Surly-Ramics How it Began

I first began working in clay by helping my mother, Charlene. At the time, my mother had a small home business that made porcelain awards for horse shows. I was very influenced by her work even though I probably didn't know it early on. Her highly detailed work has without a doubt influenced my artwork today.

As a young woman I opened an art gallery in North Hollywood, California. During the time I had the gallery I began making and selling small ceramic necklaces. Unfortunately, I had no idea how to run an art gallery and after a short stint and an unfortunate series of events, I ended up literally bankrupt. I had no car and no place to live. I had failed.I got very depressed and I stopped making art.

A year or so passed by.

Then, I got a job as a waitress to try to start saving money to start my life over. I remembered how much I enjoyed making the ceramic jewelry in my mother's studio so I started making necklaces and wearing them into work. I had moved into a tiny one-room apartment and I didn't have any space to create. The necklaces were small and I could make them in my mother's backyard ceramic studio. It was perfect. It was during the same time period that I started learning about science and a few months later I found out about the skeptical community. During this educational period in my life I was able to find something that my artwork had been lacking, a purpose and a message.

At work, people fell in love with the jewelry. I had people buy them right off my neck! I literally couldn’t make them fast enough. Surly-Ramics was born! Within a few months I had started a new business, one that championed nature and critical thinking and I no longer needed to wait tables.

I got a second chance.

I now work as an artist fulltime. I design jewelry that advocates education and science and celebrates nature. I have a Patreon where I create art that is inspired by science and I enlist the help of actual scientists and science communicators to fact check my work and help me to explain the science that inspires my work. You can find me there at Patreon.com/surlyamy I create weekly drawings for my patrons to download and print or color.


Together, through a love of art and science, we CAN make the world a better place.

You can see more of my ceramic jewelry designs at surlyramics.com
Email me at info [!at] surlyramics.com.
Follow @SurlyAmy on twitter
I am also the cohost of the podcast about the intersection of art and science called Mad Art Cast and the managing editor of the blog, Mad Art Lab.

All photographs and designs ©Amy Davis Roth