Did you know that AMCAW is managed and run by a large team of volunteers? All metal clay artists, they share their professional skills and energy to help AMCAW create and bring you more programs, tutorials, and fun. We thought you’d enjoy meeting some of these fabulous volunteers – and perhaps become a volunteer yourself!
Kathy Moon joined AMCAW as soon as it started in August 2018, and immediately volunteered. “I love metal clay,” said Kathy, “and I wanted to be part of something exciting in metal clay and meet other artists.” She asked to be on the Communications and Marketing team as she likes to write, and it was a perfect match as the team was looking for writers.
Besides writing, Kathy creates inspirational quotes for the Metal Clay Fun with AMCAW Facebook group and helps moderate the AMCAW Members Group on Facebook.
As she lives in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S., Kathy is the westernmost member of the Communications and Marketing team. As the easternmost member lives in Romania, team calls often find Kathy bleary-eyed and sipping her morning tea while the team’s Romanian member is dressed up and ready to go out for the evening!
That widespread group of volunteers, who are now also friends after working together for five years, is what Kathy likes best about being an AMCAW volunteer. “I have made good friends in the metal clay world who are helpful, interesting, and make beautiful stuff! Now I have friends all over the world. How cool is THAT?!”
While Kathy has great writing skills, her professional career path was along other lines altogether. She was a vocal performance major in school and considered pursuing a career in opera. Instead, she eventually became a nurse practitioner. (Originally a lyric soprano, Kathy says that disuse over the years has caused her to lose some of her upper range and she is now closer to a mezzo soprano.) After recently retiring, she is now able to spend more time doing what she likes best: fishing, spending time with family, and creating with metal clay.
Kathy discovered metal clay in 2016 when she attended a class offered by her local lapidary club. She had done some metalsmithing but didn’t like to solder, and was interested in learning how to set stones in metal clay. It quickly became a passion, and soon she obtained a Level 1 Certification in Art Clay Silver.
Kathy’s current metal clay project is an octopus. Still in its greenware stage at the time of our interview, Kathy confesses that she tends to get in a hurry at this stage and has to slow down and really look for small imperfections that can be refined before firing. This piece has caused her to think more about structure as it’s a bit of a 3-dimensional piece. “I have broken off and repaired the tentacles a few times, just saying…” she laughs. “I seem to learn best the hard way!”
Always advancing her skills, Kathy has recently focused on taking better photographs of her work. “I took a Pam East photography class,” she says, “and that has really upped my game taking shots of my work. Now I have to reshoot my entire inventory!”
About Kathy
Kathy Moon is the owner of MoonKissed Creations, where she shows her love of the sea, gems, and minerals in both metal clay and wire-wrapped creations. An avid fisher, her idea of a great vacation is a week fishing and enjoying the sun in Mexico.
Find her online at www.MoonKissedCreations.com, or on Facebook @kathy kolb moon.
Would you like to join one of our volunteer teams? Our Volunteer Support Team will help to find a team that would match your skills. If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact us at hello@amcaw.org.
