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Patricia Naylor first became interested in developing clay works as wall art while studying Ceramics at State University in New Paltz, New York.  It was at Goddard College in Vermont, where she earned her Master’s degree in Fine Art, that she experimented with primitive firing techniques.  In 1981 a fortuitous visit to Bandalier National Park showed her first hand the enchanting effect of paint and smoke which lead her to develop her particular art form.

Patricia returned to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1984 where she found her home and studio on the very first day and immediately went to work rolling out slabs of clay. These slabs are then fired in an open air pit.  “I began smoking the clay outside in the early 1980’s,” she explains.  “It’s a process of surrendering the pieces to the fire.  I am always delighted and surprised to see how the clay looks after it’s taken out of the fire.  The smoke adds the old world element to my work.”  The pieces are then embellished with paint and metal.

Patricia has shown her work throughout the United States and is included in collections throughout the world.  She has completed commissions for large corporate collections such as Fitzsimmons Credit Union in Denver, Colorado and Rhone Poulence & Rhorer Corporation in Pennsylvania.