MERRYN MACDONALD       . . . . . . . . . . . .     Young Raku Ceramacist

About Merryn Macdonald | Art Work

Merryn MacDonald was born in England and grew up living on sailing boats, acquiring a broad and eclectic education as well as a remarkable, in-depth knowledge of arts and crafts. Her family, including Merryn's American father (naval architect and boatbuilder), English mother (painter and sculptor), and brother (computer whiz), has sailed many thousands of miles around the North Atlantic and Caribbean, before coming to rest, at least for a while, in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Under her mother's tutelage, Merryn began to sculpt clay in 2003, making dolls, animals, clay whistles, and small figure sculptures. Merryn's primary interest is in the realistic depiction of local and domestic animals, including marine animals, reptiles and birds.

Raku firing, (derived from the Japanese tradition with modern adaptations), involves removing the work from the kiln when the temperature reaches 1780º F and plunging it into a metal bin containing paper and sawdust. The resulting oxygen-starved burn produces the blackening, crackle, and metallic glaze effects that is characteristic of Raku.

Merryn and her mother, artist Mandy Thody, have recently moved ashore on St. Croix where they are re-constructing some abandoned ruins in the rainforest for living and creating space.

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