My name is Kaelyn Bouffard, and I am a ceramic artist and illustrator based in rural Vermont. Art has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember, and I wish to do something with this talent for the rest of my life. As a senior in high school, during my four years, I took every art class my school offered, including pottery, sculpture, painting, photography, and more. Several pieces of mine have been showcased in the Mary Bryan Memorial Gallery in Cambridge, Vermont. Taking pottery in my junior year opened my eyes to the world of clay, one of my favorite mediums. When I am using clay, I feel deeply rooted in my art and the creation of it, and I use it almost as a form of meditation, but it was not always that way. When I began ceramics as a medium, I almost hated it because of simple things; it was too messy, took too long, or was too difficult. I quickly learned that those things truly didn't matter when I saw my pottery teacher fail on her projects, which gave me the ambition to continue to fail until I was happy with the product. This helped me to be determined in my work and strive to improve it at any chance I can. My biggest goal is to create a variety of household items to sell at a very low price or even exchange (like a service for service), in an attempt to make handmade work accessible to all. Examples of these items could be plate sets, cup sets, pitchers, and more. Oftentimes, I see handmade items like these costing extreme amounts of money, and for good reason, but people struggling deserve luxury too. To create art for those I love has been an incredible joy, and I would love to spread that joy among the world around me.

My name is Kaelyn Bouffard, and I am a ceramic artist and illustrator based in rural Vermont. Art has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember, and I wish to do something with this talent for the rest of my life. As a senior in high school, during my four years, I took every art class my school offered, including pottery, sculpture, painting, photography, and more. Several pieces of mine have been showcased in the Mary Bryan Memorial Gallery in Cambridge, Vermont. Taking pottery in my junior year opened my eyes to the world of clay, one of the most natural mediums there is. When I am using clay, I feel deeply rooted in my art and the creation of it, and I use it almost as a form of meditation, but it was not always that way. When I began ceramics as a medium, I almost hated it because of simple things; it was too messy, took too long, or was too difficult. I quickly learned that those things truly didn't matter when I saw my pottery teacher fail on her projects, which gave me the ambition to continue to fail until I was happy with the product. Since this class, I have created unique functional pieces that express my interests as often as possible. It is my wish to bring the joy I get from creating ceramic pieces to the homes of others, and that's why I applied to Maine College of Art and Design. My goal with my bachelor's degree is to create sculptural pieces, primarily out of clay, that highlight global issues I feel passionate about, such as nature preservation. Being a citizen of Vermont, I care deeply about the nature around us and how it provides for us. Without nature, I would not have clay to make any of these dreams come true. Another goal is to create many menial house items to sell at a very low price or even exchange (like a service for service), in an attempt to create handmade work accessible to all. Examples of these items could be plate sets, cup sets, pitchers, and more. Oftentimes, I see handmade items like these costing extreme amounts of money, and for good reason, but people struggling deserve luxury too. To create art for those I love has been an incredible joy, and I would love to spread that joy among the world around me.