Sharon McCoy, ceramics & sarcasm

I am a Christian, living a wonderful life as a farmer’s wife and the mother of two adult children in the rural farming community of Monte Vista, Colorado. In 1980, after deciding that city life was not for me, I left sunny San Diego and came to Colorado to find the life that I love!

I received both my BA and MA from Adams State College and have taught in grades from kindergarten through college. I owned and operated Muddpuppy’s Coffee House, a delightful potpourri of art gallery, bookstore, deli, bakery, and yarn. During that period, it was hard to find any spare time to do any art work at all. I eventually sold my coffeehouse dream to get back to my real love – mudd! My MFA degree is from Fort Hayes State University in Kansas – May, 2014.

I am a narrative artist that is in love with clay. Clay gives me the placidity to capture my thoughts when it is wet and permanency of the form when fired. My work is layered with meanings of who I am now and who I was. Using borrowed symbols from the Christian religion, other cultures visited in my travels, and those from history, I combine all to make my own personal symbolism. Previously, I made a vague reference to the figure in my imagery. Lately, the figure has become of grave importance to the story-telling nature of my work.

My mother was a professional clown as well as a seamstress. The costuming on the figures pays homage to her. Color is of the utmost significance in my work. The layering of bold, vibrant colors invites the viewer to take a closer look. Once captivated, the viewer is asked to look at the details. Next, the viewer is welcomed to create their own story. It is not my intention to give up my whole story, but to entice the viewer to make up their own.

Sarcasm is a way of life for me, thus, satirical humor is a major potion of my narrative vocabulary. It makes the sarcasm a little easier to digest. This work, although seemingly fantasy, is a reality for me.

The work is fired up to five times in an oxidation kiln to cone 03. It is layered with underglazes, glazes, stains, oxides and gold luster to give each sculpture its desired visual depth.
Sharon McCoy
July 13, 2016