Meet Asia Mathis of Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Asia Mathis.

Hi Asia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in a small country town with an art teacher mother. I spent most of my time outside in the warmer months. I had free reign of the town on my bike. The creeks were my special places. We had an ever rotating menagerie of animals in our house and yard. I fell in love with mud at a young age. When my mom would till our huge garden every spring there was nothing quite so joyful as squashing my feet through the newly turned dirt. I lived a couple of blocks from a nationally renowned figurative sculptor whose work was always on display outside of his foundry. I spent countless hours watching the local potter at her wheel in her shop on the small square. My 4th grade teacher told me that I was an artist. In 5th grade I took a class with a local sculptor. I do not remember much about it other than pouring liquid plaster into molds, and feeling a deep satisfaction at seeing a gooey mess turn into something hard with purposeful lines and edges. Fast forward to high school art class where I truly found clay. My high school had a large clay studio, and I could come and go as I pleased, and as I lived within walking distance this served me well. From there I moved on to college and got my Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics and a minor in painting. To be totally honest my education in college was not great, and it was through internships and workshops outside of school that I really began to find my own way with clay. If I have one regret it is not going to get my MFA after college- I felt so sick of school, and did not have great guidance on what to do afterwards. So I just started making work in the second bedroom of the small rental house my then boyfriend, now husband, moved into after graduation.
There was no real internet then, and in hindsight I can see how my vision of what was possible for a career in art was so limited and small. I was just working the craft show circuit as best as I could and having the occasional gallery show in Nashville. I was developing a deeper relationship with clay and basically building whatever I wanted, figuring the technical stuff out along the way. I did that for 10 years, before our first child was born. At that point, I was a wrung out rag doll, completely sleep deprived, and barely able to do much besides care for our high- needs baby. Becoming a mother hit me like a ton of bricks despite reading every book on the subject. I missed the studio. The thought of it began to feel like a dream I once had. Early on we got a sitter for a few hours a week, and I made an enormous effort to begin working again. I was in the studio, they were in the house (separated by 1 door). I could not relax, even when all seemed peaceful in the house my mind whirled about what our kid was experiencing. When he cried I could not keep myself from running to him- it sounds so dramatic and even a little silly now, but it was a physical pain that I decided was not worth it. I was not making anything worthwhile anyway because of my constant distraction. So I put clay work aside, and focused on the work of mothering. I did that for 10 years, having another baby along the way, and homeschooling to boot.
When my daughter was 5 and my son was 10 I began to feel restless- my body and mind was craving something beyond domestic life. I briefly entertained just getting my yoga teaching hours and leaning into what seemed like the perfect part-time, make-your-own-schedule sort of job. But I decided to get a box of clay, and “just make sure” that I did not want to get back into studio life. After one day of messing around in my abandoned studio with that first bag of clay, I signed myself up for a workshop with one of my favorite artists. After that workshop I was fully invested in getting back to clay full time (or as close as I could get). In a few months I was arranging part-time tutorial programs to help with the kid’s schooling, and spending as many hours as I could in the studio. During that workshop I discovered I was an adult- meaning that I had had enough time away from clay (and the many fights we had through the years), and had had enough training in the school of life (sorry for this cliche!) to understand where my weaknesses as an artist were and what my strengths were. I plowed through sticking points in a way I had never dreamed of (or even understood I had) as a young artist. I suddenly had so much to sculpt about, and could see what was holding me back from building what was in my head, and how I was short-changing myself- boxing myself in. Being a mother had split me wide open, and let me understand my own childish artistic habits from an objective point of view. This is still a process, and a practice, and I suspect it will be forever. Always pushing myself to get a little closer to the raw truth of what I am wanting the clay to say.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Creating art is never a smooth road, or even a linear one, or even a road at all. It’s a mess. Images drop into my mind and I feel compelled to make them- this is almost always a challenge, both technically and creatively. Thoughts like “I’m not good enough to pull that off”, or “It will probably be awful” enter my head often. I must bat these away, and simply dive deeper. And the truth is I might not be good enough at the moment for a particular challenge, and a piece might (and certainly has) turned out awful, but there is zero chance at making anything worthwhile if I do not push myself hard.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My work is about our desire (even if we are not aware of it) to be authentically connected to the Earth. To be outside, to get our hands and feet in the dirt, to play in the woods, to stand in the rain and sun, to fall in love with a tree, to create art- this is our truest selves, and I am forever attempting to tell that story in one way or another. The imagery that speaks to me is of our human form, of animal figures, and abstracted nature imagery. My sculptures often involve deep textures, added elements such as metal or wool, and intuitive mark making. I try not to over think why I feel compelled to make a certain form- that understanding usually comes during the building process or even later. If I feel a rush of excitement to build a form I trust that feeling- there is deep meaning to what I am doing if it feels a bit fuzzy at first. Allowing the clay, and the spark of an idea to develop in tandem often leads to a more emotive and interesting piece than if I try to think through every aspect of the build beforehand.

I’m not sure what I am known for – possibly nothing! What I would like to be known for is creating work that is meaningful to people, and pushes the comfort zone for both me and my audience.

Again, I’m not sure of what I would say I am most proud. I could say getting back into the studio after 10 years away. I could say not quitting everyday. That might be it.

And, at the risk of being very repetitive, I’m not sure I can be “set apart from others”. I think most artists out there, whether they have a big career or not spend their days trying out ideas, falling on their faces, and trying again.

What’s next?
I am looking forward to being in the studio and working through my current ideas. I have a couple of shows upcoming and that is always a nice boost- it is so much easier to work and be excited about studio time when I know something might actually happen show wise. I do not love being surrounded by my pieces- I certainly have deep affection many of them, but after I have done the work of a particular sculpt I am happy to see it move on. I currently have a show at the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center in Clarksville, TN through July 20. My next show will be at the Tennessee Valley Art Museum in Tuscumbia, AL August 10-September 13. One of my pieces will be featured in the 2025 Figure in Craft exhibition at the Touchstone Center for Craft in Farmington, PA August 2 -October 4.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://asiamathisart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asiamathisart
• Other: https://substack.com/asiamathisart