Meet Kelly O’Briant | Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelly O’Briant and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
I have developed a few habits over the years that positively support my practice. I am disciplined in my studio practice, having been a full-time studio potter for about a decade. I teach ceramics at the University of Dallas now, which means I can’t work in my studio every day during the semester. I am, however, in a studio every day. I try to keep something going- drawings, glaze tests, new forms, or reading about a topic that could lead to some content in my work, simultaneous to my teaching, which often leads to interesting ideas. When I am in my studio, I can look at those small projects and go from there. I have also learned that if I don’t know what to do when I get to the studio, I just need to do something. And then I do something to that. And something to that. In other words, if I’m not making something, nothing will happen.

I also think that maintaining some kind of work-life balance is crucial and have made that as much of a habit as I can. For me, that means regular exercise, cooking, and working on projects that are not ceramic, like sewing or drawing. Setting goals both in my ceramics practice and related to my other interests helps keep me on track. So, I am always looking for shows to apply to, galleries that might fit well with proposals I have in mind, as well as a race that sounds fun or a new recipe or restaurant to try.

Getting out of the studio and having experiences is critical to the content of my work. It’s vital to listen, see, witness, and respond to my experiences. Building relationships, talking to people, listening to varied perspectives and points of view are all activities that feed my work. I have done artist residencies in Jingdezhen, China, Kecskemet, Hungary, Montana, Georgia, North Carolina, and North Dakota. I don’t know that it matters where I am or where I travel, so much as that, I am having new experiences that, in turn, inform my work.

So, I guess I’d sum up my habits for someone else like this: 1: always have something going, and don’t focus on the result. Just the path, 2: make something, do something to that, and something to that. Respond. 3: Balance is essential though not always attainable daily. But when you zoom out, it’s there. 4: set some goals and reach for them, knowing that the path is the entire point. 5: do things that you enjoy in addition to your specific media or area of interest because good work doesn’t happen in the vacuum of your studio. It happens because you are seeing, doing, listening, watching, responding. You are living your life and responding to the experience.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My time as a full-time potter was very influential on the sculptural work I make. I’m interested in the way vessels function in our lives, both literally, as cups for drinking or bowls for soup and as storytellers or placeholders. I’m interested in how groupings of objects can tell a story about our daily lives or convey rituals or a special occasion. The work makes visible experiences or emotions, such as gratitude for a kindness someone showed me, the weight of memories or experiences, or the gravity of witnessing someone forget. I often incorporate other materials such as resin, printed images, wood, fiber, or paint. The past few months, I’ve been working on a series of plates commemorating moments of quiet and social distance through portraits of domestic objects.

I continue to make functional pots and am excited about the new surfaces. The pots are pinched porcelain and have atmospheric surfaces that reference fading rainbows, bright clouds, or stormy saturated skies. I offer limited runs of porcelain tableware via my website a couple of times a year and through galleries across the country.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of my favorite days out in Fort Worth with a friend would look like this: driving to Fort Worth and running the Cowtown Marathon. Next, hobble to Ampersand Coffee for a yummy dairy-free latte with our medals clinking around our necks and giant bags of race swag. Then, limp over to Rodeo Goat for a delicious lunch and drink. And then, sweat dried and legs feeling a little lighter, head to the Modern Museum of Art, the Kimball Art Museum, and the Renzo Piano Pavilion to look at art! On the way home, we’d stop to see the Fort Worth Water Gardens.

One of my favorite days in Irving would go something like this: First, we’d go for a run or a bike ride on the Campion Trail in Irving. (This could be the Irving Marathon!! In which case, we’d peruse the tents, have a beer, and listen to music on the lawn at the Toyota Music Factory. Or, maybe we’d just take a stroll.) We’d go for a paddle in our canoe on the Trinity River while having coffee and breakfast. We’d stop up the road at the Mustangs of Los Colinas Museum in Williams Park. Then, we’d hit two food spots that I haven’t been to but started following on IG as I eagerly waited for things to open up: Chopping Roots and Bams Vegan. Man, the food in their feed looks SO GOOD! After that, we’d head to the Irving Archives and Museum to see an exhibit and then to Jackie Townsell Bear Creek Heritage Center. Then, we’d need to eat again, so maybe we’d go to Maki Boy for some sushi or Pasand Indian Restaurant. And then, we’d catch an Irving symphony performance at the Irving Arts Center.

Then, we’d hang out in the backyard because the weather is just so great these days!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Well, the list is long! But a few key people and organizations are: One of my college professors, LT Hoisington, gets a big shoutout. I asked him one day before I had taken a class with him if people made a living making pots. He said, “yes, some people do.” And that was all I needed to hear. He encouraged me to apply for an undergraduate grant to build a wood kiln at the school studio. That experience led me to intern with potter Judith Duff, which led me to pursue studio ceramics full-time.

Penland School of Craft was a vital part of my craft foundation. Located in the mountains of NC, the school is surrounded by many full-time artists who are open and willing to share their paths to success with new artists. I spent two years there in their CORE Fellowship program, taking classes in ceramics, wood, metals, and fibers.

I met my husband, Matthew Thomason, at Penland. Without his kindness and unconditional support (from helping install exhibitions and building crates to working tirelessly in the Arizona heat when I was in grad school and driving across the country multiple times as I sold pots and pursued ceramics jobs), everything I have done would have been much, much harder. Matthew is an incredible artist in his own right, and I am so lucky to live with someone who provides me with challenging questions and conversations about art and what I am making.

I can’t leave out a loud shoutout to a couple of entities right here in Irving that are genuinely life-enhancing. First, the City of Irving maintains the Campion Trail and many others that connect to it. It is incredible to have such a well-maintained green space so easily accessible. I do not know what I would have done during the shutdown without it. Speaking of shutdown, the Irving Art Center offered an incredible amount of virtual content during the shutdown. It was my go-to for cultural activities, such as music and artist talks, from the safety of my living room. The IAC and Irving Archives and Museum are now open again and have so many exciting things on their schedules! There is nothing more grounding, especially after being away from people for so long, than learning about your city and neighborhoods through historic sites, archives, art, music, and theater.

Website: kellyobriant.com

Instagram: kellyobriant