Artsy Fartsy Tuesday-Tris and Gary Ayers
Today’s Artsy Fartsy Tuesday artists are a couple we met at the Kayenta art festival. I was enthralled with all the art they created. Tris does the pottery and clay pieces, while Gary creates wonderful jewelry. I love both of those mediums.
They live in Kayenta, so their art reflects the southwest and the wonderful desert that surrounds them.
Tris Ayers transforms raw clay into original hand built clay art. Tris has had many careers including teacher, small business owner, accountant and graphic artist. But her hobbies always included dabbling in various art mediums like oil and water color painting, batik, pottery, sculpting and photography. After retiring and moving into her new home in Kayenta, Utah and returning to her love of clay at the Zia Pottery Studio, Tris has begun sharing her clay art with others through teaching at the studio and selling her work.
Her masks are glazed and high fired or fired in the raku method. These vary from rustic to sophisticated or brightly colored and whimsical. She is also the creator of spirit dolls, unique clay characters filled with images of southwestern lore and legends. Her most supportive critic and best studio helper is her husband, Gary, who cuts and polishes many of the stone embellishments. Her masks and spirit dolls are also accented with glass, feathers, driftwood, leather, horsehair, copper, beads and found objects.
Her work is constantly evolving and she gets great enjoyment teaching others how to have “fun in the mud.”
Gary Ayers hand crafts silver jewelry that features southwest contemporary motifs with figural and geometric symbols of nature in abstract.
After a career in the corporate world with numerous moves around the country and several years of silversmith classes at local colleges, Gary has expanded his fifteen year hobby of silversmithing into a passion of producing works that reflect his love of the southwest. Living and creating in his studio in Kayenta, Utah Gary is inspired by the red cliffs and desert that he views from his workbench window.
Working in tandem with his wife Tris, who designs the jewelry, Gary uses stone in the rough from around the world and hand cuts and polishes each to fit the individual piece. His jewelry begs to be handled. Many pieces are reversible as they are etched on the other side with an image of a petroglyph or pictograph that the artists have found on one of their many hikes across the southwest.
Be sure to visit their website at http://cactustracks.com to see all their great art.
They live in Kayenta, so their art reflects the southwest and the wonderful desert that surrounds them.
Tris Ayers transforms raw clay into original hand built clay art. Tris has had many careers including teacher, small business owner, accountant and graphic artist. But her hobbies always included dabbling in various art mediums like oil and water color painting, batik, pottery, sculpting and photography. After retiring and moving into her new home in Kayenta, Utah and returning to her love of clay at the Zia Pottery Studio, Tris has begun sharing her clay art with others through teaching at the studio and selling her work.
Her masks are glazed and high fired or fired in the raku method. These vary from rustic to sophisticated or brightly colored and whimsical. She is also the creator of spirit dolls, unique clay characters filled with images of southwestern lore and legends. Her most supportive critic and best studio helper is her husband, Gary, who cuts and polishes many of the stone embellishments. Her masks and spirit dolls are also accented with glass, feathers, driftwood, leather, horsehair, copper, beads and found objects.
Her work is constantly evolving and she gets great enjoyment teaching others how to have “fun in the mud.”
Gary Ayers hand crafts silver jewelry that features southwest contemporary motifs with figural and geometric symbols of nature in abstract.
After a career in the corporate world with numerous moves around the country and several years of silversmith classes at local colleges, Gary has expanded his fifteen year hobby of silversmithing into a passion of producing works that reflect his love of the southwest. Living and creating in his studio in Kayenta, Utah Gary is inspired by the red cliffs and desert that he views from his workbench window.
Working in tandem with his wife Tris, who designs the jewelry, Gary uses stone in the rough from around the world and hand cuts and polishes each to fit the individual piece. His jewelry begs to be handled. Many pieces are reversible as they are etched on the other side with an image of a petroglyph or pictograph that the artists have found on one of their many hikes across the southwest.
Be sure to visit their website at http://cactustracks.com to see all their great art.
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What a talented couple!
so glad you put these artist on artsy tuesday from the ivin’s show. i didn’t get to see them the three days we were there.