I am originally from Charleston, South Carolina and received my BFA from Roanoke College in Virginia. I have studied ceramics with some of the finest artists around and in some of the finest places (Italy being my favorite). In 1996 I moved to San Francisco and began pursuing a career in the art world. I joined a cooperative clay studio (Ruby's Clay Studio and Gallery) and found a job at a contemporary crafts gallery, opening my eyes to the thriving clay scene in the bay area. Later I attended Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, fell deeper in love with clay, returned to San Francisco, and decided to commit myself to ceramics as a career.

As I get older I find that time passes faster. As human beings we seem to abandon things that take a lot of time therefore losing the art of some of those activities. We are more concerned with getting things done quickly than we are artfully. This is one reason I make pots. In a society where quantity seems more important than quality, I opt for the latter. I have chosen to continue the tradition of making pottery in order to hold on to an art form that has been around since the beginning of time. I find great satisfaction in that. As a potter, I feel that I am preserving something finite…to be a part of that is calming.

see Mary Mar's websites
mary mar keenan
purple bird design