Anneliese Moy
The current pandemic has a way of refocusing an artist’s intent. Anneliese Moy is getting back to what’s important to her; being in the moment with the clay and following her creative intuition.
The last few years, Moy has been a prolific producer of unusual and fun ceramicware for her business, Pottery After Dark. The artist had an exhausting roster of festivals to produce for, on top of her already busy life as a mother, social worker, art therapist and a Capoeirista. Moy has done well at Chicago’s outdoor art festivals. Her fair tent always catches the eye of art tourists with its handsome signage and thoughtfully staged work. A series of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) inspired pieces usually sell well along with air plant holders. The holders are created from hollow clay cylinders featuring nature-inspired colors and fresh air plants. As an artist, Moy has a way of tapping into an aesthetic that people are attracted to. Customers handle the pieces like they’re familiar with them, and it’s Moy’s own style that makes the work have universal appeal. She also sells work in stores and restaurants in Michigan and Wisconsin.
A ceramic artist can count themselves lucky if they enjoy either wheel throwing, hand building or the glazing process, Moy loves it all. Each different action to creating a finished piece tickles a different part of her fancy. She focuses intensely on the piece during its creation, while simultaneously letting go. The artist taps into a lifetime of visuals that have built up in her mind. Places she’s traveled, artwork she’s seen in museums, colors experienced in nature. It all spins together from her thoughts and comes out through her fingertips and into the wet clay. She’ll hone in on a feeling and tries to let that dictate the work. The process is completely relaxing for her. It's not unusual to catch her using an entire 8’ studio table to lay out long snaking pieces of clay in preparation for her next batch of planters. Nor would it be out of the ordinary to see her hunched deeply over the pottery wheel, enticing bowl after bowl from lumps of centered clay.
Moy’s home is a blend of artwork, vivid colors and unique items collected over time. A lot of her hand-made pieces blend right into this Bohemian style, mirroring back the whimsical colors and patterns. Studio volunteer Paul Schultz was brought in to create a special shelving unit. It highlights the different cups and vessels she’s created since joining Lincoln Square Pottery Studio – Learning Center back in 2003. Having her work on display instead of hidden in kitchen cabinets gives her great joy, as well as a very handy reminder of what she can do. If she ever has a bad day, these shelves and their contents cheer her right up. A few of her pieces stick out in an unusual way. Stark white porcelain bowls and vessels with airy black underglaze marks provide breathing room between all the bright hues. Moy has kept coming back to this style over the years, partially because the Japanese-inspired designs are so simple, while life is often chaotic.
Moy has crossed over her love of ceramics, drawing and photography with her private practice. After finding a therapeutic and healing energy in creating artwork (it helped her manage a major loss as a girl), she decided that she needed to continue her education after receiving a Masters Degree in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago (2003). She attained an Art Therapy Certification from Northwestern University in 2010, and put that to good use with her own patients. Out of the many people she’s helped process their thoughts, one story sticks out. A young man at a local High School was able to grow through creating artwork alongside Moy. She was so proud of his progress that she presented him and his work during an industry conference. His success represented a different way of communicating with patients. She’s kept art therapy a staple in her private practice, and it is one she enjoys immensely.
The pandemic has been tough for Moy. Her patients talk a lot about the turmoil happening across the country and world, so her emotional energy has been low. She took a bag of clay home in early Spring, but just couldn’t be motivated to open it. She does look forward to stocking up on new work for her beautiful website (www.potteryafterdark.com), but she’s currently most excited about two new projects. One is to create a set of dishes for her home (which is unusual because she barely ever creates anything for herself!). And, two, to reconnect with a piece she sold years ago. The large bowl was missed and on her mind for years. It had been a major achievement after spending years learning how to center and throw big along with thin walls. Reviving its shape and hue would connect her to that pivotal time and fill that loss. The artist is almost set to take the bowl home and place it in a spot of honor. Getting back to the wheel after so many months of not touching clay has reminded her that the process of creating a ceramic work is about releasing your own energy and intent, and reveling in that therapeutic moment.
