WHO ARE YOU, WHERE ARE YOU FROM, & WHAT DO YOU DO?
Mary Besel – I am a senior ceramics major at Augusta University and an aspiring professor. I come from a military family, so I don’t feel attached to any one place, but we have lived here in Augusta for the longest period of time. My favorite thing to do, of course, is to make work and be in the studio, but I also play dnd and host games for my friends.

DESCRIBE YOUR PROCESS. My process usually entails making one form over and over again in different variations. I make figurative pieces that provoke a sense of life, a little personality and story of their own, and that process encourages it. I begin to create species of figures where each is unique in their own way, but still part of a recognizable group, just like humans or animals.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
I am deeply inspired by fantasy, American and European Folklore, dollmaking, and the feeling of happiness that I get while working with clay. I try to incorporate all of those things into the final product of my work.

FUN FACT ABOUT YOU.
I don’t have a middle name!

FAVORITE THING ABOUT DOWNTOWN AUGUSTA.
I love the initiative to create more public art around Downtown.

WHY DO YOU LOVE TO DESIGN, CREATE + MAKE?
To me it is calming. It is one of the ways that I am able to cope with anxiety and I have found a great purpose in being able to bring life into my work with ceramics.

WHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD SHARE WITH OTHER ARTISTS + MAKERS?
Don’t be afraid to mess up and let go of your work.