Mikayla Mattison, APW Senior

APW JSHS is proud to announce a new feature of “Aspiring Artists,” where each month we’ll recognize an exceptional young artist within our school. This month, we have the pleasure of featuring senior Mikayla Mattison.

When it came time for the APW JSHS Class of 2023 to assign senior superlatives, Mikayla Mattison was quickly selected as “Super Artsy.” The title was chosen with good reason: Mikayla spends many hours each week diligently bringing amazing ceramic pieces to life.

“I started painting during COVID,” she explained. “But afterwards I really got into ceramics.”

Mikayla’s work incorporates a variety of different techniques with any number of different results. Her portfolio includes impressive vases and bowls created with a pottery wheel to sculptures and even model houses built with careful precision. A display cabinet at APW JSHS displays some of her pieces, but even this cannot contain all of her work. “I have a lot at home, too.”

Mikayla’s skills in pottery were a tremendous asset at last year’s “Feats of Clay” competition, where APW took first place against a number of local area schools for their ceramic skills. Her techniques proved essential during competitions like the coil and cylinder stacks – where students were asked to build towering structures that dwarfed their competitors. She plans on being a member of the team this year as well.

Though she dabbles in other mediums, clay is undoubtedly her first choice. “You can really do anything with it. If one day I don’t feel like sitting on the wheel, I’ll stand up and do more with the slabs and just building… You can just do anything. I got on the wheel today not knowing what to make, and still came up with something cool.” She references an impressive bowl that she crafted during the short time of this interview.

When asked what she used as sources of inspiration, her answer was quick: “Pintrest! But also whatever I feel like. Right now I’m building a house that’s based on a cottage we used to stay at over the summer when I was a kid. I want to recreate it for my family because we don’t go there anymore. But a lot of times I just get on the wheel and see what happens.”

Mikayla plans to attend SUNY New Paltz in the fall, where she hopes to get into their art education program.

February 2023