Today we’d like to introduce you to Cathy Broski.
Hi Cathy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I never really know where to start. I’ve known I wanted to be an artist since I was a child. But it probably wasn’t until I was in a junior college in a painting class that I realized there just wasn’t enough surface texture for me. At that point, I took a Clay class, and there was no turning back.
After moving from the north St. Louis area, I graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1990. After working out of a few basement studios, I had my own studio built in 1999 at my Kansas City home.
I’d always worked with the figure, but it wasn’t until after graduation that I began to explore pushing the limits of what that meant. I enjoyed minimizing one aspect while maximizing others of the human form. Over time, I’ve come up with a very stylized body of work. That has expanded into animals, houses, boats, etc., all of which, for me, are metaphors for things in our lives. i.e., A simple bird represents the inner voice that hopefully keeps us on the right track.
I sold work at Art Fairs, predominantly, for 25 years or so. This proved to be an expensive time for me. I found the feedback immediate. I would go to a show, and sales would reflect if I was on the right track for selling a specific body of work. I have since added Gallerie shows, Consignment, and wholesale to my already established teaching positions.
Lately, I’ve been very active in an Anagama kiln. It’s a very large atmospheric kiln that’s fired communally over a period of a week and fueled by wood alone. This has enabled me to explore surfaces in a new way.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’ve always had a very clear vision of what I wanted to accomplish. My main priority was how I was going to make a living making sculpture. So I started off applying to art fairs and found that I enjoyed making my living that way. I found a community of artist friends who are still to this day. I keep in touch with. I did that for approximately 20 years and still do a few every year. Over the years, I added Wholesale, an online gallery, and various consignment shops.
I find community connection in teaching and being a member of The KC Clay Guild. I’m also a leader at the Big Magic Anagama kiln. The community that comes together three times a year has become a vital part of my creative health.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My work is steeped in archetypal and personal symbolism. Figures, animals, houses and boats, are just some of the forms I choose to work with. They all have several layers of meaning I find intriguing. Each piece is a gesture of movement or personality.
My surfaces reflect the attraction I have for found objects. The wear of the surfaces, and marks of their journey, is the feel I strive to achieve on my own work. To accomplish this, I use a layering technique.
Each piece begins with slabs or on the potter’s wheel. The pieces grow with the application of coils or additional slabs. When completed, some are carved or textured and then dried. The base colors are applied and fired. I then apply and wipe off a combination of terra sigilattas, slips, stains and glazes, and fire again. This process is repeated until I achieve the desired effect.
Since receiving my BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1990, I have worked solely in the ceramics field. Presently I am represented by numerous galleries, teach at several pottery studios, instruct workshops, sell at art fairs, and have been published in ceramic periodicals. In 2000 I built my studio right outside our back door. And in 2007 completed a 40 cu ft. gas car kiln.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I feel Kansas City is a very welcoming city. There is no shortage of cultural activities. I enjoy our world-class Nelson-Atkins Museum as well as the Kemper, and so many others. Our arts districts are vast and accessible to all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cathybroski.com
- Instagram: cathybroski
- Facebook: Cathy Broski
