Behind the Scenes :: John and Robin Gumaelius

John and Robin have a fluid working relationship in the studio, always trading roles. Both working with clay, once a sculpture is leather hard, then they paint it with a solid navy blue or red underglaze to create contrast. Using a stylus to scrape through layers of paint or through the white clay, Robin often does this while never having a specific story in mind because something always unfolds whether it's inspiration from radio stories, history books, biking adventures, or gardening.

Inside Look :: P. Dews

P. Dews creates ceramics that fuse a love of gardening with large scale sculptures that are both realistic and whimsical. Carefully decorating each with colored clay slips, stamping, and carving, her highly stylized animals exude peaceful and playful expressions with a touch of mysteriousness. A fifth generation Oregonian, P. Dews has been sculpting and teaching in the Rogue Valley since 1995.

Behind the Scenes :: Wataru Sugiyama

Working in a large barn as his studio, Wataru emphasizes that nature has always been a source of inspiration and a deep intuitive relationship that he has with the living world. In fact, nature’s forms provide him with a spiritual energy that works towards his mission as a sculptor... To convey light into his viewers’ hearts. As he describes, "I am not only sourcing ideas for shapes or colors to create my sculptures, but I am also recharging myself.”

To read more, please visit www.orartswatch.org/wataru-sugiyama-building-beauty.