Dottie Low, respected San Francisco ceramic artist and teacher, will have her one-of-a-kind creations on display from Oct. 7 to Nov. 25 at the Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco in an exhibit entitled Breaking the Mold: Earth, Water, Fire.
Both novices as well as those who have familiarity with clay and water and firing in kilns will find Low’s contemporary pieces exciting and evocative.
Low is as expressive with clay as she is with her memories of how it all began. She shares her recollections with AsianWeek.
Tell us about your formative years.
I was born in Hong Kong, arriving [in the U.S.] at one year old; we lived in my uncle’s home on Trenton Street, an alley facing Ping Yuen Housing, across from the Chinese Hospital. My father was a merchant seaman and was away quite often. My mother kept house for my uncle and his family.
How did growing up in Chinatown, and your mother’s experiences working at a sewing factory, affect you?
Like so many other working mothers in Chinatown, my mother worked at Eva Joe’s sewing factory on Stockton Street. I was fascinated by the folds created by the remnants of fabric in bins waiting to be sewn into clothing. I liked the colors, the texture, and certainly admired the piecework tasks assembled by my mother and her fellow garment workers.
I learned how to sew when I was nine years old, making my own clothing in high school, including prom dresses for my friends. Years later, I even made my own wedding gown, as well as the dresses for the rest of the wedding party, my mother’s outfit and the suit for the ring bearer!
As a child, I helped tend my uncle’s curio shop on Grant Avenue. I loved the imports from Japan, and was fascinated by the beauty and craftsmanship of those products.
How did you get into ceramics?
When I was 16, the highlight of my day was Mr. Feldman’s pottery class at Washington High School. At San Francisco State, I was able to be even more free and creative in ‘breaking the mold’ of the societal expectations of Chinese girls and women. Working with clay and being able to throw it on the wheel was very empowering; yes, it was an act of power! Was I in search of myself, was it a self-portrait piece of a young artist on the edge of a seascape asking those questions of, ‘Who am I? What is my future?’ With Breaking the Mold, the viewer has a chance to see my answers and self-discovery in these pieces.
You became a wife, mother, artist and teacher…
I married my husband Randall Low, MD, in 1975 and lived in L.A., where I set up a mini studio on our student-housing patio. We raised three wonderful self-reliant daughters. I returned to clay, working at Sharon Art Studio, a program of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, in Golden Gate Park. I’ve been teaching ceramics for the past eight years. My students range from eight to 91 years old!
How have you developed a new contemporary vision?
As Loma Prieta Earthquake struck [San Francisco in 1989], my piece was spinning on the pottery wheel. That piece became the earthquake piece symbolizing and motivating a new awakening in me to expand and break out into my current contemporary work. My work took on a new look; I wanted the clay to reflect the stress, the texture, the un-earthing of the clay to the surface. I loved the texture developing before me!
Tell us about working with clay?
When my hands touch clay, they take on a life of their own. It’s like an out-of-body experience, my hands know the familiarity of the clay and I watch my hands create. Clay is as common a material as you can get, and yet, the wonderment from taking this material through all its processes is indeed mystifying and a lifetime challenge.