Rich Holt and Cat Audette Holt are potters and pottery teachers in Baltimore, MD.

We make whimsical happy monsters
and functional stoneware pottery.

Rich Holt teachs at Towson University and works at Clayworks Supplies Inc.

Cat Audette teaches at the Columbia Arts Center.

Our resumes are available upon request.

Artist Statements

Cat Audette Holt

I fell in love with clay as a high school student at 15, and have been making pottery ever since. I focus on an exploration and expansion of the concept of functional forms. I endeavor to create pieces that bring art and function together with reverence to nature and history.

I love clay for its history and its physical durability. I love being a potter because of the creative freedom afforded by such a plastic substance. I enjoy the challenge of creating objects that dually function as art and as useful parts of everyday life. I also cherish my place as a traditional potter in our contemporary culture.

Potters are legacy makers. Throughout history we have created the lasting artifacts that leave clues and commentary about the society and cultures we have lived in. This legacy is just as relevant and vital in today's society as it was in ancient Egypt, or Rome, perhaps even more so. The eyes and hands of the craftsperson are
the truth carriers for all of the centuries, from ancient to post-modern.

Today I enjoy making pottery that serves its function with subtle clarity and refined craftsmanship. I draw inspiration from what I see in nature - seed pods, leaf shapes and stones. Using this inspiration as a starting point, I strive to create naturalistic, traditional forms which are useful and cherished. Visual aesthetics & texture work together to initiate the personal interaction required for a full understanding of my work.

Rich Holt

Influenced by a family of artists, Rich was encouraged to pursue his interest in clay which brought him to achieve his undergrad and graduate degrees in ceramics at Towson University. Rich is by nature a light hearted and whimsical person. These are the strongest characteristics that give him inspiration to create his sculpture, thrown pottery and artwork. It is his goal to make each piece so it reflects who he is as a person. Although my work embraces a humorous nature, I take the creation process very seriously. Each piece is well planned and carefully crafted.

I enjoy the challenge of making work that brings art and functional craft together. Currently, my focus is creating clay monsters and figures that dually serve as a vessel. Where most of my work is lowfire stoneware, have access to and make use of a wide variety of firing methods and so I am able to choose the process that best suites each piece. Multiple firings also allows me to express a wide variety of surfaces and textures.

Artists who have influenced my creative processes, evident in the figures and monster vessels I make are: Robert Arneson, Doug Baldwin, George Ohr and David Gilhooly. My work is also inspired by Bill Waterson (Calvin and Hobbes ), Brian Fraud and Tim Burton.

Claymonster

As individuals we truely enjoy creating our individual pottery and sculpture but the fun happens when we collaborate on our monsters. To put it simply, we love to make people smile. We try to keep it fun, silly, simple, where often art is expected to be serious, dark or mysterious. Over time our styles have clearly influenced each other so that our work expresses a similar vocabulary. Our goal at this time is to create whimsical creatures and monsters that are each one of a kind pieces with fun and expressive characteristics that can serve a funcional purpose or simply serve to bring joy to your day.

Although our work embraces a humorous nature, we take the creation process very seriously. Each piece is well planned and carefully crafted. We enjoy the challenge of making work that brings art, fun and functional craft together, such as our clay monsters that dually serve as vessels. We hope that you enjoy them as much as we do.