Feat of clay

Two women new to the pottery field are getting a chance to show their work alongside professionals in an upcoming show in Burbank.

Burbank resident Philleen Meskin took up ceramics about two years ago, and Heather Rosenman of Glendale has been taking ceramics classes for 2 1/2 years.

Meskin and Rosenman are members of the American Ceramics Society Southern California Design Chapter and will have their work in the President’s Show opening on Monday at the Burbank Creative Arts Center Gallery.

What makes membership in this organization enjoyable for new artists is they are able to show their pieces along with seasoned ceramists, said Joan Gamberg, vice president of the society.

“Someone who has studied for two years can have a piece side by side with someone who makes $10,000 a piece,” Gamberg said.

Every member who submits a piece gets to display an item in the show, she said.

Meskin is displaying four hand-thrown vases on which she has painted scenes that tell a story. On the first vase in the sequence, she has painted a countryside scene of an Italian villa. The next vase shows a girl looking off in the distance for her love. Another shows the girl meeting someone for the first time. The last vase displays the couple walking off hand in hand.

“I’m basically a painter, so I paint on ceramics,” Meskin said. “It’s impressionist painting on small vases from 4 to 7 inches tall. They gradually get larger.”

Gamberg complimented Meskin’s creativity and use of color.

“She’s creating a narrative work of art on a three-dimensional surface, which is colorful, whimsical and beautiful,” Gamberg said. “There’s a real nice feel to her work.”

Rosenman has three pieces in the show, and all are inspired by the Greek islands, she said.

“I just did a long study of the Cyclades Islands near Greece,” she said. “There are these figures from 3000 BC that nobody knows what they are. They find them on grave markers, but they were created when there was no paper. I’ve studied these figures and let them inspire me. So, my pieces reflect that.”

After Rosenman delivered her pieces to the center on Monday, Gamberg took a close look at them.

“She’s bringing a very wonderful mixture of intelligence, education and experience into this art form,” Gamberg said. “Her work is enthusiastic and fresh but is steeped in ancient symbologies.”

Meskin and Rosenman are among 60 artists in the show who are displaying 120 works, Gamberg said.

Pieces will include figurative items such as of people and animals, abstract works that would be placed on a wall, functional items like those that can be cooked on and eaten from and those that are just for decoration, like vases for flowers.

The society’s president, Celeste Iida, will judge the show. A potter herself, she has shown her works at the Xiem Gallery in Pasadena and the American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona.

This show honors the society’s past presidents, Gamberg said. There will be a special section displaying works by the past presidents, and they will be presenting awards to their favorite works in the show.

The society brings its show to the center every two to three years, Gamberg said.

“We produce the material, and they have a large mailing list and get people there and let us use their pedestals for our works and make the space user-friendly,” she said.

“It’s a wonderful space. It’s light, airy and has a great feeling.”

The society has its meetings at the center once a month, and members present live demonstrations that are open to the students at the center, Gamberg said.