Fine Art & Craft by Regional Artists
Kathy Jeffers has been a professional clay artist since 1970. Having received a BA in music in 1967 from Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia, she taught music in public schools for 2 years, while pursuing clay as a hobby. Within 2 years, she realized her real talent and passion were for working in clay. While studying for 2 years in private pottery studios in NYC, she made a living teaching pottery classes and selling her work in craft galleries and craft fairs throughout the east coast. She maintained a co-op pottery studio in the Soho area of NYC for 7 years.
Her work always had a whimsical and sculptural quality, and by 1979 her career made a natural evolution to 3-D clay illustration - she did caricature magazine illustrations by sculpting whimsical scenes in Sculpey, and having them shot by professional photographers. The photos were used on magazine covers, in full-page editorial illustrations, and in advertising. She worked for Fortune Magazine, Readers Digest, McGraw Hill Publishing, Medical Economics, Sesame Street Magazine, and other magazine publishers. Her advertising work included such clients as Ogylvie-Mather, Doyle Dane Bernbach, GGK International, and more.
For many years she maintained a studio in the Chelsea area of Manhattan,
and gradually her career evolved into yet another profession in clay; that
of sculpting prototypes and factory-ready models for the toy, gift, and
cosmetic industries. Her clients have included Fisher-Price, Hasbro,
Childrens' Television Workshop/Sesame St., Jim Henson Co./Muppets, Disney,
RoseArt, Palisades Toys, Pleasant Company (American Girl Dolls), Avon
Products, Elizabeth Arden, and many more.
At present, she splits her time between NYC and the Catskills. She has a
studio in Woodbourne, NY and most of her work consists of sculpting for the
toy industry. She is finding time again to do her own pottery, and is
part-owner and founder of the Catskill Artists Gallery , a cooperative art
and fine craft gallery in Liberty, NY. She also taught handbuilding pottery
classes for 2 years at the Catskill Art Society in Hurleyville, NY, now
located in Livingston Manor, NY. She is presently teaching handbuilding at
The Old Stone House in Woodbourne, NY.