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An American art critic, referring to Gail McCarthy's luminous pottery, writes that she is a "priestess of light." The artist began her apprenticeship in the ceramic world at Washington D.C., when she lived there as the wife of a Member of Congress. For more than a decade she has taught ceramics as Professor of Fine Art for the State University of New York. Gail McCarthy's vessels are in the permanent collections of American, European, Middle Eastern, and Asian museums, her tile designs have been incorporated into large scale architectural installations, and her art works are held by private collectors in the US, Canada, and Middle East.
The work of this ceramist has been exhibited all over the world, including the 48th and 49th International Ceramic Art Competition in Faenza, Italy, and the Fletcher Challenge Ceramics Award in Auckland, New Zealand. She has been cited at both the First and Second International Ceramic Festival in Mino, Japan. One environmental sculpture was chosen for permanent installation in the Three Rivers Art Festival in Pittsburgh. US President Bill Clinton's Council on Arts and Crafts chose her ornaments in 1993 for the White House Christmas tree. During her career she has exhibited in over 60 one-person and group shows in museums and galleries. She held a one-person show in 1980 at the United States Embassy in Dublin, Ireland, and in 2000-2001 had work that was on loan at the Residence of the USA Ambassador to the Vatican, under the Art in the Embassy Program. Ancient ceramic modes are familiar to Ms McCarthy, who has invested years of research and experimentation with exotic luster glazes perfected by Middle Eastern tile masters of long ago. In recognition of her expertise in the art of the ancient Middle East the National Council of US-Arab Relations granted her a fellowship in Arabic and Islamic Studies. During 1996 she lectured in Istanbul on the history and techniques of lusterware pottery during a conference at the Organization of the Islamic Conference Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture. In 1997 she had a one-person show at the Middle East Institute in Washington, sponsored by the Assembly of Turkish American Associations and in 1998 had a major exhibit at the Istanbul Stock Exchange Art Gallery, a premier art showcase in Turkey. The artist says of her work: "My ceramics are contemporary adaptation of Persian techniques, almost lost to the modern world. I try to create rich iridescent surfaces that reflect light, depth, movement and metal flashings. To do this I use precious metals in my glazes, such as silver nitrate, gold and platinum chloride, and I fire my vessels and tiles many times always adding additional layers of metals. The luster firings demand painstaking attention, particularly during the lengthy period when glazed vessels and tiles are kept in a carefully controlled atmosphere which forces the metals to the surface. It is during this period that the most beautiful golds and silvers 'bloom' amidst the fire, but these lovely illuminations are always elusive. No amount of modern equipment can guarantee a beautiful surface, and I hold in awe the magnificent work of the lusterware potters of long-ago." Exhibitions
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