Sonya Popow took inspiration from the natural world – skeletal remains, seed pods, diatoms, plankton, fruits, pollen, and flowers. Some of her pieces are almost representational while others use those natural forms as a spring board. You can see many of her pieces currently on display as part of our exhibition "The Art of Wonder" open through October 19. “Walk slowly, and bow often,” Sonya quoted poet Mary Oliver in a final letter to close friends. It epitomizes how she lived. Sonya loved looking closely at nature, often examining plants under the microscope. She had a sense of wonder in everything she observed, and it was the subject for much of her ceramic art. Sonya started at age seventeen as a functional potter, apprenticing for two years with Appalachian potter Charles Counts before studying with his teacher, Marguerite Wildenhain in Northern California. She moved to Fort Bragg and worked as a production potter for over a decade, often taking a variety of secondary jobs to make ends meet — everything from working as a lab tech to commercial fishing. In midlife, she earned her MFA at San Jose State. There she created large ceramic pieces, made possible by others in the studio and a forklift to help load her works into the kiln. For a while she lived in the Bay Area, running a ceramics program at the National Institute of Art and Disabilities. Later she got a teaching credential and taught in primary schools. She learned Spanish and traveled to Costa Rica (where she also taught), Guatemala, and Nicaragua. The pottery in those countries would influence some of her future works. Eventually, Sonya returned to her home in Fort Bragg with the redwoods she loved. She continued her pottery, often firing with Nick Schwartz at Flynn Creek or Cider Creek Collective, at the Aum Anagama kiln in Albion, or at the Mendocino Art Center. She created functional ware, as well as sculptures informed by nature. She got inspiration monitoring birds with the Audubon Society, checking on harbor seals, and learning about the flowers and mushrooms of the area. Sonya passed this March. She donated her home to the Mendocino Land Trust and created a conservation easement protecting her redwoods. (fb)

Curious about the artists behind the art in our current exhibition "The Art of Wonder"? Then join us for a virtual program on Thursday, September 11, from 7-8pm, featuring Jazzminh Moore, Micah Sanger, Red Wolf, and Antoinette von Grone. Head to our website for the program link. (fb)