Open Tuesday - Saturday from 10 am through 3 pm
Martha Kelly
Martha first became fascinated by ceramic art at the age of 16 while watching seniors using the pottery wheels in her Brooklyn, New York high school. At that time only seniors could take the ceramics course so she enrolled in a month long workshop over the summer and the rest is a happy life-long adventure.
Feeling the softness of the clay lump as she forms it into something special gives her great pleasure. From simple shapes and store bought glazes Martha's artwork has evolved over time to more complex shapes and the use of her own recipes of glazes made from scratch. She creates basic forms but also carves designs and the red mountains of Patagonia, Arizona that she has adored for the past 41 years.
Her innovative glazes are used to form and contribute to landscapes in her larger pieces. Her customers especially love her pieces with her unique turquoise glaze as well as her yellow salt and relish brown glazes.
Martha enjoys making functional art such as cups, bowls, platters, serving dishes, candle holders, plant stakes, etc. and is most happy when customers comment on how her creations are their favorite to use. She is especially happy when customers comment on how much they enjoy the look and feel of the items they purchase and enjoy using them every day.
In addition to finding a large array of her beautiful work at the Leaping Lizard Gallery, one can also find her work at Antigone Books, the Rustic Candle, Art Centro Old Town Artisans, all in Tucson, plus Deep Sky Winery and the Mending Room in Elgin, the Patagonia Trading Post in Patagonia, and Endeavor Gallery in Benson. She is most definitely an artistic and creative yet practical Arizona artist.