.” He also likes to make sets of items, feeling that a single bowl is less useful than a set of bowls. His glazing is very gestural, avoiding careful drawing. Brotman uses his pieces as canvases for his gestural glazing techniques.
Bryan finds joy in 2D drawing and painting and 3D clay work. She asserts that “These two mediums require very different approaches and give different rewards. Painting watercolors from life is an exercise in immediate problem solving.”
Hubbert, a long-time resident of the North Coast and a healthcare professional, has been an avid member of Fire Arts for several years. She states, “A few years ago, on a dark and stormy December night I walked into Fire Arts. The warmth, the happiness, and the creativity there gave me pause and I thought - ‘This might be fun’- so I signed up for a class…
And I’ve never stopped.” She finds the creative outlet of working with clay to be a “happy adjunct to the healing process of not only myself but those who surround me on this journey.”
The Fire Arts Center Gallery is exhibiting the functional ceramics of Darius Brotman, Jody Bryan and Jen Hubbert, and watercolors of Jody Bryan. The artists are long term members of Fire Arts. The artists welcome the community to a reception at the gallery in conjunction with Arts! Arcata, on Friday, October 13, 5-7p.m. All are invited.
Brotman prefers to throw on the wheel, citing that “the spinning clay is therapeutic.” His works highlight the intersection of aesthetic beauty and functional beauty. “A pot wants not only to look beautiful but to feel just right when in use.” He also likes to make sets of items, feeling that a single bowl is less useful than a set of bowls. His glazing is very gestural, avoiding careful drawing. Brotman uses his pieces as canvases for his gestural glazing techniques.
Bryan finds joy in 2D drawing and painting and 3D clay work. She asserts that “These two mediums require very different approaches and give different rewards. Painting watercolors from life is an exercise in immediate problem solving.”
Hubbert, a long-time resident of the North Coast and a healthcare professional, has been an avid member of Fire Arts for several years. She states, “A few years ago, on a dark and stormy December night I walked into Fire Arts. The warmth, the happiness, and the creativity there gave me pause and I thought - ‘This might be fun’- so I signed up for a class…
And I’ve never stopped.” She finds the creative outlet of working with clay to be a “happy adjunct to the healing process of not only myself but those who surround me on this journey.”
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Darius Brotman
“I’m interested in the intersection of aesthetic beauty and functional beauty. A pot wants not only to look beautiful but to feel just right when in use.
I generally prefer to throw on the wheel, because the spinning clay is therapeutic.
I like to make sets. A single bowl is less useful than a set of five (my favored number; I’ve been infected with the Chinese superstition that 4 is unlucky).
In glazing, I try to make things gestural, avoiding careful drawing. There is always a big element of chance. I love the quite different canvasses provided by a plate, a bowl, or a cylindrical vase.
Early exposure to Dada sensibility has influenced my feet, handles and lids.
Recently I’ve started to explore more complex forms inspired by Greek pots (which are perhaps not so useful since we are not in the habit of being served wine from big jugs by Ganymedes). These are as yet beginner efforts.
“I’m interested in the intersection of aesthetic beauty and functional beauty. A pot wants not only to look beautiful but to feel just right when in use.
I generally prefer to throw on the wheel, because the spinning clay is therapeutic.
I like to make sets. A single bowl is less useful than a set of five (my favored number; I’ve been infected with the Chinese superstition that 4 is unlucky).
In glazing, I try to make things gestural, avoiding careful drawing. There is always a big element of chance. I love the quite different canvasses provided by a plate, a bowl, or a cylindrical vase.
Early exposure to Dada sensibility has influenced my feet, handles and lids.
Recently I’ve started to explore more complex forms inspired by Greek pots (which are perhaps not so useful since we are not in the habit of being served wine from big jugs by Ganymedes). These are as yet beginner efforts.
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Jody Bryan
I find joy in both 2D drawing and painting and playing with clay. These two mediums require very different approaches and give different rewards. Painting watercolors from life is an exercise in immediate problem solving.
Success should, ideally, be reached within a couple of hours. Ceramics puts me in a wonderful state of anticipation. First comes the ideas for forms and surface decoration. Then comes each step: the making, the bisque fire, the glazing, the final fire and reveal. This pace means there's always a reason to go into the studio. It just doesn't get much better than this.
I'm grateful to Fire Arts for the opportunity to play with clay alongside a group of artist-potters who freely share their knowledge and enthusiasm.
I find joy in both 2D drawing and painting and playing with clay. These two mediums require very different approaches and give different rewards. Painting watercolors from life is an exercise in immediate problem solving.
Success should, ideally, be reached within a couple of hours. Ceramics puts me in a wonderful state of anticipation. First comes the ideas for forms and surface decoration. Then comes each step: the making, the bisque fire, the glazing, the final fire and reveal. This pace means there's always a reason to go into the studio. It just doesn't get much better than this.
I'm grateful to Fire Arts for the opportunity to play with clay alongside a group of artist-potters who freely share their knowledge and enthusiasm.
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Jen Hubbert
A Potter in Progress
A few years ago on a dark and stormy December night I walked into Fire Arts. The warmth, the happiness, and the creativity there gave me pause and I thought - ‘This might be fun’- so I signed up for a class..
And I’ve never stopped.
Pottery has brought me challenges, joy, and such good company.
I am a long-time resident of the North coast and in healthcare by profession, and find this creative outlet to be such a happy adjunct to the healing process of not only myself but those who surround me on this journey.
Making these pieces makes me happy and I hope they make our world a little bit brighter place to spend our time.
From my hands to yours,
Jen Hubbert
Trinidad, CA
A Potter in Progress
A few years ago on a dark and stormy December night I walked into Fire Arts. The warmth, the happiness, and the creativity there gave me pause and I thought - ‘This might be fun’- so I signed up for a class..
And I’ve never stopped.
Pottery has brought me challenges, joy, and such good company.
I am a long-time resident of the North coast and in healthcare by profession, and find this creative outlet to be such a happy adjunct to the healing process of not only myself but those who surround me on this journey.
Making these pieces makes me happy and I hope they make our world a little bit brighter place to spend our time.
From my hands to yours,
Jen Hubbert
Trinidad, CA
Art in the Family: Elaine Y. Shore & Tahvo Adams
at Fire Arts Center Gallery
May & June, 2023
Artist Reception Friday, May 12, 5-7pm
at Fire Arts Center Gallery
May & June, 2023
Artist Reception Friday, May 12, 5-7pm
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For Immediate Release
Grandmother and Grandson: Art in the Family exhibit at Fire Arts Gallery
The Fire Arts Center Gallery is exhibiting the ceramic sculptures, functional porcelain, and other artwork of Tahvo Adams and his grandmother, Elaine Y. Shore, during May and June. It is Tahvo’s first art show. The artists welcome the community to a reception at the gallery in conjunction with Arts! Arcata, on Friday, May 12, 5-7p.m. All are invited.
Tahvo Adams, 7 years old, has been creating imaginative ceramic sculptures with his grandmother, Elaine Y. Shore, a local ceramic artist and member and instructor at Fire Arts, since he was 3. This will be his first gallery show. “What I like most about doing ceramics is that it can be anything you want it to be. It just feels great to be an artist. I do drawings, watercolor, paintings, and clay,” Tahvo asserted.
“Tahvo is very creative and thoughtful and has been interested in ceramics from the first time I took him to my studio. He decides what he wants to make and how he wants to decorate his pieces and I guide him in the process, making suggestions when necessary. He has become knowledgeable about clay, glazes, sculpture techniques and firing processes. I am always surprised by his ideas and his enthusiasm,” says Shore, a member of both Arcata Artisans and the Trinidad Art Gallery, two local artist cooperative galleries. According to his grandmother, Tahvo believes that everyone is an artist “in their own way.”
“I have tried to nurture and encourage him to be expressive and creative and to have confidence in his ability to create art and he has blossomed over the past few years. I’m excited to see where his curiosity and creativity will take him,” notes Elaine.
Tahvo’s work consists of colorful ceramic sculptures of realistic and fantastical creatures. Elaine will be exhibiting her functional ceramic pieces. She is known for her surface decoration techniques, including her striking black and white pieces, carved using a technique called sgraffito and her detailed underglaze-painted pieces, which, she says are “one-of-a-kind paintings on porcelain.”
Fire Arts, located at 520 S. G Street in Arcata, across from the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center, has been teaching ceramics and fused glass skills and providing studio space and kiln firing resources to the local community since 2000. Fire Arts is open every day and has a large selection of locally- made ceramic and fused glass pieces for sale all year. Classes are held year-round and include day and evening classes for adults and children. Contact: (707)826-1445 and www.fireartsarcata.com.
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Grandmother and Grandson: Art in the Family exhibit at Fire Arts Gallery
The Fire Arts Center Gallery is exhibiting the ceramic sculptures, functional porcelain, and other artwork of Tahvo Adams and his grandmother, Elaine Y. Shore, during May and June. It is Tahvo’s first art show. The artists welcome the community to a reception at the gallery in conjunction with Arts! Arcata, on Friday, May 12, 5-7p.m. All are invited.
Tahvo Adams, 7 years old, has been creating imaginative ceramic sculptures with his grandmother, Elaine Y. Shore, a local ceramic artist and member and instructor at Fire Arts, since he was 3. This will be his first gallery show. “What I like most about doing ceramics is that it can be anything you want it to be. It just feels great to be an artist. I do drawings, watercolor, paintings, and clay,” Tahvo asserted.
“Tahvo is very creative and thoughtful and has been interested in ceramics from the first time I took him to my studio. He decides what he wants to make and how he wants to decorate his pieces and I guide him in the process, making suggestions when necessary. He has become knowledgeable about clay, glazes, sculpture techniques and firing processes. I am always surprised by his ideas and his enthusiasm,” says Shore, a member of both Arcata Artisans and the Trinidad Art Gallery, two local artist cooperative galleries. According to his grandmother, Tahvo believes that everyone is an artist “in their own way.”
“I have tried to nurture and encourage him to be expressive and creative and to have confidence in his ability to create art and he has blossomed over the past few years. I’m excited to see where his curiosity and creativity will take him,” notes Elaine.
Tahvo’s work consists of colorful ceramic sculptures of realistic and fantastical creatures. Elaine will be exhibiting her functional ceramic pieces. She is known for her surface decoration techniques, including her striking black and white pieces, carved using a technique called sgraffito and her detailed underglaze-painted pieces, which, she says are “one-of-a-kind paintings on porcelain.”
Fire Arts, located at 520 S. G Street in Arcata, across from the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center, has been teaching ceramics and fused glass skills and providing studio space and kiln firing resources to the local community since 2000. Fire Arts is open every day and has a large selection of locally- made ceramic and fused glass pieces for sale all year. Classes are held year-round and include day and evening classes for adults and children. Contact: (707)826-1445 and www.fireartsarcata.com.
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Past Events
The Allure of the Altered Pot
Our current show includes new works by students of Susan Beecher's class.
Fire Arts Gallery
March & April, 2023
Artist Reception Friday, April 14, 5-7pm during Arts! Arcata
Our current show includes new works by students of Susan Beecher's class.
Fire Arts Gallery
March & April, 2023
Artist Reception Friday, April 14, 5-7pm during Arts! Arcata
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Susan Beecher
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Kit Davenport
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Peggy Loudon
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For Immediate Release
Well-known local artists exhibit works at Fire Arts Center Gallery during January and February.
Fire Arts is exhibiting the works of three well-known local artists at our Gallery during January and February. A reception is planned for Friday, February 10, 5-7pm during Arts! Arcata. All are invited.
Susan Beecher is a nationally recognized Studio Potter whose work has appeared in more than 80 national juried shows over the past 30 years. She was the Director of Sugar Maples Center for the Arts in Maplecrest, New York for 15 years, where she taught workshops and expanded the offerings of the center. She has taught workshops at art centers throughout the Northeast, and Florida. Her work has appeared in articles in Ceramics Monthly & Studio Pottery. In 2005, a book exploring her work was published by Catskill Press: Susan Beecher: Wood Fired Pottery. “In my working methods & style, I attempt to carry on the folk traditions of the past while trying to marry these concepts to a contemporary flavor of form, surface and gesture. I hope that my pots speak of home, family and close friends sitting down together to a delicious meal served in hand-made pots that reflect warmth and generosity.”
Arcata ceramic artist, Kit Davenport, is exhibiting drawings that are part of a recent body of work based on sketches she uses to develop concepts for clay sculpture. The drawings begin with a sketchbook page (or photocopy) and are developed colorfully with ink, acrylic and colored pencil, and collaged mulberry paper. Imagery in the drawings relates to vessel and body forms, with fracture or flow underlining a psychological component.
Peggy Loudon has been creating beautiful, functional pieces for many years in Humboldt County. She is an instructor at Fire Arts and has shown her work in many local and national shows. Peggy’s work has been featured in several publications, including Ceramics Monthly, Craft of Northern California, Ceramics Today and the California Association of Clay and Glass Artists of Northern California and was a selected artist on the KEET Television Special “Studio Space’. “By integrating form, proportion, and texture. I strive to create work that brings a sense of beauty and calm to the home. Work that transcends time and will continue to have integrity throughout my lifetime and beyond”.
Fire Arts, located at 520 S. G Street in Arcata, across from the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center, has been teaching ceramics and fused glass skills and providing studio space and kiln firing resources to the local community since 2000. Fire Arts is open every day and has a large selection of locally- made ceramic and fused glass pieces for sale all year. Classes are held year-round and include day and evening classes for adults and children. Contact: (707)826-1445 and www.fireartsarcata.com.
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Well-known local artists exhibit works at Fire Arts Center Gallery during January and February.
Fire Arts is exhibiting the works of three well-known local artists at our Gallery during January and February. A reception is planned for Friday, February 10, 5-7pm during Arts! Arcata. All are invited.
Susan Beecher is a nationally recognized Studio Potter whose work has appeared in more than 80 national juried shows over the past 30 years. She was the Director of Sugar Maples Center for the Arts in Maplecrest, New York for 15 years, where she taught workshops and expanded the offerings of the center. She has taught workshops at art centers throughout the Northeast, and Florida. Her work has appeared in articles in Ceramics Monthly & Studio Pottery. In 2005, a book exploring her work was published by Catskill Press: Susan Beecher: Wood Fired Pottery. “In my working methods & style, I attempt to carry on the folk traditions of the past while trying to marry these concepts to a contemporary flavor of form, surface and gesture. I hope that my pots speak of home, family and close friends sitting down together to a delicious meal served in hand-made pots that reflect warmth and generosity.”
Arcata ceramic artist, Kit Davenport, is exhibiting drawings that are part of a recent body of work based on sketches she uses to develop concepts for clay sculpture. The drawings begin with a sketchbook page (or photocopy) and are developed colorfully with ink, acrylic and colored pencil, and collaged mulberry paper. Imagery in the drawings relates to vessel and body forms, with fracture or flow underlining a psychological component.
Peggy Loudon has been creating beautiful, functional pieces for many years in Humboldt County. She is an instructor at Fire Arts and has shown her work in many local and national shows. Peggy’s work has been featured in several publications, including Ceramics Monthly, Craft of Northern California, Ceramics Today and the California Association of Clay and Glass Artists of Northern California and was a selected artist on the KEET Television Special “Studio Space’. “By integrating form, proportion, and texture. I strive to create work that brings a sense of beauty and calm to the home. Work that transcends time and will continue to have integrity throughout my lifetime and beyond”.
Fire Arts, located at 520 S. G Street in Arcata, across from the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center, has been teaching ceramics and fused glass skills and providing studio space and kiln firing resources to the local community since 2000. Fire Arts is open every day and has a large selection of locally- made ceramic and fused glass pieces for sale all year. Classes are held year-round and include day and evening classes for adults and children. Contact: (707)826-1445 and www.fireartsarcata.com.
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Past Events
Fire Arts Staff Gallery Show November-December 2022
The Fire Arts Staff (Alder Gustafson, David Jordan, Jessica Swan, Elaine Y. Shore, Elizabeth P. Johnson, Sophie Holderman, Natalia Melendez Rosa) are exhibiting their works through December, 2022. Opening reception for Arts! Arcata, Friday December 9, 5:30-7:30.
Please stop by to meet the artists and view their newest works.
Please stop by to meet the artists and view their newest works.
Monsters at Fire Arts Center Gallery for October
Jessi Von Floto and Deidre Pike, two local ceramic artists and Fire Arts members, will be exhibiting their fantastical clay creatures at the Fire Arts Gallery during October. They will be hosting a reception during Arts! Arcata, Friday October 14, 4-8pm.
Both potters share a fascination with creature creation. Jessi Von Floto has been creating with clay since his college days. He graduated from Humboldt State University, with a degree in art, emphasis in painting, ten years ago. “I came here to go to HSU and never left,” Von Floto said. “That’s the story for so many.” While at HSU, Von Floto took all the offered ceramics classes. He has been sculpting creatures, from snakes to fanged frog-fish, and painting monster portraits ever since. The roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons also provides inspiration. “I have fun with monsters, and I love Halloween!” He works in sterile processing at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka.
Deidre Pike, a journalism professor at Cal Poly Humboldt, starts many of her creatures on the potter’s wheel, then “I smash, whack, slice and then add teeth, eyes, ears, and limbs. My monsters distract me from the weirdness of contemporary life,” said Pike. She makes critters with wide open mouths, fangs, and wild tongues. “My monsters aren’t really scary; I think they’re kind of cute.”
Fire Arts, located at 520 S. G Street in Arcata, across from the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center, has been teaching ceramics and fused glass skills and providing studio space and kiln firing to the local community since 2000. Fire Arts is open every day and has a large selection of locally made ceramic and fused glass pieces for sale all year. Classes are held all year and include day and evening classes for adults and children. Contact: (707)826-1445 and www.fireartsarcata.com.
Jessi Von Floto and Deidre Pike, two local ceramic artists and Fire Arts members, will be exhibiting their fantastical clay creatures at the Fire Arts Gallery during October. They will be hosting a reception during Arts! Arcata, Friday October 14, 4-8pm.
Both potters share a fascination with creature creation. Jessi Von Floto has been creating with clay since his college days. He graduated from Humboldt State University, with a degree in art, emphasis in painting, ten years ago. “I came here to go to HSU and never left,” Von Floto said. “That’s the story for so many.” While at HSU, Von Floto took all the offered ceramics classes. He has been sculpting creatures, from snakes to fanged frog-fish, and painting monster portraits ever since. The roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons also provides inspiration. “I have fun with monsters, and I love Halloween!” He works in sterile processing at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka.
Deidre Pike, a journalism professor at Cal Poly Humboldt, starts many of her creatures on the potter’s wheel, then “I smash, whack, slice and then add teeth, eyes, ears, and limbs. My monsters distract me from the weirdness of contemporary life,” said Pike. She makes critters with wide open mouths, fangs, and wild tongues. “My monsters aren’t really scary; I think they’re kind of cute.”
Fire Arts, located at 520 S. G Street in Arcata, across from the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center, has been teaching ceramics and fused glass skills and providing studio space and kiln firing to the local community since 2000. Fire Arts is open every day and has a large selection of locally made ceramic and fused glass pieces for sale all year. Classes are held all year and include day and evening classes for adults and children. Contact: (707)826-1445 and www.fireartsarcata.com.
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BOB RAYMOND AND AUK IN FIRE ARTS GALLERY
THROUGH SEPTEMBER
THROUGH SEPTEMBER
The Fire Arts Center Gallery is featuring the ceramic pottery and sculpture of Bob Raymond and Auk through September. Bob Raymond, a well-known local potter and instructor at Fire Arts, is displaying a variety of his functional pottery forms and his latest collection of whimsical sculptures. Auk is presenting a group of sculptures that exhibit a variety of characters in humorous and curious situations. The show runs until September 30. Bob and Auk will be hosting a reception for Arts! Arcata on Friday, September 9, 4-8pm.
The Fire Arts Center has been central to the arts in Humboldt County since 1999. It is a vibrant, community art studio offering year-round classes and workshops in ceramics, fused glass and jewelry making, and memberships in ceramics and fused glass, is located at 520 South G St. and is open daily from 10 am-4pm. For more information call (707)826-1445 or visit our website at fireartsarcata.com.
The Fire Arts Center has been central to the arts in Humboldt County since 1999. It is a vibrant, community art studio offering year-round classes and workshops in ceramics, fused glass and jewelry making, and memberships in ceramics and fused glass, is located at 520 South G St. and is open daily from 10 am-4pm. For more information call (707)826-1445 or visit our website at fireartsarcata.com.
