Byrd Ceramics

I am a queer mixed Indigenous + German ceramic artist (they/them/theirs) based in the Bay Area. I am a self taught ceramic artist who use recycled clay as my medium from the community studio I work out of in Oakland, Ca along with California mined and/foraged clay when possible. My pieces are only clear glazed or burnished to show the different colours and textures that the multiple clay bodies that I use in one piece-so not colours added. This practice is important to me to honour our Earth along with reducing as much waste as possible. I paint with multiple clay slips to create my ceramic “paintings”, as I was an oil painter for 13 years prior to turning to ceramics. As for my functional wares, each one has about 3-6 different clay bodies used. My focus is expressing gender identity, community, and honouring our Earth in all her beauty.