Karen Melody Shatar

As a long time resident of New Mexico, I have come to love its shapes, textures, colors, and ever-changing patterns in nature. As a nurse midwife for the past 22 years delivering over 3200 of New Mexico’s babies, my hands have learned to feel, intuit and act as a guide in the most blessed event of birth. Transferring this learning into creative expression in pottery is a process that is also guiding me into new aspects of myself that are just as exciting.

Studying with a master teacher is a process of blossoming into the unknown and bringing the magic and mystery of clay into a form that resonates with my soul. I am fully committed to finding the joy of expression in clay as I learn new techniques and delve into the mystery of making. I use low fire and high fire glazes, an electric kiln and am in the process of building a propane kiln and exploring its uses.

As a writer and traveler, I have learned to enjoy the nuances of place, people, relationship and interaction with self and other. As a potter, I am learning to enjoy the same energies that exist within myself and bring them into expression. This is a magical journey into unknown territory that I find thrilling as it guides me into an almost meditative energy that speaks of aspects of my being that I have never before encountered.