Details
| First Name | Ana |
| Last Name | Balzan |
| Nickname | anabalzan-designgmail-com |
Social Media
| Website |
My Ceramics
| In the studio I like to do | Handbuilding, Sculpting, Everything to do with Ceramics |
| Clay body | Stoneware, Porcelain |
| Clay Brand | Rocky Mountain Dover, Flagstone, Chestnut / Laguna Dover and Laguna paper clay WC953 |
| Kiln Type | Electric Kiln |
| Temperature | Cone 04 for bisque and 6 for glaze |
| Glaze | I use mostly underglazes. For my sculptures, I have fired at cone 04 then used layers of milk to creat skin tones. |
| You can buy my work from | my website: http://anabalzan.com |
About Me
| Introduction | As a ceramic sculptor and painter based in Longmont, I am passionate about creating work that delves into themes of resilience, identity, and connection. My artistic journey began in Venezuela, where I was born and raced. I was always creating—painting or building structures. I studied graphic design and worked in the field for 28 years. While raising my small children as a single mother in a demanding career, I decided to make a change and transitioned into caregiving for the elderly, a profoundly gratifying role. During 2020 and the challenging years that followed, I realized I needed something more. Despite my fears and uncertainty, I made the decision to return to painting, using acrylics to reignite my creativity. The following year, I took another bold step forward, returning to the art of hand-building with clay—a material I had always liked and loved. This marked the beginning of my journey as a self-taught ceramic figurative sculptor, deeply inspired by the narratives of my personal experiences as a woman, mother, and caregiver, as well as by capturing and listening to the experiences of others. My work includes both figurative sculptures crafted from clay slabs and acrylic paintings. One of my current projects, Ceramic Echoes of Venezuela: Art and Identity, explores Venezuela’s cultural and ecological richness while reflecting on its current social challenges. I also enjoy sharing my craft through teaching workshops and engaging with the local arts community to foster creativity and connection. |
| What I Love about Ceramics | My connection to earth |
| What I'm working on at the moment | I am working on, the cultural and ecological richness of my upbringing in Venezuela, infusing the pieces with imagery of its tribes, animals, and natural landscapes. These works, part of my ongoing project Echoes of Venezuela, juxtapose the beauty of the past with the complexities of the present, offering a tribute to my homeland while engaging with universal themes of memory and identity. |
| My Artist Statement | am a figurative sculptor based in Longmont, Colorado, specializing in meticulously handcrafting ceramic sculptures using clay slabs. My process involves molding, shaping, and thoughtfully adding clay to achieve forms that reflect the depth of human experience. Each piece carries a narrative, grounded in themes of identity, resilience, and connection, inspired by my personal journey as a woman, mother, caregiver, and artist. Through my work, I explore the intricate interplay of strength and vulnerability, seeking to reclaim and honor the moments that shape who we are. My sculptures often embody a quiet yet powerful presence, inviting viewers to reflect on the universal experiences that bind us—whether through shared emotions, cultural narratives, or the timeless bonds of humanity. Facial expressions and body language are central to my artistic practice. By capturing subtle emotions, I aim to convey complex stories of endurance and hope. Mythological themes also influence my work, as I weave elements of ancient lore with contemporary reflections on identity. These mythic inspirations allow me to delve deeper into archetypal stories that transcend individual experiences, resonating with broader, collective truths. The textures and surfaces of my sculptures are carefully crafted to evoke the essence of life’s layers—sometimes weathered, sometimes smooth, but always rich with history. Each piece is a tactile record of my creative process, shaped not only by my hands but also by the stories I aim to tell. In one recent body of work, I drew upon the cultural and ecological richness of my upbringing in Venezuela, infusing the pieces with imagery of its tribes, animals, and natural landscapes. These works, part of my ongoing project Echoes of Venezuela, juxtapose the beauty of the past with the complexities of the present, offering a tribute to my homeland while engaging with universal themes of memory and identity. Through my ceramic sculptures, I seek to create connections—between the past and present, between individual and collective experiences, and between the artist and the viewer. Each piece invites a dialogue, a moment of reflection, and an opportunity to see the world through a new lens. This collection is a celebration of life’s resilience and humanity’s enduring spirit, crafted with the intent to inspire and connect. |
| My CV | Education Graphic Design, AA Degree – The New World School of the Arts, 1996 Art and Art Education – Miami Dade Community College, 1996 Graphic Design – Villasmil de Leon, Caracas, Venezuela, 1989 Professional Experience Ana Balzán Ceramic Studio – Workshops, 2024 Dignity Care – Elderly Caregiver, 2013 to present Professional Training 2025 Ceramic School Camp: 2024 and 2025 Naomi’s School: Terra Sigillate with Shalya Marsh 2024 Naomi’s School: Cut it Out with Shalya Marsh and Screen Printing for Clay with Shalya Marsh 2023 Figurative Sculpture Workshop – Cristina Cordova Sculpture and Color: Polychrome Technique – Tomas Barcelo Clay Portrait: Model and Full-Scale Face – Efraim Rodrigues Classic Oil Painting for Naturalist Bird Portraiture – Sarah Margaret Gibson Modeling Torsos with Clay – Jose Manuel Martinez Peres Expressive Portrait – Kara Bullock Art School Quick Sculpting for Beginners – LeRoy Transfield Portrait Sculpting – Andrew Joseph Keith 2022 Figurative Sculpting Fundamentals – Andrew Joseph Keith The Head in Clay – Cristina Cordova Introduction to Clay Figurative Sculpture – Cristina Cordova Portuguese Ceramic Tiles – Gazete Azulejos Ceramic Modeling and Decoration – Paula Casella Biase Ceramic Glazing for Beginners – Paula Casella Biase Exhibitions and Honors 2024: Honorary Exhibitions – Artist of the Year – Firehouse Art Center, Longmont, CO Youtub Artist Talk: with ANA BALZAN: FACES AND FIGURES: WOMAN, MOTHER, CAREGIVER, AND ARTIST- JAN 2024 – https://youtu.be/nXSwGCFtwXA?si=-czWETu5LkVfaMSh Solo Exhibitions 2022: Inspirations and Commonalities of the Human Condition – Firehouse Art Center, Longmont, CO Group Exhibitions 2025: Longmont Artist Guild, Red Cedar 2024: Firehouse Art Center, Callahan House, Boulder County Fair, NoBo Member Exhibitions 2023: The Dairy Arts Center, Firehouse Art Center, Longmont Artist Guild 2022: Firehouse Art Center, Longmont Artist Guild 2021: Longmont Artist Guild Art Fairs 2024: LAUGH Holiday Sale, Firehouse Art Center Holiday Sale, ArtWalk Longmont, Dairy Art Center Back to School Market 2023: LAUGH Holiday Sale, Firehouse Art Center Holiday Sale, Longmont ArtWalk Published and Online Exhibitions 2023: Exhibizone (“Tears/Smiles”), Gallerium (“Extinction”), Las Lagunas Gallery (“Women in Art”), Ceramic Workshops (Teaching) 2025 Sip & Scartch Ladybug ceramic box 2024 Creating Gratitude Wind Chimes Holiday Ornaments & Presents Sgraffito vs. Mishima Techniques Women’s Bust Sculpture Wind Chime and Garden Totem Sculpting Awards 2025: Longmont Artist Guild – Honorary Award -Sculpture 2024: Boulder County Fair – 3rd Place in Sculpture for Bailarina 2023: Sol 19 – People’s Choice Award 2022: Longmont Artist Guild – 3rd Place, Acrylic Painting 2021: Longmont Artist Guild – 3rd Place, Acrylic Painting Memberships and Affiliations BMoCA (2024), LAUGH (2023), NoBo (2023-2024), Left Hand Artist Collective (2023), Firehouse Art Center (2022), Longmont Artist Guild (2021) Volunteer Work and Donations Firehouse Art Center (2022-Present): Volunteer Front Desk, Creative Community Committee Member Longmont Artist Guild (2023-Present) Left Hand Artist Group (2023-Present) Uni-Hill (2011): Assisted in Spanish and Mathematics, Yearbook Creation Growing Garden Boulder: Art Donations for Farm Gala Auction |
