“We Exist to Revere the Great Spirit of Life and Enjoy All the Beauty of Its Expression.”
Betsy Kaemmerlen and friends
Hi Betsy and thanks for taking the time to share some info on your art and work with the Jasper Project.
Let’s start by introducing you to the folks who might not have had the pleasure of meeting you yet.
JASPER: I know you’re from Rhode Island – can you talk about your background and how you came to live in SC?
KAEMMERLEN: I grew up in New England and was lucky to spend all my summers on a small island that (back then) didn’t have a ferry for cars. If you could get a car over there, it generally stayed there – so we all drove around stripped down 1930-50s cars and felt like Bonnie and Clyde. No license or insurance required. When they finally cracked down one year, they tested your lights and brakes… if your car passed, you got a big number stenciled on the side of the driver’s door (if there was one.)
The first time I came to SC was on a road trip to Florida when I was about ten. Though my dad got caught in a speed trap on Route 301 (this was prior to 95 being completed) we all loved stopping for breakfast and the waitress’ sweet accent when asking if we’d ‘lahk’ any honeybuns!
Fast forward to 2005 when I moved here to work at my engineering firm’s branch office. I’d applied to several firms down here when fresh out of college, but twenty-five years later, when the firm opened an office in Columbia that was my big chance. I loved the historic neighborhoods, small downtown, and gorgeous gardens. I quickly learned how to take jokes about Yankees (called a ‘Carpetbagger’ when I put solar panels on my house) and the ‘War of Northern Aggression.’ Who knew that moving 500 miles south of the Mason Dixon line would be like moving to another country? The culture shock was unexpected. But being a plant nerd, I could learn 3 new zones worth of flowers and shrubs! Between pottery, horticulture, Ikebana, great neighborhoods, and the arts community I’ve met wonderful people here in Columbia.
JASPER: And tell us please about your education.
KAEMMERLEN: Studying Landscape Architecture at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, I was also able to take wonderfully obscure courses at (huge) Syracuse University such as Japanese Aesthetics and Zen Buddhism. Our BLA program was a five-year set up – the final one spent somewhere studying the cultural response to the environment in a foreign country. Living and immersing myself in the centuries old treasure of Kyoto, Japan for six months was a peak experience in my life.
JASPER: I’ve always known you as a clay artist and didn’t realize that you are also a landscape architect, which sounds like a fascinating career. Is it fascinating? Landscape architecture is an artform in itself. Can you talk about the challenges and rewards of doing this kind of work?
KAEMMERLEN: My dad was an architect and he took us to his sites where my brothers and I could play in the stockpiles and run around excavations. I’ve always loved arts and crafts, construction projects, gardens, stone walls, rivers, lakes, trees… the landscape. Having a profession that combines all those elements is a dream – definitely ‘pay for play!’ Spatial understanding was always stronger in my mind than math by the numbers. When I first learned about topography I started dreaming in contours! The geometry of civil engineering and the beauty of plants and the practicality of how people use the land all came together perfectly.
Loving to draw played into this, until everything became computer driven. Though I hesitated to dive into CAD (computer aided design) I now love how easy it is to work this way and make changes – no more mylar and eradicator fluid! But staring at a couple of computer screens all day, necessitates an internet free zone at home. I much rather go out and pull weeds or play with clay than do any more time on Facebook or in i-prisons!
JASPER: How do you balance your work with nature with your work as a clay artist? Does one inform the other? Which discipline takes up most of your time?
KAEMMERLEN: Clay and pottery is a natural extension of molding the earth. It just takes a lot less time! Coming up with an idea and creating that with a soft slab of clay is pretty immediate. Starting a landscape architectural project, getting it designed, permitted, bid out, and finally seeing the site built and planted, usually takes one or more years! When I worked at the City’s Art Center it usually meant a few weeks before something was made, fired, and glazed. Now that I have to fill my own kiln up, it takes more like a few months for that process. But that means I work more ‘in series’… making something several times with many variables is a great way to learn. Presently I go to the office four days a week (since COVID started) and have a lovely un-interrupted three days to stay home and work in my studio and garden.
JASPER: Do you mostly build with clay or do you sculpt or work on the wheel?
KAEMMERLEN: I started out learning to throw clay on a wheel from an amazing teacher who blew his hand up as a kid. He lost most of his pinkie and had two fingers fused, but he could use that as a throwing tool better than anyone else I’ve known! I stuck with the wheel for about six months, but then wanted to start working at my own pace, not being restricted to the studio’s availability.
Working first in my kitchen, rolling out slabs, making plates and simple functional items, I progressed into more elaborate forms and sculptural pieces over the years. I’ve built three of my own studios now, but I still love making a simple plate with a good sturdy foot!
JASPER: How long have you been working with clay and what do you enjoy most about it?
KAEMMERLEN: I started clay in 1994. I’ve taken many workshops and organized them for several clay groups I’ve joined both here and New England. Getting to know other studio potters and sculptors has been one of the most enjoyable aspects. They are a different breed!
As far as a technique I absolutely love, it is carving. I used to carve individual pieces but have changed to carving roller stamps out of porcelain. This is a very fine-grained clay with no big chunky particles to disturb the design. After spending a couple hours getting it just right, I then fire that stamp and have that pattern to use on clay ad infinitum. I like making ‘families’ of stamps and often utilize Asian, Celtic, and Greek motifs in the design.
JASPER: What is your signature style? Or how would a patron recognize a piece of art by you?
KAEMMERLEN: Since I carve my own stamps, those textures and patterns are unique to my pieces. Transparent glazes, like celadon, pool in the depths of the impression and show off the surface of the clay beautifully. I also love lots of color, so ‘brown pots’ are pretty rare in my repertoire. Putting Fun into Functional ware is my forte. Also, making vases that lend themselves to Ikebana or Japanese flower arranging is both challenging and rewarding.
JASPER: Who has influenced you the most as an artist and why?
KAEMMERLEN: Gerry Williams was the founder of Studio Potter magazine. He was a wonderful teacher, mentor, and publicist to many potters throughout the country. For many summers I went to his “Phoenix Workshops” in New Hampshire where he would bring a world-renowned artist to teach a group of about twenty. His generosity with his studio space, equipment, house, and fellow potters was a huge influence on my development as a clay artist. Learning the background and inspiration of many successful artists was eye-opening. He encouraged sharing and experimenting with a medium that is often disregarded in the fine arts world.
JASPER: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted you as an artist – and how have you met the challenges it has presented?
KAEMMERLEN: Quarantining gave me more undivided time to work in the studio. Being an introvert, I’m happy working on my own, though I do miss loading kilns at the City Art Center and being a part of the community that has developed there. I sincerely hope that this pandemic has brought more people the simple joys of their own home and garden, instead of always seeking recreation by jumping on a plane or eating at the finest restaurant. Growing what you eat, cooking it in a beautifully decorated kitchen, and serving out of a handmade bowl is a sustainable, deeply meaningful pleasure. It improves the land, it keeps artists creating, and improves the mental health of everyone who appreciates your actions!
The motto I have over my studio door: “We Exist to Revere the Great Spirit of Life and Enjoy All the Beauty of Its Expression.”
JASPER: How can patrons find more of your work?
KAEMMERLEN: I have a few pieces out in the Sumter County Gallery of Art, but you can find me on Facebook. I post albums of my latest work and if you’re interested, send me a message!
— CB