statement & bio

Bio
Colour Maisch is a Salt Lake City based artist, educator, and gallery owner. Colour spent her formative years in Southern California before returning to Utah to study Spanish and Political Science at the University of Utah, where she received a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics and Sculpture. Colour has exhibited widely and has received several artists grants including a Utah Artist Fellowship. Her work is collected by various private and public institutions including Onna House, New York; Dennis Freedman, New York; and Salt Lake County Art Collection. In 2023, she co-founded Material Art Gallery in Salt Lake City, an artist-run space focused on shifting the paradigm of how galleries and artists work together. Currently, Colour is exploring the art of balancing being a working artist, gallery owner, and full-time mom, all roles she loves, sees as interrelated, and that inform her life and practice.

Statement
I create three-dimensional, monochromatic artworks that highlight the organic textures found in both natural and man-made objects. My materials range from traditional- porcelain, paper, resin, and ink to more unconventional choices such as drywall, industrial products, and foraged grasses. The compositions I produce are minimalistic, and I embrace the influences of time, evaporation, and seasonal changes to shape and timestamp the textures within these forms.
My work examines the profound effects of time, location, and environment on the 'body'—a term I use expansively to include not only the human body but also the Earth's body and the materials we engage with daily. At its core, my art reflects on the decay of my own body and those around me, as well as the deterioration of our environment. I explore the dialogue between external disintegration and internal growth. In American culture, there is a tendency to discard items and beings deemed no longer useful, revealing a value system that prioritizes utility. When something or someone becomes too aged or damaged to serve a purpose, they are often cast aside. In contrast, I view decay as a vital aspect of life—a reflection of the grief and beauty that accompanies the passage of time.
In my practice, decay may be intentionally prolonged, or I may capture a fleeting moment, preserving a memory of transformation in resin. Through my work, I invite viewers to recognize and appreciate the value inherent in these processes, presenting an antidote to society's fixation on newness, perpetual youth, and the denial of human impermanence.

Process Notes: My porcelain pieces frequently incorporate foraged grasses, which are enveloped in clay, shaped, and then fired. After firing, the organic materials burn away, leaving behind delicate filaments of white ash and voids where the grasses once were. This fleeting white ash serves as a reminder of the carbon that has dissipated, resulting in something entirely new. Once fired, I submerge the pieces in a bath of India ink. The vascular patterns created by the grasses absorb the moisture, initiating another transformation. India ink, made from soot derived from vegetable oil, essentially reintroduces carbon to the piece, sparking a renewed cycle of life. This process encapsulates the life cycles and moments of alchemy that define my artistic vision.