Surly-Ramics How it Began
This is the story of how it all started many years ago, when I first started making ceramic jewelry. Now, I also create wheel thrown and hand-built stoneware pottery (taught myself during the pandemic) and I even helped my mother open an etsy pottery shop that I help with still: RetroRamics.etsy.com. We’ve come full circle. Yay for perseverance!
The story:
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 nature and I make pottery and paint there with videos. You can find me there at Patreon.com/surlyamy
Together, with compassion, 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
All photographs and designs ©Amy Davis Roth