July Featured Artist: Mary Thomas Firestone

Posted on | Wednesday, July 6, 2011 | 16 Comments

Opening Reception July 8, 6-8pm

 Meet artist Mary Firestone at the opening recepton for her featured exhibit at Athens Gallery.

Mary combines a background in botany and experience as an Advanced Master Gardener with her creative vision to produce functional and decorative high-fired stoneware and porcelain.
Mary's leaf embellished pieces will be on display at Athens Gallery throughout the month of July.

Mary Firestone was born and raised in North Carolina, where at a young age, she discovered her medium while playing with the indigenous red clay in her own backyard. She set her art on the back burner, however, while she pursued a botany degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and moved to Indiana to garden and raise her family.

Mary is an Advanced Master Gardener, spending many volunteer hours “helping others grow.” Her love of plants and nature is evidenced in her choice of motifs and glaze colors in her pottery. As her children became more independent, Dirty Hands Pottery evolved from a hobby to a business, giving Mary a way to express herself and help send those kids to college! She participates in several art shows each year and is a member of Artists’ Own Gallery and Wabash Valley Potters. She juried into the Indiana Artisans program in 2011. Her work consists of mostly functional items for the home and garden created in high-fired stoneware and porcelain. She encourages collectors of her pieces to enhance their lives by using art on a daily basis.

Artist’s Statement:
My work consists of functional and decorative items for the home and garden, created in high-fired stoneware, and often embellished with leaf motifs. I encourage collectors of my pieces to enhance their lives by enjoying art on a daily basis.