Kati Texas: On "Studio Space," Micki Flatmo has been known for her evocative oil paintings.

Learn about the daring new direction she's taken to incorporate a third dimension into her work.

Kati: Naja Tepe's charming botanical ceramics bring vivid intensity to the table.

Watch as she blends clay, carving, and color to create tableware that is beautiful and practical.

"Studio Space" explores Northern California's vibrant art community.

♪♪♪ Kati: Hi, I'm Kati Texas.

Today on "Studio Space," we're talking with painter and costume designer, Micki Flatmo.

Let's go in her studio and see how she makes her amazing creations.

♪♪♪ Micki Flatmo: It was always about putting it out in the world, you know?

And I care--I care and always have cared about whether or not people enjoy my work, and I work hard at it because I want people to see something in it.

♪♪♪ Kati: Hi, Micki.

Thank you so much for inviting us into your studio.

Micki: Thank you, Kati.

Thank you for being here.

It's fun.

Kati: There's a lot to talk about.

But let me just ask you, first, what do you do?

What is your art form?

Micki: Right now, I've been through lots of different incarnations in my lifetime as an artist.

I've always made things, done paintings, drawings.

It's been a progression now for, you know, close to 50 years actually of creating.

And so, over those years, things have come and gone and interests have, you know, peaked and waned, and right now, I am really involved with costume design.

It's only been happening for about the last three-- I mean, professionally, for about the last three years.

But, started probably 30 years ago with the Kinetic Sculpture Race and putting all this stuff together and making masks, Duane and I, we've been together for 40 years now, just about, and our very first date was mask-making.

And so, costume design has been a part of my life and our lives, you know, for a long time now.

♪♪♪ Micki: I was contacted by the North Coast Dance Company to design costumes for their "Nutcracker Ballet."

They needed new costumes.

Kati: Oh.

Micki: Yeah, so the Mother Ginger and then I did the new Rat King and Queen and made their masks.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Micki: It's been an absolute joy to do that.

I really had fun doing that.

And I have a really great team of seamstresses.

Their costume design shop is phenomenal.

I get to do all of the-- I do all the designs, I do all of the-- choose all of the fabrics.

I tell them where the fabric's gonna go, how it's all supposed to work together, and then they just do what I ask.

It's just crazy wonderful.

And they are brilliant.

They're great seamstresses.

There is no challenge.

I have thrown them some serious challenges, and they have risen beyond my expectations, honestly.

I do the things that they can't do, which are I make the wigs, I design the wigs, I do all of the jewelry and the necklaces, and I flesh out the character, you know, with metal and jewelry and all that kind of stuff, and the designs that are native to me and that work for the costumes.

So I have my own section that I get to do on my own, but I also get to, you know, design them and then help them bring those into the world, so, super fun.

Kati: Sounds super fun, especially working with somebody who has the skills to bring your vision into reality.

Oh, and then to put it on a dancer who then is just gonna bring it to life.

It gets to be this living, breathing, dancing thing.

Micki: Yes, and it has-- the costume has to move, and I've been making my own costumes for years but of the Burning Man costumes that I've done, I wear them myself.

And I've worn all of these costumes.

These are my costumes.

And so, I know that they fit well, I know that they're super-comfortable.

I know they're not gonna come apart and there are no--nothing's poking me, you know?

And so, that, all of that, translated really easily into making costumes for the ballet because my costumes also, you know, there were a lot of corsets, they're fitted, there's a lot of areas that could be--that could go wrong.

But because I wear them myself, you know, I've resolved those issues and it went-- it goes directly into we're keeping those dancers comfortable and moving.

Kati: Is there anything else unexpected about creating for the theater?

Anything else you weren't-- that took you by surprise?

Micki: Well, you have to say something.

And it's gotta read the way you want it to read from 35 or 40 feet.

So the costumes have all got to be strong design, you know?

Each element, if you need that element to stay away-- to stand out, it's got to be-- it's got to have contrast.

It has to be bold.

And so, everything is built larger and designed bigger than you think it-- than you think it would be.

The thing that crossed over so easily was in a painting you have all of these different tools that you use, you know, to hold the viewer's eye, you know, to lead their eye around the canvas, to tell them the story: contrast and color and all of those elements, it's the same here.

It's the very same here.

You use those elements of good design to make the costume work and read at 30 or 40 feet.

Kati: And did you work with the set designer and the lighting folks?

'Cause, of course, you're putting it on a person but then that person is in front of a piece of art, which is the set.

Micki: Well, I actually design the set.

Kati: Oh, well, that works.

Micki: Yeah, yeah, and so, ballet doesn't use a lot of sets.

They use a few things.

It's mostly just about the dance and backdrops and that kind of a thing.

But in the Arkley Theater, they do something which I think is completely wonderful, which is they have a scene in the "Nutcracker" that includes, you know, 30-- 24 to 30 people, on average, every year.

Those are all the kids that take dance classes, that their parents that come.

There's 30 or 40 people who are not professional dancers, who aren't studying ballet.

Kati: The party scene, right?

Micki: Well, the party scene's part of it, but the Mother Ginger scene turned into that with the pie.

And so all of the--a lot of-- here are soloists and they sprinkle in a few of the dancers who are trained but, by and large, that scene is for everybody.

And the idea was that Mother Ginger was a baker and she has a lovely bakery and all of the kids from the neighborhood and their parents come in and they all meet at the bakery.

That was just the, I mean, absolutely the best, you know?

And everybody feels good and looks beautiful and they all get to be as important as these gorgeous dancers.

Really fun, yeah.

Kati: So, some of your stuff is for you for Burning Man.

You've done work with the theater.

I mean, you said some of these pieces are elsewhere.

Where else have your costumes ended up?

Micki: Well, they just-- mostly, the ones that I make, this one--this one I wore to the Smithsonian for an art opening at the Smithsonian.

Kati: Right, the piece that's in the Smithsonian is Duane's-- Micki: Is Duane's dragon.

Kati: And this has similar themes?

Micki: Yeah, it uses some of the same material.

When I first started doing costume design for Burning Man, he was making--he was-- the Tin Pan Dragon was one of his main machines and so I was just really kind of trying to make things that would coordinate and look really cool with the machines.

And I liked--I loved--I fell in love with costume design at Burning Man because everybody wears something.

I mean, nobody, you know, go looking like you're just arrived from Mervyn's, right?

There's a lot of effort.

People put a lot of effort and energy into costume design and that, for me, was like, "That's a great way I can participate in this without really needing to build a machine.

I don't have to do a big art piece.

I can just go along and play.

It was just a great way to participate in Burning Man, and I look--we look forward to it every year.

Changed our lives and I get excited.

It inspires me to keep making things.

And now I have people from Burning Man who are asking me to do commission pieces for them, for costumes for Burning Man.

You know, COVID interrupted all of that idea, but we'll get back to it, you know, when everything starts to crank up again because it's going to.

So I'll be doing commission pieces for people at Burning Man.

And then I have other ideas, things I'd like to do with costume design.

I'd love to participate in New Zealand World of Wearable Art Show.

It's a global art competition for costume design, fabulous.

You just have to--you just do everything on spec and then you--it's a juried show, and you send it all to New Zealand and see if you get in.

Kati: Oh wow.

Micki: Yeah.

Kati: Is there something about the actual medium, the actual process, that you really enjoy?

Micki: About costume design?

Kati: Yeah.

Micki: Yeah, yeah, a lot of things.

Actually, after being a painter and drawer and draftsman for, you know, for decades, I fell in love with beautiful fabrics.

I've always liked beautiful fabrics but, to tell you the truth, it was how easy it was to make something that was wonderful.

It was like, oh my God, you mean I don't have to draw this pattern?

I can actually just go get that piece of fabulous fabric and put it together with this piece of fabulous fabric and I'm on my way.

And so it was a shortcut.

It was easier.

It was a simpler and more enjoyable process than having to laboriously draw, paint everything.

Kati: That's really interesting, I would think it was more difficult because it's a three-dimensional thing, and it's something that has to fit on a body, you know, and has to move and so there's that-- Micki: It is sculptural and it is difficult to do that.

It's humbling to make--to figure out how to make a costume and how to make it fit you.

It's--other people spend their lifetime, patternmakers, which I work with a really fine patternmaker from the-- that I met at the ballet.

And that girl is a whizz, and I just love, you know, I mean, what she does I admire her.

I try it, I do my own, because I can't afford her, you know?

I mean, I can't afford to hire her to do all of my pattern-making for me and that's part of the creative process is just figuring it out.

That's the fun of it.

And you can make a lot of really weird stuff first.

It's like not--nobody in their right mind would put this on and go outside.

So I'm not either, you know?

Keep going, keep going, keep going.

I really love working with the ballet, with the theater, because it's a community project, you know?

I spent years, decades, alone in my studio making paintings, doing just by myself, day in, day out.

And then take it to a gallery and have an opening and it was always really fun and I would meet people, but that would last for a day.

That's a one-day event after a one year of prepping, and so you're working all the time by yourself.

The collaborative effort that's come from costume design is absolutely a joy.

It's an absolute joy.

It's like working with musicians, you know?

It's like being a band.

You know, everybody plays their part and then people come to enjoy what it is that you've made.

Kati: Do you think about the impact your art has on other people and their thoughts about it, or is it more just about getting it-- your own thing out there?

Micki: Well, costume design-wise, it's all about other people seeing it, you know, and dancing in it and making presentations in it and the audience enjoying it.

So there's a huge component to being onstage and showing.

It's a communicative effort.

I've never been alone in my-- even in my secret life of day in and day out in the studio, it's always been about saying something that someone else was gonna appreciate or see and enjoy, maybe, you know?

Kati: Well, I certainly enjoy it.

Micki: Ah, thank you.

Kati: And I've definitely enjoyed talking with you.

Thank you so much for inviting us here.

It's been really fascinating.

Micki: Thank you for coming.

It's been a treat for me.

Thank you.

Kati: And thank you for joining us today on "Studio Space."

♪♪♪ Rose Nhem: Hi, I'm Rose Nhem.

Ceramicist Naja Tepe makes botanically inspired pieces for form and function.

When she's not working with clay, Naja crafts wearable works of art through jewelry making.

Come along as we explore the process behind her work.

Naja Tepe: I would just like to convey that everyday things can be beautiful and if my functional pottery can make you happy when you take it out of the cupboard, I'd like to convey that happiness and that beauty into your everyday life.

♪♪♪ Rose: Naja, thank you so much for allowing us in your space.

Naja: Thank you for coming.

Rose: What made you decide to pursue art?

Naja: I was always creative but I never thought that I could pursue art actually, because I couldn't draw or paint and that's what I thought an artist did.

Well, in my mid 30s I decided to go back to HSU and, I don't know, there's something about that time of life where you just wanna start doing what you wanna do and I thought I'm just gonna go for an art degree.

I had taken a wheel-throwing class at the Fire Arts Center from Peggy Loudon ten years previous.

And that was my introduction, really, into ceramics as an adult.

Rose: How would you describe your work?

Naja: I would say that my work is functional.

That's important to me.

I really like functional work.

I'm not really a knickknack person.

I like to keep my space relatively clean, but I like my functional pieces to be decorative.

I would call it a folk art style.

I just make what I think is beautiful, that I like to look at and use.

Rose: What made you decide to choose the botanical theme?

Naja: I've always been a gardener.

That's just what I'd like to draw so that's what I started with, and I draw a lot of poppies.

Those are my favorite flowers.

It's just what's inside of me, so that's what comes out.

Rose: Right, blossoming with flower.

The original work that you had, had a lot of contrasts, a lot of black and white, and I notice that you're adding more colors to it.

What made you decide to evolve into that color palette?

Naja: I did start with black and white, originally.

I've always just been drawn to that really graphic bold design type.

I would say that I started just because there are so many beautiful glazes to choose from, so I started using color, and people really responded well to it.

In a way, I'm still really experimenting, so maybe I'll go back to just black and white but, for now, I'm having a lot of fun with color.

Rose: So do you have a favorite color?

Naja: It changes, depending on what I'm working on.

I love jewel tones as you can see.

I have a lot of purples and dark greens, dark reds, but I think it just depends on what I'm working on and that's my favorite color at the moment.

Rose: Is there anything that satisfies you the most about your work?

Naja: I love making pieces that are functional.

It can be a lot of work, so many steps, in making a piece of pottery, but when I open the kiln and everything's done, and I take it out, that's the most satisfying feeling.

Rose: The completed work, basically.

Naja: The completed work.

That makes it all worth it.

Rose: Is there any advice that you have for a budding artist?

Naja: The best advice that I can give is just to make what feels good for you.

Don't make your work to make other people happy.

For me, when I really came into my stride was when I just started making what was coming out of me and what made me happy.

Rose: Could you take us through the process of how you make your ceramics?

Naja: Sure.

Everything begins with a block of clay.

For most of my plates and bowls, I hand-build.

So I take some clay.

I run it through my slab-roller, make a sheet of clay, put it on a mold.

After that, about a day later, I can take it off the mold and then I smooth the edges.

I paint it with three coats of colored underglaze and then when that's dry enough, I just take a carving tool, just a little metal-tipped carving tool, and I just freehand draw and carve away the designs.

And after that, it has to dry 'til it's bone dry and then I wax and carve the back of each piece and then I inlay that design with a colored underglaze.

Then it goes through the kiln once.

That's called a bisque firing.

I take it out, put a clear glaze over it and put it back in the kiln for a glaze firing, and that's what makes it foodsafe.

Rose: So, all of this has been very fascinating.

Could we see how you do your work?

Naja: I would love to show you.

Rose: So, what is this part of the process?

Naja: So this is where the pieces have come off the molds and they're leather hard.

And what I'm doing here is rasping the edges and then sponging them so that they're nice and smooth.

I have three pieces here.

This is going to be a spoon rest, this is going to be a soapdish, and this is just going to be an oval plate or tray.

Rose: Okay.

♪♪♪ Rose: So this is just basically, just smoothing out.

Naja: Yeah, I'm making it smooth and pretty, so.

Just, one of the many steps.

If the edges are nice and smooth, it makes it less likely to chip.

Yes, so there's that.

And then just esthetically, it looks nice.

Rose: It's very satisfying to watch it smooth out.

Naja: It is.

I could say that it's pretty therapeutic to work with clay.

♪♪♪ Naja: Do you wanna give it a try?

Rose: Sure.

All right, let's try this out.

Naja: Yeah, sort of pinch the sponge around the edge.

Rose: But you don't want to have too much pressure, right?

Naja: Not too much pressure 'cause pottery is pretty much breakable at any stage.

Rose: Oh, even doing--okay.

Naja: Yeah.

Yeah, I see.

This is a very interesting-- Rose: So is there a certain stage that the clay has to be in for you to get to the point of carving?

Naja: Absolutely.

You just sort of learn to tell when the clay is at the right stage.

If it's too moist, you can gouge it too much when you're carving.

And if it's too dry, the underglaze will chip off, and it won't be as clean a line.

Rose: How do you know when a piece is ready to be fired?

Naja: It's just all a matter of balance, I think.

You know, I'll carve the main design and then, as I work on it, I just add details here and there, if I feel like it needs a little more balance.

And when it feels balanced, I set it aside and let it dry.

The weather is a big determining factor.

If it's sunny out, pieces can dry really fast.

If we're having a foggy day, it can take days and days.

Rose: So what do you call this method?

Naja: This is called sgraffito and it's just the carving through the underglaze to reveal the clay body below.

Rose: So what language is "sgraffito" from?

Naja: I believe that it's Italian.

So when this is fired in the kiln, the clay that looks gray now will turn white.

Rose: I see a lot of the repeating patterns that you mentioned.

Have you worked on mandalas?

Naja: Yeah, aside from flowers, mandalas are probably my other favorite thing to carve and draw.

I find it very meditative and often I incorporate flowers into my mandalas.

Rose: How long does carving take, usually, on average?

Naja: It depends on the piece.

It depends on the complexity of the design.

It also depends on whether or not I'm carving away the entire background which I do on some of my pieces.

So, something small like a trinket dish, maybe ten minutes.

Something large like a platter, a few hours or more.

Even in my borders here, you can see I'm incorporating sort of a leaf design.

I try to change up my borders now and again but when I find something that I like, I usually stick with it for a while.

Rose: What do you usually like?

Naja: Well, lots of curves and repeating lines.

I find something really comforting in the repeating patterns.

So it's busy but it's organized, maybe.

So, I was going to carve strawberries on this particular piece.

Rose: Now, this is something that really impresses me.

You are working freehand.

Have you ever drawn a pattern and overlaid it on it and then carved it, or do you just work from your brain?

Naja: I primarily just carve freehand.

I used to say that I didn't know what I was going to carve on a piece until I was holding it in my hand and I sort of got a feel for what it wanted.

And maybe that sounds funny.

Now that I make more work, I typically have an idea of what I'm going to do, but I almost never draw anything out beforehand.

Rose: How would you describe your work?

Naja: I would say that it's sort of traditionally feminine, very botanically inspired.

Earthy and organic, yet I like to make sure that my pieces are functional so they're foodsafe.

They're also microwave and dishwasher safe.

Rose: Oh, neat.

Naja: Yeah.

Naja: I want them to be thoroughly used and enjoyed.

♪♪♪ Rose: What was the biggest challenge that you faced in your art career?

Naja: Taking the time to do everything that needs to be done.

Pottery is such a time-consuming medium.

It requires a lot of care because you can't let things dry out too much.

You can't--things can't be too-- you can't carve when a piece isn't dry enough.

So there's a lot of timing that goes into it.

So it takes a lot of dedication as far as checking things constantly, working on things at just the right time, pretty much having it in my mind at all times.

So, it takes a lot of mental and physical energy, so just making the time for that.

Rose: Naja, thank you so much for sharing your story with us.

Naja: Thank you so much.

Rose: And thank you for joining us on "Studio Space."

♪♪♪ Kati: To learn more about these artists, go to Studiospace.tv.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪