I took a trip to Mark Arts Open house on Saturday, February 25th as a follow up to the Golden Key winners for the Scholastic Arts Awards and I got an extra story as a bonus.

Our Artists

Jamie J. Herian is a Korean-American artist who specializes in ceramics. Many of her pieces consist of plates, bowls, and even cups and she tells me that is “handmade pottery inspired by living and food.” After all, spectacular food needs a spectacular dish. You can check out some more of her work on Instagram @jamie.ji.ceramics. If you’re interested in pottery and ceramics yourself, check out the classes she takes at Mark Arts.

Taylor McQueary, another artist I interviewed, specializes in fabrics, weaving, digital art, and depictions of clothing. Her fabrics are handmade and dyed. Some of them are weaved together while others are bundled together and left dangling. Many of her digital paintings are vivid scenes of extraordinary clothing. If you’d like to find out more, you can check out the Loud Cicada and the GROW Plant Shop in Wichita.

Susan Brownlee, the last of the artists I interviewed, has been doing jewelry for almost 40 years starting in college under the famous Marjorie Schick and pottery in the last couple of years under Troy Becker at Mark Arts. One of the biggest takeaways from the art is that she always tries to find ways to add to her collection of skills in jewelry making; and it shows! Her pieces varied widely from necklaces to earrings to rings. Her pottery on the other hand, has been very experimental and she’s still learning how she can make the best use out of the medium and various techniques to express herself. She tells me that this was her second show and it brings her joy that other people find interest in her art.