Gay Liebert has worked with clay for over thirty-five years. After graduating from Michigan State University, she started a lifelong career as a ceramic artist. She studied ceramics at the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts and the Mendocino Art Center. Her early experience was in the production of high-fired stoneware and porcelain pieces for functional use. During this time she developed and refined her skills in throwing and shaping. All of the vessels are handthrown on a wheel and are each unique. As her work with porcelain progressed, she started doing small raku pieces on an experimental basis.
While living in California she attended the Walnut Creek Art Center, where she worked on further developing her raku skills, and established a studio in Alameda. After moving to rural Nevada, near Reno she developed several luster and dry copper matte glazes for raku firing, utilizing native vegetation and organic material for the reduction phase. She specializes in raku art pieces, both for wall hangings and the more traditional thrown pieces. Her work has been influenced by Oriental and Southwestern Indian forms and firing methods. She has traveled extensively in Europe studying ancient ceramic methods and production techniques.
Raku firings are done in a gas kiln, and then removed to a pit lined with pine needles. The resulting fire is then smothered with a lid to provide for the reduction, leaving a thin layer of copper. As the piece cools, air leaks into the lid and reoxidizes the copper, providing the wide range of colors. In addition to her daily routine, she continuously experiments with new glaze formulas and modifications of existing glazes. She believes strongly that change is a vital force in her creative endeavors, while continuing to maintain a tie to the ancient art forms.
Although most forms are traditional in shape, she has recently developed a series of plates, which are imprinted with leaves, ferns, cedar boughs and materials from her garden. Additionally, ornaments, which she started making from recycled clay, have developed into a series of over twenty different shapes, including frogs, birds, fish and stars. New ornaments are developed on an annual basis.
Gay is a juried member of the Association of Clay & Glass Artists of California and a member of the Oregon Potters Association. She currently lives in Clackamas, Oregon where she converted a large barn into a studio. Her husband, Chuck, joined her ten years ago and they work together in firing and ceramic production.
Gay Liebert
August 2, 2007.