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Ceramic Artist
Co-Owner and Instructor at By All Means Arts pottery studio.
Wheel Throwing Instructor at The Art Center of Western Colorado (TAC)
Administrative Assistant for the Art & Design Department at Colorado Mesa University
Ashtonn Means lives and creates in Fruita, CO, surrounded by the Colorado River Trail, the Colorado National Monument, and many other natural works of art. She was immersed in the clay community at a young age taking classes at The Art Center of Western Colorado (TAC). Ashtonn has embraced the art community as enthusiastically as they have embraced her through community art exhibitions, memberships, teaching, and volunteering. Ashtonn is an instructor of Teen Wheel Throwing and Beginning/Intermediate Adult Wheel Throwing classes at TAC and Administrative Assistant for the Art & Design Department at Colorado Mesa University. She enjoys sharing her love of ceramics with her students and passing down the knowledge and techniques she has acquired.
Terry Shepherd, Director of Ceramics at TAC, has remained a consistent mentor and catalyst for her artistic growth. Ashtonn earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a Minor in Psychology in 2016 under the mentorship and guidance of Jake Allee and KyoungHwa Oh. Ashtonn has attended workshops from numerous experienced potters during her studies to broaden her artistic abilities. She hopes to always honor the techniques and teachings of all of the ceramic artists that have guided and influenced her throughout her education and career.
Ashtonn, and her husband Matthew Jones, artist, Instructor at Colorado Mesa University, and Curator for TAC, will be opening By All Means Arts pottery studio together this Fall in Fruita, CO at the new Fruita Arts Recreation Marketplace (FARM). She is excited to have her own studio space to continue developing her work and to offer classes, community events, and workshops. Sharing the art world with her husband is something she cherishes every day. Her dedication to art does not stop with ceramics; she nurtures a passion for Middle Eastern dance and cooking, which both play important roles in her ceramics.
As a ceramic artist, my intention is to develop work that combines aesthetics and functionality. Through my artwork, I explore anthropomorphic forms and create pieces that pose individually in personality and whimsical nature. These animated forms are infused with a life-like presence. The performing arts are a catalyst for the surface designs, forms, and glazes. My specific inspiration has developed out of Middle Eastern dance traditions with costume design, henna, and dynamic movements that I seek to illustrate through individual and expressive means.
The forms I create explore the soft and, sometimes dramatic, curves of the female figure that have both sensual and nurturing qualities. The arrangement of items into couples and small groupings communicates the connection and intimacy with relationships and conversations. This is illustrated by interactions between the forms themselves and how they are displayed together. I appreciate the freedom and connection that ceramic art allows. As an artist, I seek to convey a specific message, feeling, and thought to everyone who interacts with a piece as part of their daily life by establishing an intimacy between artist and user.
By All Means Arts
Matthew Jones and Ashtonn Means
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