By Jessi Rochel
Ginny Beesley traces her artistic origins back to the classes her mother enrolled her in as a child. Originally, Beesley believed herself to be a painter. But then she found ceramics.
A native of Lafayette, Ind., Beesley attended the University of Evansville, in her home state. While studying art, she was required to try out all areas of the field.
“Ceramics is the one that stuck,” she said.
Beesley will join forces with painter Dasa Bausova in February, showcasing her work at the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities. Their collective show “Works on Paper/Works in Clay,” will premiere during the First Friday festivities, Feb. 5, from 6-8 p.m. Beesley’s collection will be comprised of mostly cups, many with accompanying stands or pedestals. She notes that some of these stands have started “to become really sculptural” in nature.
Porcelain and stoneware are Beesley’s media of choice and she opts for a high-fired finish. This means the clay bakes at about 2300 to 2400 degrees. The higher temperature affects the final colors, resulting in neutral, earthly tones. Beesley incorporates a combination of throwing and hand-sculpting. And even when she throws pieces she alters them in order to create works that are never perfectly round and uniform.
Prior to living in Carbondale, Beesley spent eight years in Estes Park. Her sister, a seventh-grade math teacher in Aspen, was one of the driving forces behind Beesley relocating to the valley. She works at the library in Aspen.
“I love it here,” she said. “I don’t drive at all and it’s more of a challenge to get to the trailheads here.”
An avid hiker, Beesley also enjoys cross-country skiing and just being outdoors.
When asked if she would ever want to make ceramics a full-time endeavor, Beesley explained that it is a hobby that makes her happy. If it were a career, it would cease to make her happy.
“It’s a balance – working, wanting to be outside, and ceramics.” Jokingly, Beesley admits that she often wonders: “Are we too much about fun and happiness?”

First Friday happenings    

Studio for Art + Works, 978 Euclid Ave., clay works by Alex Watson.
The Masri Nar Fire Troupe, Fourth and Main streets, 6:15 p.m. part of the Big Read. Snacks, hot drinks and a bonfire.
A. Beadles Fine Art, 225 Main St., fine art photographer Jenny Gummersall and C. Gregory Gummersall’s abstract expressionists paintings.
Majid Kahhak, 411 Main St., live painting, 6-8 p.m. Beverages and hors d’oeuvres.
Parkside Gallery, 50 Weant Blvd., jewelry by Cathy Crenshaw, Colby June, Natasha Seedorf, Nina Morrow, Carol Martin and Barbara Sophia Ulrych; sculpture by Sherrill Stone and Michael Lindsay.