About the Artist
NYX + LORE is a small-batch ceramic studio owned and operated by artist Ashley Maxwell. It grew from my love of ceramics and a desire to return to my roots in pottery while bringing the imagery and sculptural elements of my fine art practice into functional objects.
The imagery drawn, carved, and sculpted onto my pots is inspired by mythology, folklore, fairytales, history, the natural world, personal experiences, and a love for all things romantic, ethereal, and a little strange.
At the heart of NYX + LORE is the idea of bringing a bit of romance and escapism into everyday life. I believe handmade objects have the ability to turn ordinary rituals into something a little more meaningful. A morning cup of coffee, flowers on the table, or a favorite vessel used every day can become its own small moment of beauty.
Each piece is designed to feel whimsical, tactile, and dreamlike—something meant not only to be looked at, but touched, used, collected, and lived with.
Ashley Maxwell is a ceramic artist and educator whose work encompasses functional ceramics and sculpture. She received her BFA from the University of North Florida and her MFA from Georgia State University, with a concentration in ceramics for both degrees. She also completed the Summer Figure Sculpture Program at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy.
Ashley has taught ceramics and other studio art courses as an adjunct professor at Georgia State University, the University of North Florida, the University of Hartford, Post University, and Southern Connecticut State University.
Her sculptural work has been exhibited nationally, including at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, the Glassell School of Art in Houston, Aqua Art Fair in Miami, the Human Form Symposium at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, artMRKT Hamptons, and Art on the Edge in East Hampton. In 2013, she received the First Place Graduate Student Award in the NCECA National Juried Exhibition.
Ashley has continued developing her studio practice through artist residencies in the United States and abroad. In 2019, she was an artist in residence at Buffalo Creek Art Center in Gardnerville, Nevada. In 2025, she completed international artist residencies at SkopArt on Skopelos, Greece, and A Villa do Barro in Portugal.
Today, Ashley owns and operates NYX + LORE Ceramics LLC, a small-batch ceramic studio where she creates functional and sculptural work inspired by historical imagery, mythology, the natural world, and traditional decorative arts. Her studio practice brings together her background in sculpture and ceramics with an ongoing exploration of surface, narrative, and ornament.
