Creating Clayville

Once upon a time, deep, deep inside, at the core of mist, dust and smoke, Clayville was formed. With the blessings of Clayngels and beneficent spells of Clayzards, all the Claybeings flourished and prospered. The Clayons and Clayettes kept multiplying until Clayville was full. So, with the help of Santa Clays, they came into our mortal world to spread joy and happiness.

Written by Jennifer Barnes Moffett / Photos by Price Portraits

To artist Mayssan Shora Farra, Clayville is a mystical place where inspiration is nurtured and the essence of everyday life is captured in small but vibrant clay figurines.

Mayssan says the Clayville Collection all started after she’d been creating pottery for a few years. “A niece of mine wanted to make a sculpture representing her and her mom, so we went in the studio, and following a method for creating women out of slabs, we created it,” she says. “At that point a bulb lit up, and I thought this was something that could be applied to so much more than just women.”

Once she completed the first “claybeing” (as she named them), Mayssan’s love of life and family, as well as the art of Norman Rockwell, inspired the subsequent collection. Her ongoing inspiration for new pieces comes from her immediate environment and personal memories, more specifically, things like “a mother and her children walking a low wall, a memory of my first dance with my dad, or images of a tranquil day fishing.” Some of the figures have been requests from clients, which have included everything from a violinist to a group of surfers.

Though Mayssan typically makes the clay figures in batches, the meticulous process of forming, firing, and glazing takes a total of two to three days. The bases are made first using different colors of clay, which gives each base a marbled effect. The claybeing is formed next by rolling out a slab, then pressing lace or other textures onto it for variegation. A shape is cut out, depending on the subject (triangle for Angels, or circles for hats, etc.), and then the arms and heads are formed. The hair for each figure is made by pressing the clay through a clay gun (which is similar to a garlic press). After the first firing, the ceramic stains are brushed on. The stain pools into the deeper areas of the figure, giving it a watercolor effect while emphasizing the texture. The glaze and final firing leave each piece with a glossy sheen.

The result is breathtaking. The small, expressive sculptures are filled with emotion, movement, and color. Interestingly, most of the claybeings are actually faceless. Yet they still convey a powerful lifelike aura. Mayssan says this decision was so “the onlookers will give them the face they envision.” As a result, the emotion of each piece is ultimately illustrated through simple things, like the angle of a head, or the overall posture and frozen gesture of each figure.

Mayssan’s fondness of working with clay is evident in her imaginative transformations through utilizing the medium. “It is soft, squishy, and receptive of whatever I want to make it into,” she says. “With clay I satisfy my 3D creativity, and yet I can also paint on it like watercolors or color it with glazes I make. Then there is always that anticipation when I surrender it to the fire that keeps me anxious until it comes out, hopefully with flying colors.”

Mayssan began creating pottery in 1994. “It started as something to fill an empty nest syndrome, but ended up being a necessity like eating,” she says. In the beginning, she says it was difficult to part with her creations, but as it evolved into her work and passion, the process of “making” became the part she enjoys the most.

Mayssan and her husband first moved to Charleston from Damascus, Syria, in 1976 for his medical residency, where she says they felt at home right away. “I remember it was such a friendly place. We were unloading the truck when people stopped to say hi. One offered us a free meal at his restaurant and another gave us much-needed information about Charleston and living here.”

“Our feeling is still the same,” she adds. “It is a very friendly wonderful place, especially to raise a family and make friends.”

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