Margie Mikliechuk

Margie has had her hands in clay for several years. Five years ago, her clay creations developed out of her devotion to creation of unique, funky and functional sculptures. She discovered her calling after being laid off from the airline industry after the attacks on the United States on 9/11. Margie's sculptures are hand built out of clay using coil and slab methods of construction and are based on the zillions of traveling characters she observed. They are fired in an electric kiln and finished with acrylic paints and glazes.

All the clay art is hand built from scratch. The artist begins shaping from a flattened piece of clay. The basic form is achieved, then adding finer details later. Depending on the size of the piece, the art must be dried anywhere from 5-20 days. The art is known as "Greenware" at this point. Humidity and weather influences the drying time.The artist determines when a piece is dry by touch and color. The clay becomes a light gray when dry. Any bit of moisture will cause the sculpture to explode when it is fired in a kiln. Drying time is a critical area of concern for the clay artist.

MARGIE MIKLIECHUK