Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Maulding.
Hi Courtney, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
After I graduated from UHCL with my BFA, the first thing I did was buy a potter’s wheel. I knew that I wanted to continue working with ceramics and practicing my craft. University of Houston–Clearlake has inspired and impacted my life in ways I never imagined. I started taking classes there, knowing full well that I wanted a degree in Graphic Design. My plan was to gain experience and to find a full-time job in the design field. I never thought I would change my mind, but after taking the intro ceramics course, I quickly fell in love with studio art and the ceramics community. I have always had a passion for photography, and my last semester at UHCL, I spent my time experimenting with ceramics and photography and how the two can go together so well. This past year alone, I fully decided that I want to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally. I put myself out there and started doing markets, commissions, and selling my work. I discovered this year that I truly cannot imagine my life without ceramics and photography. That putting myself out there and accepting opportunities has brought growth and fulfillment. I am grateful to continue this creative path and that there is always growth that comes with being a practicing artist.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
March of 2022, my husband and I found out we were pregnant with a baby boy. It had been almost a year since I had graduated from University of Houston – Clearlake. We were overjoyed and ecstatic to bring the first baby into the family. What should have been the most beautiful day turned into tragedy. Our baby boy Finnigan passed away during childbirth on November 24th, 2022. After going through something so devastating and traumatic a couple could ever go through, I never thought I would recover. Those first few months were a complete mind warp. There really are no words for how heartbreaking it is to lose a child. I am never not thinking of Finn; he is a part of me and my everyday. After losing Finn, I reached out to Clay Leonard the ceramics professor at UHCL. He let me come help TA for the ceramics class. This created an outlet for me to continue creating and making work. I was able to be around the ceramic’s community and aspiring college students. This inspired me to put myself out there to do markets and sell my work. I feel after losing our child, I was reborn, I had to restart and find myself all over again. This past year alone, I have grown so much in my work. I use the love I have for my baby boy and put it all towards my ceramic work. I use my ceramic work as an outlet towards the hole in my heart. Nothing will ever take away the pain from the death of our child. I use it as a fuel to never give up on my dreams as an artist. I already lost everything, and that everything was my dear Finn. I am not afraid to do what I love, and that the spirit of Finn drives me to continue making work and continue my path towards my entrepreneurship.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I was born in Louisiana with my 4 siblings; my parents moved us to Houston, Texas, when I was three years old. Growing up with my sisters and brother brought me such a beautiful tribe. I am grateful to have such a close family and to be so close with my sisters. They are the reason I am such a people person and love connecting with others. My first creative outlet as a child was dance classes. I used to take ballet and jazz and loved the art form in dance. I quickly fell in love with photography as a teenager and practiced photography as a college student. As a student at University of Houston – Clearlake, I discovered my love for ceramics and the ceramic community. I quickly fell in love with the way artists inspire each other. That no matter where you are at as an artist, the community can lift you up. I thrive in a community setting; helping others find their niche and bouncing ideas off of each other is one of the main reasons I love the ceramics department at UHCL. The class inspired me to continue making work. One of my main practicing crafts is called the cyanotype. A cyanotype is an old photography process called a blueprint. This blueprint can be printed on paper, fabric, ceramics, wood, etc. Flowers and photographs can be printed on these surfaces. I use my own photographs and print them onto ceramic tiles that I hand-make. There is something so beautiful and unique about the way a blue-printed photograph looks on a porcelain tile. I love the way photography and ceramics can be used together. That the use of clay can also be used with photographs to create an organic media melding. Not only do I love the cyanotype, but I also have a love for functional ceramics. One of my favorite ways to make ceramics is using the potter’s wheel. I love to make dinnerware sets, mugs, and organic vases. I like to utilize line design on my pieces and how each piece will never be exactly the same. Each mug or plate is a little bit different from the next one, that as a maker, my work is organic and special. I think that as a maker and a practicing artist, waking up every day and carving out some time to make work is so important to me. It keeps me disciplined and focused on my goals. One of the biggest reasons I love ceramics is because there is always growth. You are never not learning and growing. Failure from making work brings growth and learning curves. I am proud that I continue to keep going and have such a tenacity for putting myself out there. I think that any opportunity as a practicing artist plants little seeds. As an artist, I want to continue to offer the world my love for making and inspire others to do the same.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
The qualities and characteristics I feel most important about my success is the growth. I am constantly learning in my own work. There are such learning curves that come with ceramics, and staying persistent with the trials and errors is huge. I find that I am always a little bit better than where I was before. I find that I am always discovering new techniques and different processes. With ceramics comes failure, and with failure comes success.
Pricing:
- 12oz Mug – $45
- 8oz Mug – $25
- 6×6 Cyanotype Tile – $60
- Drippy Planter – $45
- Coral Vase – $45
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunlitceramicandphoto/
- Facebook: facebook.com/sunlitceramicandphoto
