Mary Law

EDUCATION

1969 BA Humanities Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Florida

1975 MFA New York State College of Ceramic Arts, Alfred University, Alfred, New York

APPERNTICESHIPS AND RESIDENCIES

1969-1971 Apprenticeship with Byron Temple

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

1968 Studio Potter

—New York State College of Ceramic Arts, Alfred University, Alfred, New York

1989 Adjunct Ceramics Professor, Contra Costa College, San Pablo, California

BIOGRAPHY

          Mary Law has focused on functional pots throughout her career. Utilitarian form is the primary consideration of her work. Law works with porcelain that is fired in a sodium vapor kiln. When glazing, shino and temoku glazes are most commonly used.

  Law studied with Karen Karnes and Byron Temple at Penland School of Crafts. She found her passion for functional forms which was refined during the following 2 year apprenticeship with Byron Temple.  Law began developing “House Pots” in 1984. Inspired by photographs of adobe built West African granaries with thatched roofs; the form is still evolving.   Law experimented with sculpture briefly influenced by the work of Betty Woodman who was in residence at Alfred during Law’s graduate study there. Ultimately Law defines herself as a potter.

Public Collections

American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, California

Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Bibliography

Baldwin, Richard. The Essential Whole Earth Catalog. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1986.

Brand, Stewart. The Next Whole Earth Catalog. New York, NY: Point/Random House, 1980.

“Cover Article”, Ceramics Monthly 51, no.1 (January 2003).

Rogers, Phil. Salt Glazing. London, England: A & C Black, 2002.

Speight, Charlotte and John Toki. Make it in Clay. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 1997.

Speight, Charlotte and John Toki. Hands in Clay, 3^rd ed. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 1995.

Zakin, Richard. Ceramics: Mastering the Craft. Radnor, PA: Chilton and Co., 1990.

Website: www.marylawpottery.com

Mary Law Pottery

Southern Highland Craft Guild