Melanie Liss
Melanie Liss (Chicago, 1967) was an artistic little kid with adult-sized drive! She remembers just one of her many creative projects that made her childhood special. She sold personalized barrettes in seventh grade- and not just a few. Each one featured personalized names and creative details. It’s this type of obsession and focus to finish a concept that still drives her today!
Liss gravitated towards art classes during her time at the University of Michigan (BA in History). During her senior year she still remembers a cover story in Smithsonian Magazine featuring mosaics. It seemed to be the perfect blend of her two favorite arts: metalsmithing and fiber work. It combined the color prevalent in textiles, and the tools she enjoyed in metal work. The permanence of mosaics also appealed to her greatly. After graduation in 1990, she took a bold turn - she became a self-employed mosaic artist! Her job at First Scene Coffee House in Chicago gave her the opportunity to create an in-house installation. After that came commissions from private businesses like C&A Insurance, private homes and schools. She is most proud of an extensive mural she created for the Mary Meyer School in the City. It features an abstract scene mixed with whimsical snowmen, changing seasons and gardens. She was finishing the piece up while pregnant with twins, and found it hard to reach past her stomach for the final finishing details!
Liss put mosaics aside after she had her children due to the messy nature of the work. Not having an isolated studio at home made her refocus on her career and creative output. She became an artist-in-residence at a preschool in Chicago. The school loved her projects and energy so much they created a full-time position for her in the arts. She loves her job and like every good art teacher, collects bits and pieces of unusual objects for her students to use in their work. One series of objects she always came back to was unusual stamps. Her world travel with her extended family let her collect them in places like Cambodia and India. A very recent trip to Vietnam sparked an idea that lead Liss directly to Lincoln Square Pottery Studio – Learning Center. She had the opportunity to visit the home of a multi-generational family in Hanoi. She had a lovely connection with them, and appreciated their home and artwork. A tiny vase caught her eye. It was ceramic, and featured stamped imprints around it. She took a photograph and vowed to revisit it again later. Once back home, she took another look and decided her own collection of stamps needed to be expressed on more than just paper!
Liss called LSPS-LC’s Meg Biddle last year in hopes of attending a mini session with her. Instead, she ended up being welcomed into the Independent Study program and flew headlong into creative action! The artist gave herself six months to flush out her ideas, but discovered her exploration was only the tip of the iceberg. Her drive and commitment to the ceramic process kicked in, and she’s expanding, perfecting and giving her work everything she’s got. At the moment she primarily makes mugs featuring stamped figures (mostly animals) interacting and taking part in silent but often hilarious narratives. Liss loves giving people a good laugh, and her imprints on clay is an extension her humor. Her vessels are very well finished, with thanks to help from studio volunteer and all-around-helpful artist Paul Schultz. He assisted her in working out a pattern for a mug when she first started. His generosity pleasantly surprised her as well as the comradery she’s experienced at the studio. She considers it her creative home and comes in as often as possible to work.
Liss’ series of narrative mugs feature imprints made by her unusual stamps, as well vintage toys. After she’s pressing them into clay slabs and created the pieces, she applies stains and underglazes to the bisque fired work. After wiping the excess glaze off, she’s left with soft outlines that are akin to drawings and picture book illustrations from decades ago. Many people are drawn to the work because it nostalgically connects them back to their own childhood. Liss is just starting to think about selling the mugs online and at the studio. In the meantime, lucky studio friends and family have received them as gifts. She especially enjoys people’s reactions to them – much like the responses she used to get from her mosaic installation work.
The studio’s most recent Pottery of Protest Exhibition inspired Liss to create a series of mugs taking on dire problems in the environment. She used her stamps to draw attention to the plight of the honeybee, green house gas emissions created by the factory farming of cows as well as the plastic waste in our oceans and lakes. Liss also lent her surface treatment to dozens of planters created by Paul Schultz. The proceeds from each piece went straight to Patchwork Farms in Chicago. The two raised enough money during the show to plant a dozen fruit trees!
Liss plans on making larger vessels, including stamped vases. She likes to mix things up and try different projects with similar themes. She relishes seeing a series through, and doesn’t burn through ideas quickly. Liss is excited to get back into the studio, but is still able to get her creative energy out during the Stay Order put in place by the governor. She’s doing online classes with her students and is putting together 37 art boxes for them. She can’t wait to send them out and see the creative results over Zoom. And we can’t wait to see more of Liss’ fun and insightful clay art!