Description
About the Artist
Gloria Pacosa, an enterprising bundle of energy and warmth, has introduced several creative ventures since coming to Ashfield in 1987. In the early 1980s she moved to Northampton with a degree in ceramics and glass from Massachusetts College of Art and got a job at Art Guild Supplies. Wanting to learn another craft, she signed up for a calligraphy course with Suzanne Moore, an accomplished calligrapher then living in Ashfield. Suzanne was a kindred spirit and a mentor. Their friendship led Gloria and her partner James Cain to Ashfield. They moved into Suzanne’s big Main Street house across from Elmer’s and eventually bought it for themselves.
The 33-inch rabbit that launched Gloria’s career as it appeared in Garth Clark’s “The Eccentric Teapot” (1989).
While working for a group of women potters at East Street Clay Studios, Gloria came up with “a crazy rabbit head” that she re-fashioned for a teapot show at Pinch Pottery in and teapot appeared on the cover of Ceramics Monthly, and she was accepted to the American Craft Council show. On the first day of the show buyers from Bergdorf Goodman and Gump’s placed big orders; others followed. The profits became a down payment for the Main Street house.
Gloria’s first business in Ashfield was creating ceramic dolls in her former garage with several assistants. As the market kept changing, she turned to lighting, frames, infant bedding and bookbinding. Large orders came from the likes of Origins and Papyrus.
