Renata Copeland
Born and raised in Brazil, Renata Copeland holds a degree in Management in Gastronomy from the Universidade Potiguar do Rio Grande do Norte. She often explores and incorporates vivid, bold colors of her culinary and cultural background into her functional and sculptural ceramic works.
In 2009 she married her husband and moved to Edgefield - SC where she fell in love with clay. She attended Piedmont Technical College under the mentorship of Gary Clontz, Justin Guy and Thomas Koole. While in the program, she was hired as studio assistant and Continue Education Instructor for the evening classes where she taught wheel throwing and hand-building techniques.
After having 2 children and receiving a breast cancer diagnosis where she had to undergo chemotherapy, radiation and multiple surgeries, Renata had to stop working with clay completely for close to a decade. However, she has never stopped learning and pursuing creative endeavors.
After relocating to Greenville, SC, and successfully completing stage 3 cancer treatment in 2020 she is now in full remission and enjoying life.
She homeschools her elementary age children and enjoy family adventures with a positive attitude with a renewed excitement for life.
Homeschooling is a big part of her family dynamics. She often make her pieces with her little ones working along side her in her home studio. It's a partnership that allows their hearts and minds to be nurished while providing a wonderful vehicle for expressing big feelings through clay.
She intends to continue exploring surface designs on paper and using it into clay in bold, confident forms.
