The recent snow has left a white blanket on top of metal sculptures in Mount Horeb. A penguin peeks at you from underneath, while a fifteen-foot eagle looks like he’s just soared straight through the depths of an icy snowstorm. But step inside Center Ground Studios and the view is anything but cold.
The small building boasts a warm variety of ceramic and metal artwork, in addition to a wall of ceramic pieces ready to be painted by visitors and a treasure trove of metal junk and rusty scraps just waiting to be turned into a masterpiece. This is the studio of John Pahlas, metal sculptor, and Heidi Clayton, ceramic artist.
John and Heidi have built the foundation of their life together in this small southern Wisconsin town, and their art is at the very center of it. The couple met while students at UW-Oshkosh, both pursuing art degrees. “After John graduated, we decided to locate ourselves in a more art-oriented area that would be a safe harbor for our creative work,” Heidi says. “In order for our business to succeed, we needed to exist in a community that loved and appreciated the arts. Finding the right place was everything; Mount Horeb has welcomed us with the most wide open arms.”
Since welcoming their son Graydon in 2017, the couple now get creative in how to best utilize their studio time. “I have to put everything down on a calendar,” Heidi says. “If something has to happen at a certain time, it must be on the calendar. We have child care seven hours a week, and it has really helped by allowing us time at the studio together. Again flexibility and communication are important — if one person has a project that is time-sensitive, then they are the one spending more time at the studio.” John adds that summer is much busier than winter, but a lot of winter is spent preparing for the year ahead: signing up for art shows, getting classes ready. All seasons are integral parts of the process.
John’s metal sculptures can be seen incorporated right into the Mount Horeb community. He has work at the Driftless Historium and the new Duluth Trading Company headquarters, both located downtown. In 2019, John would like to spend some time making the studio even more of a community asset. “I want to focus on creating a public sculpture garden in our side yard and find a creative solution to storing my scrap materials outside without making it look like a junkyard!” he says. “I think with all the new businesses surrounding our small studio, we really have to take some time and energy into making it known that our studio is a place for everyone to enjoy — if not coming in and joining in on a clay class, they can at least walk over and sit in our garden and look at some unique sculpture work.”
Heidi sells her pottery out of the studio and at trade shows. Additionally, Heidi offers a variety of classes within the Mount Horeb community. “Our big news is the expansion of our art education division with the help of John’s sister, Laura Gruetzmacher (the beloved Mrs. G, a local elementary art teacher),” says Heidi. “Our mission is to connect with more artists in order to make art accessible to everyone in our community, and beyond. Mrs. G will be offering a ‘themed open studio’ for children and a ‘better than wine’ women’s workshop series. There will also be extended weekend workshops for adults taught by various visiting artists. I will be bringing back my young artists program, an after-school art program for children.”
The couple’s son is quite the creative spirit himself. “I try to allow Graydon as much free time as possible,” says John. “In the mornings, I’ll wake up with him and let Heidi sleep in for a while because she wakes up with him to nurse several times at night. We’ll get up and while I’m doing some dishes or making breakfast, if he’s not helping me with these tasks, he’ll be in his room tinkering with some toys or sitting in his bed leafing through his book. I’ll hear him chortling to himself or making noises. I feel like that time to himself allows him to confront problems and figuring out ways to solve them without Mom or Dad. That is a huge part of the creative process. Making a work of art can be boiled down to confronting a grouping of problems and solving them through a series of creative processes. We also have a lot of musical instruments around and love to sing. Our boy has really become quite a singer and guitar nerd!”
John and Heidi seemed to have figured out how to lead an art-centric lifestyle. Their advice to others looking to do the same is to be flexible and resilient and never underestimate your worth. “It is a difficult way to make a living and you must be willing to hear ‘no’ more times than ‘yes,’” says Heidi. “But we kept pushing through, and eventually you establish a reputation as an enriching, lasting member of the community.”
Photos by Megan Kulick, and photos of artwork courtesy of Center Ground Studios.