Meet Mary Hubbard!

@themaryhubpottery on Instagram.

Mary is our studio tech and Instructor.
She started working at Fifth Street last summer and has been nothing but a supportive and trusted friend around the studio since! Watching Mary test her skills on the wheel and explore new forms and glazes has been so inspiring. We can't wait to see where her love for clay takes her!
Other than pottery, Mary loves horses, coffee, and tattoos. Mary has been the perfect energy we've needed around the studio and we're so happy to have her!

 

When did you start working in clay?

I started working with clay in January of 2021, it was a Ceramics 1 course for my college and I remember being so excited to get to make things that I could actually use as well as claim as my own artwork. 

Do you work in any other mediums of art/craft? 

I do! I have worked in charcoal, acrylic, watercolor, printmaking in various forms, as well as plain old graphite and paper. I am also a barista so I get to make latte art on the regular.

What does working in clay mean to you?

Clay has always been something I hold very dear. From the first time I put my hands on a piece of clay it felt like it captured my soul and now ceramics will always be something I desire to have as a part of my day to day life. Working with clay is grounding to me in a way I don’t fully understand, while also one of the most exciting, encouraging, and frustrating things I have ever experienced. You can never fully predict the outcome, and your pieces always end up somehow different than you planned. However, most of the time, they turn out better than you could have predicted. 

What is your favorite part of the making process?

I love throwing particularly. The process of beginning a piece and forming it from a ball of clay and making it into whatever my heart desires is always so exciting. I also love when pieces come out of the glaze kiln! The excitement rivals that of Christmas morning almost every time. 

What are your favorite clay and glazes to use?

I love Dark Star and on the opposite side of the spectrum I also love Mulhollun! Dark Star is so smooth and it really feels like it does whatever I want it to (also the sparkles if you leave the clay raw after your glaze fire it are to die for). Mulhollun is just so sturdy and the combination of the red clay with the Folk Art glaze is the rusty earthy kitchenware dream.