From the Kiln: Casper Potteress Fires Dreams into Reality

Linda Lyman is not just a potter. She's a sculptor, a painter, a jewelry maker...and that only scratches the surface. An exhibit featuring her works from the last 40 years are currently on display at the Casper College in the Tobin Visual Arts building until Dec. 7.

Lyman has lived in Wyoming for 42 years. She was born in Mo-town in the Late Sixties before they moved to the suburbs of Michigan. When she moved to Wyoming and became a mother of two, she made time for art here and there.

Her workspace is her kitchen. "Cook, dishes, throw pots and paint," that's the way it was says Lyman who confesses she is a "messy" artist. For Lyman and her daughters, art is a way of life. She herself worked as the Director of Education at the Nicolaysen Art Museum; her oldest was the Executive Director of 321.

We sit across from one another and I can't stop staring at her necklace. "Tourmaline," she tells me. Among her many talents, she makes jewelry. The light green stone hangs from a gold chain with another one holding a diamond that she found in a parking lot.

There is an obvious whimsy to her work, yet it's simple and pretty. She says she does not like to make ugly things -- "War, killing, drugs. That's not me." There's often an element of playfulness in her work. Her piece "Chair of Bowlies" articulates this perfectly:

Lyman says her sense of humor was developed by her friends growing up in high school. "We were very sarcastic." She thinks they were a bit naughty but I can't get much out of her concerning that.

"Now, I'm retired because I'm tired," teases the artist. Making art is physically and mentally demanding. "You get determined once you get started," she reveals. Hours spent molding clay can be tough on the back and legs. Then there's the conceptualization part. She says she finds inspiration in many places. She subscribes to different ceramic magazines, one from Germany. She'll brainstorm and cut out pictures that she likes.

The nice thing about being retired says the 73-year-old is that she is free to do what she pleases. She isn't as concerned with selling things as she once was. Make art, or don't. She's as much as an artist as an art collector. One of her favorite artists is Peter Max and she owns several of his works. In the Late Sixties he painted the Beatles and made posters for the Olympics.

Similar surrealist shapes and psychedelic colors are present in Lyman's pieces. I ask her what she hopes to give people with her work. "I want them to be happy and think of the planet. Us as human beings." As for the future? "I'm going to become Something Else" she states thoughtfully. "I would like to help people understand their feelings."

We end our chat discussing the gamut of life and the intensity that comes along with it.

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