Description
The project started with hand-built coils, and the body is commercial clay. Commercial gloss is the final finish, smoked after commercial bisque firing. The bowl is pictured with both white and dark backgrounds to demonstrate the variety of tones picked up by different background colors and lighting.
Materials
Commercial clay.
Dimensions
5.5" x 9" x 9"
Jessica Ann Mitchell-Gibson
Cherokee Nation
About the Artist
As a young student at Oolagah High School, I was fortunate to have a wonderful JOM instructor who was instrumental in guiding students with artistic tendencies toward pursuing art programs. During high school, I entered and won a T-shirt design contest for the Cherokee Nation and a pencil poster contest. We traveled to Tahlequah to have Wilma Mankiller present the award for the t-shirt design and poster art. As a young teenage girl, I was very excited to meet Chief Mankiller and to receive her encouragement to continue my studies and develop my talent. She was so kind and inspiring. I also received a JOM scholarship to study art at Rogers State University, which I attended for one year. However, life often changes the path we originally choose. I spent the next twenty years raising my daughter and son while helping my husband with our various business ventures. My artistic side took a back seat for a few years but was always present, as I was active in school projects and always volunteering to help with decorations. After two back surgeries, I was unable to return to work. Seeking both physical and mental therapy, I started trying to do pottery. The return to the artistic side of myself has been healing and rewarding in so many ways.
I am now attending classes in Tahlequah and learning from many of the great artists. The processing techniques and knowledge I gain each week from these classes are such a gift from the Cherokee Nation. I hope to continue with the pottery and expand my collection.
