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Syma creates mostly decorative ceramics. This 15-inch tall bottomless vessel is fashioned from smoke-fired earthenware clay with underglaze, glaze and 24-karat gold leaf.
Syma’s love for clay work began at age 4, when she started making mud pies. She even pounded her mud creations with her mom’s copper-bottomed frying pan to “get the shiny gold” onto her artwork. These days, she buys her mud and uses 24-karat gold leaf to adorn her pieces.
Syma will return to Breckenridge’s Tin Shop for a second summer, from May 20 until June 14, to host workshops and open studio hours.
Now based in New York City, Syma has created bas relief architectural facades in concrete and sculpted brick for Boston- and Philadelphia-area architects, indoor sculptural tile murals measuring 6 feet for a science center outside of Boston, and smaller pieces including garden sculptures, jewelry and vessel forms.
“I love doing the architectural work because it’s a chance to help the clients manifest their vision, and usually it’s much larger in scale and scope than the studio work I do,” Syma said. “One is counterpoint to the other.”
Most of her personal art is more for decoration than practical use. For example, she calls work she started in 2003 “bottomless vessels to hold change.” She blends her psychology major and art minor to produce pieces reflecting her life processes.
“A lot of the work has been kind of a reflection of what I’m trying to do,” she said, “like when I was learning about the changes of living in the U.K., I decided what I needed to deal with that was a bottomless vessel, because change can’t be contained.”
She also likes hiding imagery within her adorned clay artwork — modeling, painting and drawing in a state of active meditation.
“I like playing with the ambiguities— and sometimes, they’re unconscious,” she said. “I find more meaning when someone else looks at it and tells me what they see. It was so exciting (last summer) to have hundreds of people in Breckenridge come through my studio. Their response was so inspirational.
“For some of the works, I hope there’s a magical quality. There’s often some sort of story going on, (though) I’m not exactly sure what the story is. It’s always my hope the viewer will bring their interpretation to the story.”
Syma teaches art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She has exhibited her work for nearly 30 years throughout the nation, and more recently, in the U.K. She has earned numerous artist grants and awards, including an NEA stipend and an EARTHWATCH fellowship. She works extensively with people of all ages (including psychiatric patients), encouraging creativity.
“Syma is a joy,” said Jenn Cram, Arts District coordinator. “She is able to convey the artistic process to all that are interested in learning, whether they are experienced art makers or casual observers. Syma’s creative energy transforms the Tin Shop into a magical space for playing with mud.”
Syma will return to Breckenridge’s Tin Shop for a second summer, from May 20 until June 14, to host workshops and open studio hours.
Now based in New York City, Syma has created bas relief architectural facades in concrete and sculpted brick for Boston- and Philadelphia-area architects, indoor sculptural tile murals measuring 6 feet for a science center outside of Boston, and smaller pieces including garden sculptures, jewelry and vessel forms.
“I love doing the architectural work because it’s a chance to help the clients manifest their vision, and usually it’s much larger in scale and scope than the studio work I do,” Syma said. “One is counterpoint to the other.”
Most of her personal art is more for decoration than practical use. For example, she calls work she started in 2003 “bottomless vessels to hold change.” She blends her psychology major and art minor to produce pieces reflecting her life processes.
“A lot of the work has been kind of a reflection of what I’m trying to do,” she said, “like when I was learning about the changes of living in the U.K., I decided what I needed to deal with that was a bottomless vessel, because change can’t be contained.”
She also likes hiding imagery within her adorned clay artwork — modeling, painting and drawing in a state of active meditation.
“I like playing with the ambiguities— and sometimes, they’re unconscious,” she said. “I find more meaning when someone else looks at it and tells me what they see. It was so exciting (last summer) to have hundreds of people in Breckenridge come through my studio. Their response was so inspirational.
“For some of the works, I hope there’s a magical quality. There’s often some sort of story going on, (though) I’m not exactly sure what the story is. It’s always my hope the viewer will bring their interpretation to the story.”
Syma teaches art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She has exhibited her work for nearly 30 years throughout the nation, and more recently, in the U.K. She has earned numerous artist grants and awards, including an NEA stipend and an EARTHWATCH fellowship. She works extensively with people of all ages (including psychiatric patients), encouraging creativity.
“Syma is a joy,” said Jenn Cram, Arts District coordinator. “She is able to convey the artistic process to all that are interested in learning, whether they are experienced art makers or casual observers. Syma’s creative energy transforms the Tin Shop into a magical space for playing with mud.”
