Today we’d like to introduce you to Juliet A. Kurth.
Hi Juliet, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I had majored in landscape architecture, and I actually was a landscape architect who worked in the field for over 15 years. But when my oldest was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and started elementary school, he was getting sick so often in class that I couldn’t work much anymore. Then in second grade, he was diagnosed with severe ADHD, and it became the less stressful option for me to homeschool my kids, something I never thought would be a choice I would make. It was a hard choice, but it was the best one for both of my kids (my youngest also has ADHD as well as some severe anxiety issues, Celiac, POTS, and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome). I did really miss, though, expressing myself creatively.
While I was in college, too, I started to read tarot cards and palms. It may seem disconnected from what I did for work, but really for me it made complete sense. I loved landscape architecture in part because I worked with plants and felt connected to their energy by designing with them as well as growing them. I also loved that even if only in a small way I could positively affect people by creating outdoor spaces, they could enjoy. Doing readings was another way to connect to that source of energy, but in this case it was with people instead of plants. With these readings, I could connect with those I read and offer them information that can hopefully be of service.
So, here I am, having quit my career years ago and homeschooling for about 5 years, and it finally felt like maybe there was a little bit of space available for me to do something more for myself. One day my husband, who is also an artist, called me over to watch a video of a ceramicist sculpting a beautiful vessel. He then said, “I see you doing this. You need to learn how to make ceramics,” And it just felt right when he said it. About a month later my mother asked me if I wanted to take a class with her. So everything just aligned. I started taking classes and absolutely fell in love. I felt connected to the elements when I was making and sculpting each piece. The clay itself has a personality and memory, so it always felt collaborative, even now. I started seeing, too, that I really enjoyed making pieces that were at the least very organic but often were representative of living plants and organisms.
Even if it’s functional, they all had a sculptural bent. And I found that the energy I felt and connected to when doing readings or growing plants, I felt that while I made these pieces. So quickly my focus became that all of my work would be made with intention. Some are subtle, like a tree stump or a flower and holding onto what they represent. Others, like my jewelry, can be more overt, incorporating ancient symbols and stones so that they’re not only wearable art but also a spell. I’m basically a witchy ceramic artist who also reads palms and tarot and teaches ceramics, tarot, and various esoteric subjects. On the outside, all of what I do may seem rather disparate, but to me it’s all connected.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth road? Not exactly.
The whole reason I even started ceramics is because I had kids whose issues required that I give up almost everything I had worked on and strived for my entire adult life! They’re 17 and 19 now, but both of them, especially my 17-year-old, still need more support than a physically healthy, neurotypical teen would.
Then there’s the challenge of putting yourself out there as an artist and being judged by others. I realize now that in my heart of hearts, I’ve always been an artist, but I never pursued it when I was younger because I was afraid I was never good enough. That anxiety and insecurity had stopped me for decades. The funny thing is I’m still anxious and insecure about the work I do, but it took me 40 or so years to realize whether or not I make my art and share my work I’m going to be anxious and insecure, the difference is do I want to also experience regret. I’m not regretting anymore.
I also came out of the “broom closet”, so to speak, soon after I started ceramics. I was nervous how people would perceive me, but surprisingly it’s been much easier than I thought. In general more people became interested in what I do, both in my work as well as my spiritual practice, rather than be afraid or judgmental.
I, too, have Celiac Disease and POTS, and about nine years ago after I got shingles at 42 (stress really can mess you up), it triggered Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and later fibromyalgia. Chronic illness changed what I could and could not do and continues to make more changes even now. It’s in part why I need to be self-employed since I can’t really work a regular 8-5 job anymore.
And then Covid hit! It was then that I started doing readings in earnest, especially tarot readings. It provided a service that many people appreciated. I had to build up my online presence, though, for both my ceramics and my services, and then as things opened up, getting into the swing of doing in-person events has been challenging. And we’ve all had to balance that with keeping ourselves safe as much as possible since my 17-year-old and I are high-risk.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a hand builder. That means I don’t use the potter’s wheel. Everything I make is made by hand. I don’t use molds; it’s all hand-sculpted. I love sculpture and making high-relief tiles, but I also enjoy making functional pieces that are really sculptural. I’m probably most known for my Wallflowers, which are wall pieces of different recognizable flowers (as in if you know the flower I’m trying to sculpt you would be able to identify them), my Greenman masks, and my tree stumps with realistic bark texture. Each of my tree sculptures are one of a kind and can’t be repeated exactly.
I have a few pieces I feel really good about, but what I’m most proud of at this time is probably my Three of Wands – Tarot Teapot. I joke around that it’s my opus! It looks like a cauldron with hand-painted flames in relief, and the lid has 3 wands on it inspired by the wands designed by Pamela Coleman Smith for the Waite Smith Tarot deck. I chose Three of Wands because in Tarot it signifies that you have everything you need to begin your journey or work. And it doesn’t drip at all while you pour, which is an accomplishment for someone who doesn’t regularly make teapots.
In terms of what sets me apart from others, my artistic voice is unique. You can tell something has been made by me pretty easily, whether it’s a little pendant, a large tree stump vase, or a 12″x18″ high relief tile. In addition, there aren’t many who hold an intention from beginning to end while sculpting a piece. I can’t say I’m always happy while I’m making ceramics because honestly, it can be quite heartbreaking. I lose at least one item every time I have a full load in the kiln, and then it’s just breakable, too. But I love what I do. It’s not just a way to express myself creatively, it’s also how I express myself spiritually. And I hope that the people who end up owning one of my pieces will feel that energy at least a little bit. Of course, when it comes to things like this, there’s no empirical evidence that others can feel it, but according to those who are drawn to the work I do that is a large part of why they want something from me.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I’m surprised at how hard it is to answer this question. Instead, I have small little snippets of events that I remember just being happy that lasted only for a moment or two, like eating pomegranates in my backyard with my dog (he loved them, too), collecting witch balls and the colored leaves that had fallen from the Liquidambar trees in my front yard, listening to “Within You Without You” by the Beatles for the first time when I was 8, or when my mom and dad got married when I was 5 and being unable to not wave at my brand new same age cousins I was so excited to have.
Pricing:
- In person tarot and palm readings at events start at $25
- Online tarot readings start at $40
- Coven Club $10/mo.
- Ceramics range in price from $20-$500
- Jewelry range in price from $35-$85
Contact Info:
- Website: www.julietakurthstudios.com
- Instagram: @julietakurth
- Facebook: Juliet A. Kurth Studios
- Other: TikTok @julietakurth
