Mary Gunyuzlu (NC), Ram Pottery Sculpture

Circa 2021, glazed hand-sculpted stoneware, unsigned.

22 x 23 1/2 x 19 in.

Mary Gunyuzlu is a ceramic artist based out of the piedmont area of North Carolina and specializes in representational figure sculpture. She has been an instructor at Sawtooth School of Art in Winston-Salem and has taught ceramics to blind and handicapped children at the Little Red Schoolhouse, a program at the Industries for the Blind. She earned a BA in Art History with a minor in Fine Art from the University of Delaware and a Masters in Teaching from Queens University in Charlotte.

Mary Gunyuzlu speaks about her animal sculptures in advance of the September 27, 2025 Potters Market at the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC:

"People often smile or laugh when they see my clay sculptures. And then, I feel I have succeeded. The stories told by my animal or human subjects are direct. While my themes tend toward light-heartedness and positivity, my subjects are often the most vulnerable. Because all people face hardship somewhere along their life trail, they need reminders to find the good in things. I like to think my work does that for them.

With colorful slips, glazes and stains applied through multiple firings, I can create a variety of interesting, tactile surfaces on my subjects. The result is an earthy patina surface with a colorful, brightness shining through. The surface treatment is one of my favorite parts of working with clay. Within the recognizable forms, there is always exaggeration in stance and size because I love pushing the technical boundaries of the clay body. I am always wondering, “What can I make this do?”

Good estate condition; scattered small firing cracks; small area of glaze loss to tip of left ear; small scuff to snout.