Holly Lowery Davis is a ceramic artist based in Syracuse, NY
I've always been a maker, as a kid I was never not in the middle of some sort of creative project, from fiber art to drawing to learning how to use my stepdad's beat up 35mm camera.
I didn't know then, but this was a really important part of my learning how to be okay when life feels hard. Over the years I've tried on many different mediums, and the only one that has stuck with me through it all has been clay. There's something really special to me about building something out of nothing, taking earth and transforming it into art. Its literal alchemy.
Clay has been one of my greatest teachers– teaching me to slow way down, how to deal with failure, to let go of expectations, to practice non-attachment, to listen to my gut even when my brain can't make sense of "why" I feel called to try something new. It's given me a portal to face the parts of myself that are constantly in search of the next thing. It's a practice in presence, of which I have wildly deep gratitude for.
I've been apprenticing with Jeremy Randall since Spring of 2022 and my work has grown immensely with the support of his thought partnership, professional insights and critical feedback. I'm grateful and excited for another year ahead of continued mentorship!
When I'm not pinching pots, I'm playing with my two little girls, hanging out with my hunky husband, or supporting the eating disorders community through my work at Ophelia's Place, a nonprofit filling the gaps in mental health services.
Artist Statement
I draw inspiration from the cyclical seasons and moods of the human experience. I'm fascinated by the ways in which we humans express –and repress– our emotional experience, and my work has been both an outlet and mirror for my own mental health, allowing me to more deeply explore and process emotional ups and downs as they come. My work is hand-pinched using primarily mid-range porcelain, and I find a lot of comfort in the slow, iterative and meditative nature of the pinching process. I enjoy playing with the lines between dark and light, hard and soft, simplicity and chaos– something I believe all of us push and play with every day when it comes to how we position and present ourselves in life.