Kyla Strid will be opening her studio May 4-5 during the Lawrence Art Guild’s Art Spaces.
Strid is a ceramicist who makes pots inspired by small everyday observations, mostly from her garden and kitchen. She designs her pots to quietly elevate whatever they are holding — be it wine, flowers, fruit, utensils, or a houseplant.
Recently she has changed her clay body and surfaces to more closely reflect the ancient Minoan pots she has spent years studying. Her new work features simplified glazes, typically white, which compliment a rich red clay body. She uses wax to paint patterns on the surfaces often inspired by plants from her yard to create compositions that further nod to the pots made in ancient Greece.
In addition to making pots in her studio, Strid is the director of residencies and adult education at Lawrence Arts Center. Strid originally moved to Lawrence for the yearlong residency at the Arts Center a little more than 10 years ago.
She was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, where she received a BFA in ceramics from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Additionally, she has an MFA in ceramics from Ohio University and has been awarded residencies all over the world. Last summer she returned to Greece for the third time, to attend a residency at the Skopelos Foundation for the Arts. During this trip, she used the residency to make pots closely inspired by ones she studied while consulting on an archeological dig of a Minoan pottery workshop on the island of Crete.
Strid’s studio is a (mostly) renovated, split-level garage at 934 Delaware St. She has been slowly renovating her studio over the last few years as she has time and money available. The building had to be taken down to the studs and every inch of the interior redone.
Now Strid and her husband, Louis Wigen-Toccalino, are beginning to turn their attention to the exterior. Louis is planting an orchard on the land next to the studio, and she is saving up to replace the siding on the lower half of the building.
During the Art Spaces event, Strid will have new and old work for sale, including many vases, planters, cups, and a few pots from her residency in Greece.
She will be joined by Shantel Wright-Hancock (ceramicist), Twiggy Cercy (ceramicist), and Claudia Navarette (florist) for the weekend. Strid is excited to share her studio with these talented artists and everyone who stops by.
More information on Art Spaces including maps and a complete list of participating artists can be found at lawrenceartguild.org/art-spaces.
Art Spaces will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 4 and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 5.
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