Quick Take
“Made in Santa Cruz: Why Art Matters” is a video series, published every other Sunday, exploring the artists who shape Santa Cruz County's creative landscape. Each episode offers a peek into an artist's practice, the places and experiences that inform their work, and the ways creativity helps us see our community differently. Today’s artist is Bonny Doon potter and painter Mattie Leeds.
PREVIOUSLY IN THIS SERIES: Abi Mustapha | Rhia Hurt
Today’s featured artist
Name: Mattie Leeds
Medium: Pottery, painting, ceramics, mosaics, large-scale clay sculpture, often using glazes, paint, and mixed elements like concrete, neon, and found objects for his outdoor installations and sculpture gardens.
Years in Santa Cruz County: More than 45 (since the late 1970s/early 1980s)
Studio location: Bonny Doon
Where to see his work: Sockshop & Shoe Company in downtown Santa Cruz and The Cruz Room on the Westside.
He will also be featured in “Silica,” an upcoming exhibit at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History highlighting Northern California ceramicists.
Mattie Leeds’ favorite activities that inspire him to make art
- Spending time with my son and my cats B Nut and Rungalow
- Taking long walks uphill (favorite hike: Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve on Martin Road)
- Doing yoga
- Going to museums
- Connecting with creatives
- Looking at clouds
- Not worrying too much
- Having a good laugh and cry and getting a good night’s sleep
Mattie’s favorite artists – local and legendary
Coeleen Kiebert (sculpture)
John Forbes (glass)
Pablo Picasso
Henri Matisse
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Friedrich Hundertwasser
All the kids at my son’s preschool
Mattie’s recommendation for anyone interested in “beginning the clay journey”
Take a lesson at Santa Cruz Clay on the Westside. The potters there are excellent teachers. I recommend taking it slow, building an awareness of the importance of each step – from the wet clay to the finished piece.
I recommend meditation, yoga, dancing, singing, playing a musical instrument, mindfulness, gratitude and self-love. Pet the cats, have patience and walk on the sunny side of the world. Otherwise, get into bed and pull the covers over your head.
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