Ramona Paloma is born

FEBRUARY 2010. Soozee and Tracy first met when Soozee was teaching water aerobics at the YMCA.  They quickly discovered their similar backgrounds–as kids growing up as well as their interests pursued in school.   Soon, Soozee invited herself over to Tracy’s house to see her metalwork pieces from school.  There, the  friendship began along with a  multitude of conversations about art.  They often discussed the possibility of  projects that combined their ideas and talents.  Soon, they were sharing booth space at art shows, each showing her own jewelry.   Having that little bit of success pushed them forward towards further art exploration.  Discussions and fresh air continued to be the theme as they walked their dogs through the hills regularly, while making plans.   Together, they kept each other inspired and motivated (with the added benefit of strong leg muscles).

They got an idea for a tiled pet-feeding-table when the neighborhood elementary school was looking for donations for their auction.  Soozee gathered 4th graders together to create images on tile while Tracy built the small, whimsical table with the cute cone-shaped legs.   What fun they had working together–designing this over-the-top, brightly-colored (but functional!) table.

Making this piece started the “coffee percolating” along the ideas of making ceramic tile.  Finally, in January 2010, they found the right studio to get started with, a good clay body that worked well and  glazes they liked. The design ideas poured in…and so it began.

Ramona Paloma Studios was born in Sierra Madre, California on February 1st, 2010.  This blog was born in July of 2010 and is still creating itself, so keep an eye out for improvements and more tile imagery.