an interview series by LANA WILSON
Chandra DeBuse was full of spunk and
originality at a recent Handbuilding
Conference organized by Sandi
Pierantozzi to benefit CERF+ (Craft
Emergency Relief Fund). I was curious
about her early aesthetic influences.
Lana Wilson: When did you first get
into clay?
Perspectives I Beneath the Surface
Handbuilding with
Chandra DeBuse
Chandra DeBuse: I tried loving clay,
very briefly, during undergraduate
school. Although I enjoyed making
the messes, I did not have the
maturity or discipline to stick with
it. I was happy to escape that class
with a B-minus! Fast forward a few
years — I was working a stressful
overnight job in human services
and I needed a creative outlet.
The community clay studio was a
perfect fit. I could not get enough!
Wilson: Did you grow up with
an awareness of art by going to
museums or doing art?
Above (front) and below (back): Squirrel Platter by Chandra DeBuse. To see the illustrated
step-by-step process she used to make it, tune into Part 2 of this series, in our next issue of CT.
Wilson: Are there any other artists
in your family?
DeBuse: My dad was an amateur
photographer who would set up
a darkroom in the bathroom. My
mom was — and still is — interested
in stained glass. I grew up in a DIY
era, so one of my parents or my
sister or I could always be found at
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CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
DeBuse: Absolutely; despite growing
up in very small rural town where
cultural events were limited. My
parents were both teachers with
summers off, so we would load up the
van and head across the country for a
few weeks each year. They recognized
that I loved to draw and make things,
and they made sure we visited plenty
of museums along the way.
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