Hi! My name is Macayla

Macayla Albee never took an art class in high school. In college, she enrolled in a drawing course but withdrew after the first week, discovering she found no enjoyment from pen and pencil. It wasn’t until she took a pottery class at the age of 30 that she discovered her true artistic passion in ceramics. She quickly became dedicated to the craft, dreaming of the rhythmic motion of the wheel, and the feel of clay in her hands. Outside of her basement pottery studio, Macayla works in marketing. She lives in Dubuque with her husband, Jim, and their two dogs and two cats.
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Artist Statement

Working with clay has multiple dualities: it’s wet and dirty and gets under your fingernails, and yet can be made beautiful, shiny, and firm when fired with glazes; it’s malleable and can be made into almost any object, when fired can last both centuries and be smashed to pieces with one wrong touch. It mirrors our own humanity in many ways.

In my work I embrace this contradiction. While some potters attempt perfection and uniformity, I dissent. These variations are not imperfections, they are celebrations of life, of nature, and of art.  Each piece carries its own story of its formation by my hand and appearance by my brush. Some of my pieces are thrown on the wheel, while others are hand-built. Unlike mass-produced ceramics where patterns and designs are often screen-printed or stamped, every one of my brushstrokes is intentional and unique.


When I'm not making pottery...

In my free time I enjoy reading - mostly cozy murder mysteries (I love the Louise Penny novels, reminds me of my fav, Agatha Christie), but I also enjoy self-help style books and science and technology reads.

As with most people, I also spend quite a bit of time watching TV and consuming other media. My favs are White Lotus, Rotten Mango (podcast), The Fall of the House of Usher (limited series), Jeopardy (of course!), The Great British Baking Show, and of course The Great Pottery Throwdown!

My kids <3


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