Arizona’s largest and longest-running artist studio tour, Hidden in the Hills, takes place during the last two weekends of November: Friday through Sunday, Nov. 22-24 and Nov. 29-Dec. 1. Coordinated by the nonprofit Sonoran Arts League, the free, self-guided tour attracts thousands of patrons who appreciate fine art and seek a variety of mediums, styles and price ranges.
Chandler ceramic artist Sandy Ashbaugh is one of 179 artists participating in the 28th annual event, which features 44 studios throughout North Scottsdale, Cave Creek and Carefree. With more than 35 years of experience as a ceramic artist, Ashbaugh is known for her blend of tradition, nature, and modernity. Using hand-building techniques, she creates her newest series of fine porcelain pieces inspired by the delicate beauty of flowers. Her intuitive process explores the tension between contrasting colors and textures, often incorporating metallics for added detail.
“I am captivated by the delicate yet resilient beauty of the natural world, especially the intricate forms and patterns found in flowers,” Ashbaugh said. “My pieces are designed not only to be seen but to be felt, offering a tactile connection to the organic inspiration behind them.”
Passionate about clay
In her younger years, Ashbaugh discovered her passion for photography after her mother gave her a Kodak Duaflex II to take to summer camp. It was an old-fashioned camera that was held at waist level to look down into the viewfinder. She was also classically trained as a violinist and played into her college years.
It wasn’t until her fourth year in college as a business major that she took an elective class in clay, discovering her passion for ceramics.
“Initially, we learned how to throw pottery on the wheel, which I really didn’t like. Once I began to hand build sculptural vessels, I found that I loved the freedom of sculpting in clay, so I obtained my BFA in ceramics and minored in business,” she said.
After she and her husband moved to Arizona more than two decades ago, she became engaged in the arts community, volunteering at schools and working in a bustling community studio. She also founded the Ocotillo Artists Group five years ago to support local “art-preneurs.”
For many years, Ashbaugh focused almost exclusively in the Japanese style of glazing known as Raku and embraced the dramatic effects created by fire. However, in 2018, she transitioned from gas-powered kilns to electric ones and from reduction to oxidation firings. Today, she works out of her home studio, creating hand-built artwork, using fine porcelain and stoneware clays.
“I love what I do,” she said. “I love to get messy, use my hands, and I think three-dimensionally.”
Ashbaugh is returning to Hidden in the Hills for her third year to glass artist Pat Isaacson’s Studio No. 18 in Scottsdale where she will exhibit and sell a variety of sculptural wall pieces from her Bloomistry and Rhapsody collections as well as functional and sculptural pieces, such as saké sets, sipping cups and flower vases.
For details about the art tour, visit hiddeninthehills.org or visit sandyashbaugh.com.
