About the artist…I guess that’s me.

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.

I then began working at ClayPeople, a fantastic ceramic supply outlet in Richmond, CA and after a number of years, combined my experiences and opened my own studio and gallery. In a partnership with two other spectacular women, we opened Verdigris Clay Studio and Gallery. For 7 years we ran the studio/gallery making pottery and selling the work of 30 other bay area ceramic artists. (During that time, I also taught an after school clay class for kids called Clay Creations.) Verdigris closed in the spring of 2007.

Currently, I am working as a studio artist in SF and I have started a new business venture… Purple Bird Designs. I have given these plates and bowls to friends for years and the response has been so positive that I have decided to make them available to you!

If you would like to see more of what I do, please visit my website at marymarkeenan.com,

Thanks for your interest and enjoy!