Today we’d like to introduce you to Betsy Evans.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Betsy Evans was born in West Virginia and raised in Houston. She received her B.A in Anthropology with a minor in Printmaking from the University of Maine in 1991. After stints working at a history museum in Portsmouth, NH and as an ambulance EMT in Taos County, NM, Betsy landed in Portland, OR where she earned a certificate in Woodworking with an emphasis in Metalsmithing from Oregon College of Art and Craft in 1999.
Betsy moved back to the Houston area in the summer of 1999. Several years later, she and two partners opened 18 Hands Gallery on 19th Street in the Heights, where we represented national ceramic artists for nine years. 18 Hands Gallery continues to represent these artists at the annual National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) convention.
Betsy currently is participating in a show at Archway Gallery where is won best in show and is represented by Ariodante Gallery in New Orleans, LA. She is the head of Outreach and Fund-Raising for ClayHouston, a non-profit group that supports ceramic artists in the Houston area, and volunteers weekly with the Children’s Art Project at MD Anderson.
Please tell us about your art.
I love working in clay because it requires that I wear many hats. Every day is a new adventure and possibilities are unlimited because clay challenges me on both an intellectual and physical level. It all starts with clay in its rawest form. After hauling the 50-pound boxes of clay into my studio, the process of visualizing and creating begins.
Presently, my work focuses on the concept of time. The burdens of life that make time move so quickly and how time has molded my sense of self in the greater community. Visually, my inspirations are antique toys and animals. I also like to make my work interactive by making pieces that you can move and play with if you like. I have been attracted to toys because I have continued to suffer from serious health problems that have made me yearn for a simpler and playful life.
I use animals to represent myself so, in many ways, my pieces are self-portraits. It allows me to express deep fears yet still feel anonymous. My work has many underline messages that most people do not pick up on because it is visually so playful, whimsical and childlike. What appears to be so benign is actually an intense narrative about my current reality.
We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
Community is key and I maintain connection by volunteering with ClayHouston which is a non-profit benefiting and educating the clay community in the great Houston area. Currently I am on the Board of ClayHouston. It has allowed me to stay connected with other artists that I would not see on a daily basis. I also participate in events, volunteer and mingle with the artists that are in my building. It helps that I have a place on an artist campus. It gives me great access to artists working in other mediums which I think is crucial to the development and growth of my work. It is true though, as an artist, it is easy to get isolated because the work never ends. It is crucial that we get out of our space and heads and mingle with the rest of the community.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I have a studio at Winter Street Studio which is part of Sawyer Yards. I am also represented at a gallery in New Orleans called Ariodante. I also have a website where my art is available for purchase. My website is www.BetsyEvansCeramics.com I have several show in the next few months. In the month of August, I will be the guest artist at Archway Gallery because I recently won their 10th Annual Juried Exhibition.
September is going to be a very busy month. I am one of three participants in the Form and Function show which opens at Winter Street Gallery on September 7th. The show features myself, Chris Silkwood and April Murphy and a percentage of the proceeds will go to an Animal Sanctuary called Dog Lodge. September 8th is the opening of a Three Journeys: A ceramists, printmaker and painter. It will be featured in the 200 bays at The Silos in Sawyer Yards. It is an installation show featuring Betsy Evans, Alexanadra Sivov and Cary Reeder.
Finally, I will be in the Fayatteville Clay Invitational in Fayetteville, TX opening on October 14th. It is an invitational featuring clay artists from Austin, Houston and Fayatteville.
Contact Info:
- Address: Winter Street Studios Studio 13B 2101 Winter St
Houston TX, 77007 281-734-0041 - Website: www.BetsyEvansCeramics.com
- Phone: 2817340041
- Email: Betsy@betsyevansceramics.com
- Instagram: @bets.evans
- Facebook: @ceramicsbybetsy
Image Credit:
Betsy Evans.
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