Woman creates art to ‘make you smile’
At first glimpse Lori Hintz’s clay sculptures of females seem to celebrate womanhood in a spirit of nurturing playfulness but they also depict women rich in serenity and self-confidence.
Hintz seems to have an intuitive ability to create nontraditional busts and small statues of women that have, in the ceramics realm, received high praise.
“Hintz’s forms are unique, whimsical and well-received by the public,” says Patricia Kovatch, co-owner of Angel Gallery of Fine Arts and Antiques, where Hintz’s work is currently being displayed.
Hintz takes obvious pleasure in making her art.
“I want to create whimsical sculptures that make you smile and laugh. They are not meant to be realistic,” Hintz says.
Her own art history began at a young age. Born and raised in North Dakota, Hintz has fond childhood memories of completing many art projects, but mention the words Mod Podge, and Hintz laughs out loud.
Popular in the 1970s, Mod Podge was a thick, gluey substance that reminds a person of boiled-down Elmer’s glue. Back then it was used for decoupage, scrapbook pages, greeting cards, or just about anything you wanted to preserve.
“We did wonders with glitter and glue, walnuts and rocks,” Hintz says, laughing. “We were Mod Podged to death.”
As she grew older she taught craft activities to children.
“I have always had a natural interest in art,” Hintz says.
But it wasn’t until she moved to Wenatchee eight years ago that she had the time to take a community college clay class. But even that study was cut short when husband, Les, took a job in Hayden Lake.
After resettling and with her children enrolled in school, the time felt right to once again pursue her clay passion. Her husband enrolled her in a clay class, taught by Coeur d’Alene’s mud man, Tim Mosgrove, as a 40th birthday present, and she has never looked back.
“Lori was always enthusiastic and came to the studio with lots of ideas,” says Mosgrove. “My role was to show her how to put her vision into ceramic art.”
When Hintz begins a clay sculpture, she does not have a predetermined piece in her mind.
“I never do a preliminary sketch, and I never think about the sculpture ahead of time,” Hintz says. “It is a true creative spirit. As I build the piece, things just come to me.”
Hintz hand-builds her sculptures working with high-fire clay and then uses stains, oxides, metallics, glazes and, occasionally, Rub ‘n Buff.
Hintz’ female sculptures have no hands, and she doesn’t have a clue as to why.
“I have no idea why, but as a result, I decided to call my business No Hands Pottery,” Hintz says.
Hintz says she has no specific clay influences but she has grown to appreciate the fine art of Spokane artist Mel McCuddin.
“McCuddin’s art is largely figurative, intuitive and also whimsical,” says Hintz, who draws parallels to her own style. “Realism is too tight and too precise for me.”
“I am still in the ‘ah stage’ and simply cannot believe I’m doing something I love,” says Hintz. “People are buying my sculptures and putting them in their homes. It feels like a fantasy world.”
She is not sure where the distant future will take her, but Hintz is currently preparing for the Clay Arts Guild of North Idaho’s third annual Mud and Spirits Christmas Pottery Show to be held at The Old Church Arts and Cultural Center in Post Falls.
“Mud and Spirits has been successful from the first year,” says Hintz. “It includes more than 20 participating potters, and features functional and sculptural vessels of every kind.”
For the first time Mud and Spirits will feature a gala opening on Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. Wine, hors d’oeuvres and music will be offered for a ticket price of $10. A limited number of tickets currently are on sale.
The Mud and Spirits public sale is scheduled for next Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and admission is free.
Hintz says that her desire is to bring humor into people’s lives.
“My desire is that each original piece brings humor to your life as it does to mine – with a ball of clay and my imagination,” says Hintz.