Clay Life Art Studio now open to the public in San Mateo

Clay Life Art Studio is located at 715 Bermuda Drive in the Fiesta Gardens Shopping Center in San Mateo and opened earlier in February, giving Paulley, 60, his own space to manage after decades of being behind the scenes. Paulley has always been fascinated with clay since his mother brought a 25-pound block of it back to their Wyoming home when he was 12. He loved to look at its texture and material even though he wasn’t allowed to touch it for fear of a mess. In his 20s, he bought his own clay but didn’t have access to a kiln or glazes, limiting his experiences. Paulley has previously worked in sales at an art gallery and made a career as a graphic designer in the printing industry so he could support himself and still be satisfied with being creative in the art industry. He moved to the Bay Area from Phoenix to work in the graphic design industry before getting back into clay in 2008. In 2011, he started working at a clay studio in Pacifica, where he learned and practiced pottery with kilns and instructors. Paulley taught private lessons and classes for 11 years before opening up his own studio on the mid-Peninsula. His experiences making pottery, managing the studio and teaching classes showed him he was ready to start his studio and fulfill a dream. He views building art with clay as an opportunity to bring good energy and find happiness by shaping it.

“It’s a real Zen experience,” Paulley said. “It gets you back to your center and core of yourself.”

Paulley offers two-month introductory classes that allow people to pay a fee and show up to learn about wheel throwing, hand building and sculpture, with clay, glazing and instructive demonstrations provided throughout. People seeking more regular lessons at intermediate and advanced levels can sign up to be a member, with membership typically paid monthly. Sunday mornings have a parents and kids class over four weeks, with youth classes, summer camps and private lessons available. His goal of creating a community has seen good early returns thanks to 40 new members and sold-out courses.

“When people gather together to enjoy and work with clay, community happens,” Paulley said. “There is a great community spirit that has come to the forefront.”

Andrea Duran is a student who is taking introductory classes at the studio with her husband and son. She said Paulley is passionate about the art of the craft and creates a relaxed environment. The workspace is set up so no one is alone in the large space, with certain sections set up for throwing, sculpting and using the kiln.

“He makes it approachable and fun while also having structure,” Duran said. “He really knows what he is talking about.”

Duran noted Paulley is working to build relationships with his students and create a community of people who talk and create together, despite only opening a few weeks ago.

“You can tell he really cares about what he is doing and passing it on to the next generation,” she said.

Paulley is doing most of the teaching of the introductory classes, with plans to soon pass on lessons to assistants so he can manage the studio. Most of his classes occur at night from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Mondays, Fridays and weekends. Most are introductory courses, but he wants to add more classes in the day. He tries to keep classes at 12 people to ensure everyone has enough supplies and equipment. One of his youth class instructors is Morris Moussa, who is part of the Foster City Recreation Center’s ceramics program. Other instructors have worked in sculpting for more than 25 years. He has two L&L easy fire kilns at the studio that hold 10 cubic feet of material, with hopes to expand in the future. His ultimate aim is to ensure the studio is successful and a place for people to be long after he is gone.

“I’m so thrilled with how well everything has been going,” he said. “I’ve been just amazed by how quickly things have filled up here and how quickly people joined this studio.”

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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