Crazy Cat Lady Ceramics- Chris Hudson & Shelly Hail

In June we participated in CatCon LA which was an amazing show full of cat inspired products for both humans and cats. You can read more about it here. We were neighbors with the two artists you will be meeting in this week's blog. Their work so unusual and amazing we just had to interview them, so here goes. Meet Chris Hudson and Shelly Hail of Crazy Cat Lady Ceramics.

 

How do animals inspire your artwork?

We started our company after our beloved cat Bull Bull passed away in 2013. We were already active in the ceramics world but were only making sculpture. We started to search for an urn for his ashes and we couldn’t find anything that really inspired us. So we decided to make our own. We traveled a lot in 2013 and on one of the road trips we decided on the name Crazy Cat Lady Ceramics. People had been calling us that for years anyway. After that things just kind of snowballed. Every day we feel so lucky we get to make objects for people that honor and celebrate their pets. It’s the best.

What medium do you work in (watercolor, acrylic, digital, pottery, photography etc.)?

Clay ,wood, mixed media, whatever we find.

How long have you been creating art?

Chris has been working with clay for 17 years. She spent the first decade of her career as an artist in London England. She was a ceramics professor at different University’s and ran a ceramics department in an art center for several years. Later she decided to head home to the US. Up a mountain in Vermont she met Shelly. Shelly started her ceramics life in Montreal and has been actively working with clay for 2 years.

Do you own or have you owned any pets and if so, tell us about them?

Push Push, Monkey, Baby Jesus and our sprit guide Bull Bull are our current pets. They inspire us every day. Push Push is the queen of the house. She is 8 and was born in Montreal. Bull Bull who passed away in 2013 was her brother. Baby Jesus is 7 and was also born in Montreal. He used to be a serious outdoor cat and an expert hunter. Now he is retired and enjoys a life of luxury in the Bohemian Cat House in Vermont. Monkey is the youngest, he is 4. He was born in a barn in Vermont. Monkey is the rebel and trouble maker of the gang. The cats really are the rock stars of Crazy Cat Lady Ceramics. They have over 50,000 social media followers. They have their own short films, as appearing on a ton of ceramic items and inspiring our sculpture.

Push Push

Monkey

Baby Jesus

Bull Bull

What is your favorite piece of artwork you’ve created and why?

It’s impossible to pick one favorite piece. It’s like asking what your favorite song is. It constantly changes depending on mood. Of our recent work we both really love our Madonna and Child. This piece was inspired by Push Push the ultimate female cat in the house and Baby Jesus, the ultimate sweetheart. The Madonna and Child is an icon/altar we made dedicated to all the fur babies that have passed away. It is one of the most complicated pieces we have ever made. It’s constructed out of 7 different sections and made of 5 different materials, English porcelain, 24k gold, wood, velvet, foam, metal. It’s a great combination of religious iconography, sweetness, weirdness and humor.

To see more of these amazing artist's works, visit them here:

Website
Facebook
Twitter @catladyceramics
Instagram  #crazycatladyceramics

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