Hi, and welcome to SodRoofPretties! I'm Heather Alexander, and I've been a resident artist of Chico, CA for almost 20 years.

I guess you could say I've always loved playing with clay. It started with mud-pies in the back yard as a little girl, then became a healthy obsession with gardening as a means to support my little family, then bloomed into SodRoofPretties, my happy little ceramic art tile and jewelry biz.

In my early 20's, I studied ceramics and printmaking at Humboldt State University. Then I met my husband, got married, and had my little person, Jacob. Soon we scampered back to Chico, and I graduated with a BS in Horticulture from CSU, Chico. After graduation, I grabbed my family, and we frolicked off to Mexico, Spain, Ireland, England, and Italy, to volunteer on organic farms for a year, and soak up all the art we could get our eyes on.

Upon our return, I met a fabulous ceramicist and started playing in her studio. Then I met an amazing printmaker, and played in her studio. Soon I had an epiphany about merging printmaking techniques with ceramic tile-making techniques, and the rest is history!

I started designing printmaking templates (based on travel memories, botanical plant-love, or flights of fancy), carving them by hand, then hand-pressing them into clay to form tiles, which I hand-glaze, sign on the back, then fire at Cone 5-6 so they're strong and beautiful, never fading with time, but remaining crisp, bold, and colorful.

Now I can be found in the studio at least five days a week, designing, carving, pressing and glazing, or photographing and packing pretties up as inventory for upcoming shows or the Etsy shop.

I've had a blast marketing my work at local galleries and art shows, and finally answered the call to start an Etsy shop in December of 2013. I'm loving the community, and the opportunity to interact with shop-owners and customers worldwide. It's an ongoing learning experience, and an exciting way to grow as a working artist.

Thanks for stopping in! I'd love any input you may have!

Heather
SodRoofPretties