Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Comer.
Hi Allison, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am a clay artist living and working in Roswell, Georgia making brightly colored pieces of ceramic art that often tell a story. Horses, flowers, birds, and nature are recurring themes throughout my body of work which tends to have a feeling of childlike wonder filled with lots of details.
I have been playing with clay for 18 years, but it has been a winding journey to become a clay artist. Although I loved art even as a child, I followed in my father and grandfather’s footsteps and went to school at Georgia Tech, graduating with a degree in Building Construction. After school, I worked for a design/build firm doing facilities planning and interior design mostly for newspapers and bank operation centers.
I loved my job and always planned to continue my career even after having children, but when my son, Chase, was born, surprisingly (to me), I made the decision to become a stay at home mom. When Chase started school, I began working for myself part time as a commercial interior designer and found it both fulfilling and enjoyable and was happy I could balance a job and being a mom.
In 2000, when Chase was nine, he was diagnosed with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) which is a disease that destroys the myelin in the brain. We were initially told he had a year to live. As my husband and I dealt with this devastating news, I once again quit working as we all had to find a way to navigate this new world we could not have imagined where our son had a life threatening illness.
Chase had a bone marrow transplant to stop the progression of his disease, and though it did, during the process he lost his ability to walk, see, and talk. He needed and continues to need one on one help for everything. I was fortunate I could become his caregiver, but it was difficult both handling all of his medical needs as well as helping him get used to all the changes. My life became totally intertwined with his during this time, and both work and time to myself took a back seat.
It wasn’t until 2008 that I decided to take a ceramics class at Art Center West, a wonderful community art center in Roswell. I wanted to do something creative to take a break from caregiving. At the time I remember not being sure I could even make it through a three hour class once a week without being needed even though Chase was in school. But once I got going, the time spent immersed in clay became vital to me.
I wasn’t sure what to make at first, but thinking of the fun I had growing up riding, I started with pony ornaments and just took off from there. I started making small horse sculptures, plaques, and wall hangings. I quickly became known as the “horse lady” at my studio. I named each horse and included a tag with each which talked about appreciating the small joys in life. People collect them and write to me calling their pony by name, sending photos of where it is displayed in their home, and sharing their own experiences riding. Those are the big joys for me!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road has not always been smooth, but even before Chase got sick, I did always struggle with finding that balance, as many women do, between working and being a mother, and finding time for myself. In 2020, when the pandemic hit, our family had to once again re-adjust. By this time we had caregivers to help with Chase, but they were no longer able to come to our home in our effort to prevent him from getting sick. Art Center West closed only for a short time, but I wasn’t able to return to the studio for a year or so. Because of Chase’s illness, our family was under shelter in place orders for a year. Many afternoons I would set up a card table in our den beside Chase in his wheelchair and do some clay work while watching TV with him just to have some creative time. I have since returned to the studio as I love continuing to learn and to be inspired by the teachers and students there, but I also set up a home studio during the pandemic, and I work mostly from home now.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Today, at age 62, I still make the ponies the “horse lady” was originally known for, but about 13 years ago, I took my first narrative clay class and fell in love with the aspect of telling a story with my clay art. I enjoy making custom pieces for people such as plaques, mugs, or what I call treasure boxes that commemorate an occasion like a birthday or graduation or a special memory like a trip or place. It is fun capturing a story from someone’s life through words and images in clay even adding found objects and mixed media.
I have made a good many personal narrative pieces as well. The largest is a totem pole almost as tall as me telling our family’s story through the pandemic. It looks like a tree trunk and each section tells a different part of the story from things looking the same out in nature to people wearing masks and using Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer. One piece is about sheltering in place, another about social justice, and the top depicts times that brought our family joy. On the top of each section I drew tree rings and documented different items such as TV shows we watched during the pandemic (remember Tiger King!), takeout food we ate, books we read, and people who helped us. Though these can’t all be seen unless you take the totem pole apart, it is meaningful to me knowing there is a record of it all.
I have a recognizable style for my narrative work which makes me proud, and it comes through even in my newer more functional work such as mugs or vases. I am known for my attention to detail and my use of words and bright colors in my art. I hope the joy I feel while making comes through in each piece I build. I want my art to create a happy feeling for the person viewing or purchasing it. Even though being a clay artist is not my full time job or career, I do sell my work at Art Center Wests shows or through Instagram @allisoncomerclayart, and it is extremely rewarding knowing art I created with my hands is now in the hands of another person who will enjoy it in their home.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was a tomboy and loved being out in the woods building tree forts, camping, or swimming. I started riding in the first grade when a girl rode her horse down our street offering riding lessons to all the kids who came running up to pet her horse. I spent countless happy hours as a child outdoors and horseback riding which often inspires my work because it is easy to forget the worries of the day in both places. Working with clay gives me that same feeling and is why it has become such a passion of mine. It has helped create a balance in my life so I can also be a better mom and caregiver, and I can’t imagine a life without this fulfilling time spent as a clay artist.
Pricing:
- DM for pricing on Instagram
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @allisoncomerclayart
