Jayden Amber Starr has been selling her Western-themed ceramic creations online through her website, where monthly “drops” have anywhere from 20 to 50 new pieces in them. Interest from collectors has been strong. “I usually sell out between three and 30 minutes,” she says. Interest has been exceptionallystrong.
The Pursuit Diptych, ceramics, 9 in. each
For her next show, Starr is showing with Faust Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which she hopes will elevate her Western ceramics even further. “I want people to see this work as fine art, and not just objects they’re buying from a webpage or Instagram,” she says. “This new setting will let me show people where I want to go, because I want to be a fine artist.”
Desert Rider Chain Vase, ceramics 11 x 7½ in.
Starr, who creates under the banner of Lonesome Moon Studios, lives in Prescott, Arizona, home to a thriving Western culture. It’s in this small cowboy-centric community where she creates her ceramic vessels, including vases, bowls, ashtrays, plates and other forms. “Whatever hits me for inspiration is what I create. Thrifting in Prescott is great, so I will often go to thrift stores to look for Western-themed items and other passed-down stuff, whether it’s plates or jugs or other cool forms,” she says. She takes her inspiration back to her studio and from there creates a new work, either by throwing it on a pottery wheel or hand coiling the clay into her vessels. Then she paints the Western imagery on her forms and fires them in a kiln. After a glaze, they get a second firing, which produces a pleasing finish and vibrant color.
Santa Fe Cowboy Pedestal Bowl, ceramics, 7 x 9½ in.
Starr was raised in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and has been surrounded by Western culture much of her life. She noticed her work took off once she started working with “actual ranchers, actual folks from the real Western world,” she says. “I’ve been told my work speak to a lot of people, which is great because I love sharing my own love of the West—it’s a boots-on-the-ground type thing,” Starr adds. “My collectors responded to that, and then also when I told them I was quitting my fulltime job because I wanted to be a fine artist. I have loyal collectors. I’m two years in and they’ve all really grown with me.”
Unlike mass-produced ceramics, Starr never does the same work twice. “I may revisit imagery—including elks fighting, which is a favorite based on a past experience—but I will never do it in the same way twice,” she says. “So each piece is a once-in-a-lifetime piece. It makes each piece special.”
Elego Baca Vase, ceramic, 19 x 9 in.
Starr’s debut solo show will open November 6 and run through November 20. Collectors are encouraged to show up for the opening night reception, from 5 to 7 p.m. Like the online drops, the pieces are expected to sell quickly. —
Faust Gallery 142 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 102 » Santa Fe, NM 87501 » (480) 745-5928 » www.faustgallery.com
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