Today we’d like to introduce you to Lydia Kardos.
Hi Lydia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have been zigzagging through life creatively for quite some time. I was introduced to ceramics at Mass College of Art where I was part of a dual enrollment program while attending the Boston Arts Academy as a visual arts major in high school. I had the opportunity to explore many mediums including photography which I later majored in at The School of Visual Arts in New York City. There I earned my BFA and went on to work as an art manager and assistant to the art director for a furniture company in NYC. Working in photography was extremely rewarding. I enjoyed designing and styling the sets, selecting props, working behind the camera as well as in post-production to create some wonderful lifestyle and still shots.
My position was one of wearing many hats, juggling and organizing many tasks to complete weekly photoshoots and managing an art department. In-studio I would listen to music, mostly in Spanish, which I would then translate. The beauty of the language lead me back to my passion for Latin American art & literature. My love for magical realism took over my love of the grind. I sold all of my belongings and moved to Mexico. This journey forever changed me, to be able to let go and follow your heart and to transform a dream into a goal. I found myself in New Mexico and then once again in New York City working in a different industry as well as freelancing as a photographer.
I became burnt out ‘working’ in photography. I wanted to express myself not just make a buck. I found myself passing a clay studio many days and toyed with the idea of joining until one day I told myself, “if you don’t join today, you never will”. It was a defining moment in my artistic career as I found my voice, spending all of my free time sculpting, exploring glazes and their chemistry, and working without limitations. I was finally making art for myself in a stream of consciousness, no deadlines, no client or boss’s approval, no direction other than my imagination. It had been a dream mine and my partner to move to California where he is originally from. Many years later, the pandemic hit, presenting an opportunity to make the move. Since then, I have been working full time in ceramics teaching and creating my own line of functional pieces and sculptures. If you don’t see me in the water, I am probably in the studio with hands full of clay.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The financial aspect of being an artist is always a challenge. Supplies and the cost of living are always heavy on the mind. Juggling creativity while trying to make it a business as a one woman show can be challenging but I am used to wearing many hats to get the job done. I am still finding my way with clay as a business and artist while trying to find a happy work/life balance. With the business side of things like social media, marketing, and having an endless to-do list, distractions and questions of confidence can be the most overwhelming in terms of challenges. It is important to remember to pause, slow down and reflect on what in ‘now’, possible, what are my goals, and be ok with my accomplishments and mistakes.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work in photography, exploring narratives through imagery, color composition, and the female form as well as my work in painting and drawing have contributed to my sculptural voice. The contrasts of living in New York City, Mexico and California have greatly impacted my visual language. A conversation of home, surroundings, and connection to these spaces can be seen in mark making, impasto and scumbling techniques in my glaze work as well as surface design, texture, and more importantly color.
The importance and inspiration of magical realism is apparent in my describing of objects and spaces as my ceramics tell stories with texture, color, abstract shapes, and biomorphic forms. Exaggerated and vivid colors are a constant in describing my objects as characters, undulating in form, lush with texture, I invite the viewer to an intimate space between two worlds of the present and fantasy. My most recent exhibitions were in Boston, MA, New York, NY, and Brooklyn, NY.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Having a sense of accomplishment is what fuels my day. Being able to constantly explore, learn, and express this creatively is what keeps me going.
Pricing:
- Cups: $30-70
- Bowls: $20-$300
- Plates: $20-150
- Planters/Vases: $30-$300
Contact Info:
- Email: lydiakardos@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LydiaKardosStudio
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lydiakardos/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/MixoloWitch/
- Other: https://lydiakardos.wixsite.com/lydiakardos
Image Credits:
Lydia Kardos
