Be Art Ceramics

Home Page - B.E. Art Ceramics Black & queer ceramic & pottery landscape artist. Creative, beautiful, whimsical ceramic art. Studio art & home decor by Maya Iverson-Davis.

📣 New website www.beartceramics.com. I'm excited to stop tip toeing around being an artist and explore why making is so important to me. Revamping my website was the first step in adding clarity to my online presence. Which is surprisingly hard to do.

Photo study painting of a Buc-ee's mascot sign with "KEEP GOING" written underneath where a city's name would be. There are mountains, trees and sunset clouds in the distance. A pigeon themed witch sits on the sign. Drawn by gdbeeart, Aug 2025

Photo study, added a pigeon witch

Excited to order Positive Obsession by Dr. Susana M. Morris from @sistahscifi.bsky.social !

Close up of a vase painted in blue, white, and orange swirls on dark brown clay. Landscapes are etched into the underglaze. The top is splattered with white glaze. The vase sits on a shelf. The studio is blurred out in the background.

Close up of a vase painted in blue, white, and orange swirls on dark brown clay. Landscapes are etched into the underglaze. The top is splattered with white glaze. The vase sits on a shelf. There are three white vases with designs on them in the back and one to the side of this pot.

Personally, life has been lifing the last few months. I'm just grateful to be a part of a wonderful #pottery studio that took care of my pieces while I was figuring everything out.

Close up of a vase painted in blue, white, and orange swirls on dark brown clay. Landscapes are etched into the underglaze. The top is splattered with white glaze. The vase sits on a shelf. The studio is blurred out in the background.

Studio day: Waiting for the second fire ✨️. I can see where the underglaze will fade a little more 👏🏾. Made with reclaim ...so... we have a surprise coming in the next few weeks 🫠. #excited #ceramics #pottery #art #landscapes

Thank you for the signal boost!

Thank you!

Thank you for these recommendations!

Definitely! He's profiled in the book pretty early. I want to learn more about his ceramic paintings!

Just a baby on the edge of the world

Four small vases on a wooden desk with paint brushes and a silver bucket. Each has a different set of writing on them.

Four test vases for a new project combining clay, text/emotion, and landscapes. I'm still working out my process for including text. But I think I like imperfect inlay. Next is a bisque fire and maybe another layer of underglaze or dip glaze. Or both #experiments

#pottery #ceramics #clay #art

Oh, Insta isn't showing the preview? here you gooooooo

Suggestions please 🙏🏾

I'm reading "Contemporary Black American Ceramic Artists" by donald a. clark and Chotsani Elaine Dean. It's BIG and worth the muscle I'll gain reading it.

I want to go down a rabbit hole so...What books about ceramic artists do you recommend?

#booksky #pottery #ceramics

Thanks for the tip!

Thank you! I'm going to try this trick once I've rehydrated them. I definitely don't want to purchase more right now 🫠.

I'll try water to rehydrate them. I've been in and out of the studio so much that I forgot to maintain them 😅.

i'm challenging myself to step out of my comfort zone (mugs + cups) to improve my teapot forms. not ready to commit, but am going to TRY and make a teapot every day.

This is unfired porcelain. decorated and ready for the kiln!

#pottery #art #kentucky #spring #horse #handmade #teapot #tea

Studio photo of a vase in progress. The vase is sitting on a wooden table with a metal bucket, purple bag, and pottery wheels in the background. The vase is a rounded v shape with a narrow and small neck. The vase is painted in orange and white swirls on the bottom and middle and blue and white swirls on top. The middle of the vase has carved lines that look like small homes resting on a blurry landscape.

Went to the studio and discovered most of my underglaze dried out 🤦🏾‍♂️. Had just enough to paint and start sgraffito designs on some vases. Lesson: check your underglaze.

#potterylesson #pottery #ceramics #vases #art

Woah. Yeah, I see that now!

Thank you! I gave them to a coworker because I didn't like the cone shape 😅. But, the underglaze experiment was a success 😌.

Thank you 🍃. Two of my favorite underglaze experiments.

At work wondering if someone will flag my poster for saying "Black experiences" instead of "campus experiences"? I know the oppressive nature of suggesting people speak their truths, desires, and existence in the dark. It's not hyperbole. It's just a slippery slope.

#DEI #highered #deib #blackness

Share more joy
Share more laughter
Share more warm moments
Share more good news
Share more humanity

There is more happening in the world than things that we are fighting against. We need more reminders of the things we are fighting for.

Book showing sprayed edges

Book showing sprayed edges

Book showing sprayed edges and circuitry cover

The special edition from @gollancz.bsky.social of DEATH OF THE AUTHOR is so beautiful.

The sprayed edges are 🔥 and the circuitry on the cover make it look like a physical piece of tech (which goes right with the story).

Two black cone shaped vases with wide mouths on a white platform and base. The vase is the foreground features swirls of orange, beige, and browns. Landscapes are etched into the swirls patterns. The vase in the background features blue and beige swirls with an abstract tree and buildings etched into the swirls patterns.

Two black cone shaped vases with wide mouths on a white platform and base. The vase in the background features swirls of orange, beige, and browns. Landscapes are etched into the swirls patterns. The vase in the foreground features blue and beige swirls with an abstract tree and buildings etched into the swirls patterns.

Rim close up of a glazed blacl vase. The glazes is an off white color and breaks over the edge of the rim.

Two black cone shaped vases with wide mouths on a white platform and base. The vase in the foreground is at an angle on its side and resting against the second vase. It features swirls of orange, beige, and browns. Landscapes are etched into the swirls patterns. The vase in the background features blue and beige swirls with an abstract tree and buildings etched into the swirls patterns.

Design ideas for the vases patiently waiting for me at the studio. They're made of reclaim, but they should only be a shade or two lighter than these vases.

#excited #ceramics #joy #art #pottery #design #sgraffito

While I was writing THE REFORMATORY, I learned that it's possible to talk a project to death. (It took me seven years.)

I came up with a rule that I couldn't talk about my WIP unless I had produced actual writing that day.

Hey, artists, in case you were wondering if your work matters: I'm a scientist working on climate change and biodiversity, and I would not be who I am today without The Lorax, The Secret of NIMH, Watership Down, The Last Unicorn, and The X-Files. I know I'm not alone. Thank you for all you do.

Neat idea. One piece from 2021-2024 #ceramics #pottery #art

Three vases sitting on a table in a community studio. The last two are resting on a thin board. The first two have bottoms that round out a little and then pinch back in.

Yesterday was all about trimming. Three of seven new pieces ready to glaze. The first two were hard to trim with loop tools. We survived 😅.

#pottery #ceramics #art

A line drawing of a person sitting facing the view. They look a little concerned or maybe like they are judging the viewer. They have one leg crossed in front of the other. Their elbow rests on this raised knee. They are leaning most of their body weight on their free hand. Their loose hair morphs into colorful buildings. The line drawing is filled with various colors. Not completely. Just some accent colors to make it interesting.

Entering the weekend a little angsty, with attitude, and ready for a nap. Weekend goals: clean art table so I can keep drawing, go to the studio, keep writing, make lemonade.

#rest #linedrawing #art #drawing