Potters Market at the Mint
September 26, 2026
Mary Gunyuzlu Sculpture, Winston-Salem NC
Using midrange stoneware and a variety of hand building techniques including the addition of some wheel thrown parts, I create sculptures. Firing to cone 5 allows the inclusion of a wide range of slips and glazes without the loss of vibrancy.
People often smile or laugh when they see my clay sculptures. And then, I feel I have succeeded. The stories told by my animal or human subjects are direct. While my themes tend toward light-heartedness and positivity, my subjects are often the most vulnerable. Because all people face hardship somewhere along their life trail, they need reminders to find the good in things. I like to think my work does that for them.
With colorful slips, glazes and stains applied through multiple firings, I can create a variety of interesting, tactile surfaces on my subjects. The result is an earthy patina surface with a colorful, brightness shining through. The surface treatment is one of my favorite parts of working with clay. Within the recognizable forms, there is always exaggeration in stance and size because I love pushing the technical boundaries of the clay body. I am always wondering, “What can I make this do?”
I work primarily in mid-range stoneware to give myself a bigger range of glaze options, to create pieces that can survive outside and to have crisper image than is possible with earthenware. This creates more risk, but is worth the end result. Using clay as my artistic medium almost guarantees that I’ll be a life-long learner, but I take that on with gusto.