I’m a potter. I’m also a jewelry maker.

Somehow the universe decided that I would merge my two favorite mediums together to create what I call "wearable ceramic art."

It started when I rolled out a piece of scrap clay and began doodling some abstract designs into it. I thought, “Now, wouldn’t that be cool hanging on a cord around someone’s neck?” So I made it into a pendant for my sister. A friend saw it, and gushed…”That’s SOOOO cute, you really ought to make more of those!” So I did. I made ceramic pendants for friends...for family, for my art shows, and before you know it, ceramic jewelry and ceramic beads became the cornerstone of my art business. That was ten years ago. Cut to today and I’m still making ceramic jewelry out of clay--and I still LOVE it!

I draw inspiration for my jewelry and pottery from the many places that I travel around the U.S. I feel an especially deep kinship with the southwest, and its desert beauty because it is the land of my heritage. As I was growing up, “la familia” was everything. My beautiful, sweet, and gentle mother, Mercedes, instilled in me an exceedingly strong work ethic, family values and entrepreneurism. She supported me, and championed me, in every single venture I embarked upon. My mother will forever remain my greatest inspiration.

Despite my deeply imbedded roots in the southwest, we eventually landed in Wisconsin where this region has captured my heart with its lush green landscapes, wonderful wildlife, and abundant lakes -- over 15,000 of them as a matter of fact!

Everything in my Etsy shop has been produced by me in my cozy Wisconsin Rivertown studios. My designs are original, and many of my ceramic pendants are made using stamps that I have carved out of plaster, linoleum or wood.

Artgirl56 ceramic jewelry and pottery can also be found at arts & crafts fairs in the Western Wisconsin - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota area. Be sure to visit my facebook page for a list of my shows.

Thanks for stopping by!

- Mari (rhymes with "dairy"),
aka Artgirl56 on Etsy