Kaye Murphy Pottery - kayehmurphy.com

Welcome to Designs by Kaye

My sculptural ceramic garden pieces I call totems. The pieces on the totems which I refer to as beads are constructed using stoneware clay which has been glazed and fired at least twice in my electric kiln. I form the beads using several methods including the potter’s wheel, hand building with slabs of clay, coiling with ropes of clay or simply pinching clay into a form in the palms of my hand. The bead segments are separate and assembled one on top of another on an steel rod driven into the ground two feet in depth. For indoor installation, the rod is mounted to a steel base. Ever present in my work is imagery from my garden. The beads take liberty with realism and capture the essence of flora and fauna. I am especially fascinated by the desert and enjoy including my cactus totems in a garden setting among their living counterparts.

About the Artist

I have been working as a ceramic artist for 30 years. I worked primarily on the potter’s wheel as a production studio potter creating dinnerware, serving pieces and various functional pieces. My work in clay has taken other directions including the design, construction and installation of handmade tiles as well as mosaic design and installation. In addition to maintaining a working studio, I have been an instructor for the City of Scottsdale Leisure Education program offering a beginning pottery class and open studio classes since 1990. Originally from Tennessee, my husband three children and I relocated to the Republic of South Africa. After settling there I worked under both a Dutch potter and an Austrian potter. My degree in art education is from the University of Tennessee where I studied under Charles Counts. Our overseas experience laid the foundation for extensive travel and interaction with other cultures from which I derive inspiration for my work.