In the beginning...
Ceramics began for me as a way to stay home and raise my children. I was currently working for Children's Hospital. My husband worked for a large tile manufacturer out of Texas. His company donated bisque tiles to the CF Foundation as a fundraiser for artists to paint and donate their work to hang in the children's clothing section of Dillards, a large department store in Cincinnati Ohio where I live. At the grand opening my husband & I were invited along with Boomer Esiason a Cincinnati Bengal football player and creator of the "Boomer Esiason Foundation" for CF.
Bear with me...this is where I met Betty & Ed, ( the owners of B&E Ceramics) they donated the glazing & firing of the tiles. Ed took our picture with Boomer and said they would call when the pic was ready and I could take a look at their business. Betty said she was a very religious woman and felt drawn to me, they told me they couldn't handle the work load any longer because of their age and health issues and asked if I would be interested in taking a look at their business. Well the rest is history... I learned the ceramic world from Betty & Ed along with my 3 month baby ( who is now 16 & a half) and I have been painting ever since.
I adored the couple and chose to keep it as B & E for Betty & Ed ( who has since passed)
Be sure to check out my ceramic line titled "Maya Art". I feel it's important to give back and that's what this line does. A portion of all proceeds from this section goes to "Children's Cancer Research" in Maya's name to Children's Hospital Medical Center where I worked for 20 years. The artwork is adapted from Maya's drawings with a little twist from me.
You can check out her story at MayaGraceCollins.com
