ShellHawksCreations

"But I can't even draw a straight line!"

How many times have you heard someone say this in reference to their lack of artistic ability? But no one ever asks, "What's so great about a straight line?"

Life is seldom a straight line. Take mine, for instance.

I grew up in the Los Angeles area, and as a kid through my early twenties, I loved drawing and art. But, I had to take a side trip to pay the bills, and spent the next 22 years working in the dental field.

When I was downsized from my last job, my husband suggested I just say goodbye to that chapter of my life, and try something new.

Recalling the passion of my youth, I signed up for a ceramics class at a local community college. I’ve been creating both fine art and lowbrow art (my true love is my Halloween art) ever since!

Since then, I've had my work shown in Sacramento's Crocker Art Museum, and won the purchase award in the last "Feats of Clay," an international ceramics competition that has fallen victim to economic hard times and was terminated after 24 years of ground-breaking ceramic art.

I love every part of the process of making a piece – no matter if it’s pottery, a sculpture, or a Halloween jack-o'-lantern – because I love knowing that it will be a part of someone's daily life, childhood, or holiday tradition for years to come. I make everything with an eye on creating something that’s unique and of the highest quality. Though it may take me many hours to carve a bowl, for instance, by the time it's finished, I can look at it and be proud that it represents my best work and that no mass-market thing can compare!

These days, I look back at my life's path (and boy, it was NOT a straight line) and am so grateful and happy that I get to play in mud every day. I'm also amazed at how long it took me to get back to where I started!