In the Ceramics studio Vicky Smith attentively prepares colored clay slips of different percentages of added oxides for her class to test in the upcoming woodfire. Smith has been a ceramics teacher at ACC since 2013 and began teaching drawing as well in 2019. 

Smith began drawing comic strips when she was about six years old and at sixteen her first job was working for a ceramic artist making sculptures using press molds. 

When attending the University of Colorado in Boulder originally pursuing a double major in art history and art education. One of her art teachers, Betty Woodman, nominated her for a talent and creativity scholarship. Which encouraged  her to pursue a degree in Fine Arts.

In her personal work Smith enjoys making large scale sculptures, “I like the way people interact with them,” Smith says “I like the cast shadow and [the sculpture] … in an environment.” 

When making larger scale sculptures, Smith’s approach is to make things in parts that she can lift by herself and assemble together in the final stages. “Once you start stacking things, they can get big,” She explains calmly, “I like the challenge of the stacking part.” 

Drawing plays a big role in her ceramic work because it allows her to map out the construction of her pieces and the engineering behind them.

On the topic of teaching drawing here at ACC, “It’s just another way of challenging my brain,” Smith says, “Or setting up exercises to make a point or something is a new challenge, because I’ve taught ceramics for so long, so it’s just a way to stretch my brain”. 

She enjoys teaching because she can work with people. In addition to teaching ceramics and drawing classes at ACC, Vicky is also a part of D’Art gallery where she shows and sells her work.

She feels fortunate working with clay because “It lends itself to a community atmosphere. And …  over the years, I’ve watched so many good things happen in a community atmosphere, and I don’t feel like I am at all responsible for it, but I witness it.” she says warmly.