Dogwood Blossoms

"The most important part of my work is the medium—I feel passionate about clay itself. There is something about taking a lump of mud and forming it into an object that fills a primal urge for me. "

The intimate and personal nature of ceramic objects allows Amy Meya to be expressive in a way that a 2-D medium does not. She finds that clay, as a medium that comes from nature, lends itself perfectly to depictions of nature. She takes all the forms that she finds interesting in nature (tree branches, flocks of birds, seed pods, flowers) and expresses them in clay. She hopes that a message of appreciation and conservation of nature comes across in her work. Additionally, she loves clay's deep history: clay objects more than 26,000 years old have been unearthed. Just the thought that she is working in a similar way to our ancient ancestors sparks her imagination and makes her feel connected to the human race.

All of Amy Meya's work begins as a slab of clay. From that blank canvas, she decides what form it will take. Once the shape is determined, she free-hand carves into the piece to create floral textures, leaf veins, or whatever the piece dictates the carving should be.

Meya fell in love with clay from her first introduction in kindergarten, where she made a hilltop tree holding a nest containing several tiny eggs. Taking every art course available while in high school, she moved to Europe for five years before returning to her hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, where she took several clay courses and volunteered for the non-profit KC Clay Guild.