Take the Quiz: Which Cosmic Animal Holds the Key to Your Wild Wisdom?

Tanya Casteel

Artist & Author

Hi, I’m Tanya Casteel, a full-time artist based in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. My work explores the beauty, character, and wisdom of the animal world through watercolor painting, writing, and handmade porcelain Ceramics.

My Cosmic Animal watercolor paintings are inspired by vivid imagination, lucid dreaming, meditation, and my ongoing study of animals and their place in the natural world. I love exploring animal behavior and symbolism, weaving the distinctive qualities of each animal into artwork that reflects deeper emotional truths and the intuitive wisdom found in nature.

My ceramics bring these paintings into everyday life. Working primarily with porcelain, I create handmade pottery using the wheel, slab-building, and slip-casting techniques. Many pieces feature my original Cosmic Animal watercolor artwork, alongside illustrations inspired by historical natural science. Painting and pottery offer me different ways to explore the animal world, combining imagination, craftsmanship, and a love of the objects we surround ourselves with.

I studied at the Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine, where I earned my BFA, and later received my Master’s degree from the University of Southern Maine. I was an artist-in-residence at Artspace in Raleigh, North Carolina, and have received support through the North Carolina United Arts Council Grant, the National Artist Relief Fund, and the Maine Belvedere Fund.

May the animals you encounter in my work spark your curiosity, offer new perspectives, and remind you of the wonder woven throughout the natural world.

Publications:

Ceramics Monthly magazine
500 Teapots: Volume 2
Waiting Just For You lullaby book
The creator and author of the Cosmic Animal Emotional Intelligence Card Deck & Guidebook.
The artist of the Wild Messengers Alchemical Tarot Deck written & created by Lola Pickett

Contact: TanyaCasteelArt@gmail.com

Frequently Asked Questions:

What type of clay do you use?

Porcelain! Porcelain vitrifies to become glass-like when fired at high temperatures. This makes my pieces strong, non-porous, and perfect for everyday use.

How do you make your pottery?

I use a mix of handmade techniques depending on the form I’m creating. Most of my work is wheel-thrown. My platters are hand-built using slabs. I create some sculptures by hand individually, a few sculptures are created from vintage molds. My plates are slip-cast. I love the vast array of ways that clay can be used, and I use them all.

How do you create the Animal images on your pottery?

I use a few different techniques:

1. Watercolor Animals:
I first hand paint each Animal on watercolor paper in a cosmic style, then I scan them and have them professionally printed as food-safe ceramic decals. These decals are applied to the finished glaze and fired into the surface at Cone 010, permanently fusing the image into the pottery.

2. Sepia-Toned Animals:
For these, I use a mix of my own drawings and public domain scientific illustrations from the 1800s. I print them myself on waterslide decal paper using an iron oxide ink that fires into the glaze at Cone 04, creating a permanent sepia image.

3. Hand painted:
Sometimes I paint directly on the pottery itself using underglazes (no image-transfers). These are one of a kind paintings and the prices for these pieces reflect that.

3. Screenprint:
I also occasionally screen print images onto my pottery using underglazes directly on the pot or by using a Gelli Plate.

How do you fire your pottery?

Mid-Fire, Cone 6, Oxidation Electric Kiln.

Each pot goes through 3-5 firings depending on the style I’m going for:

1. Bisque fire: Cone 04 (≈1,950°F) — this hardens the clay for glazing.

2. Second Bisque fire: Cone 04 (≈1,950°F) — for pots that have underglaze painting on them to protect them during glazing.

3. Glaze fire: Cone 6 (≈2,232°F) — this is the hottest firing, where the clay vitrifies and the glaze melts into a smooth glassy surface.

4. Image Decal fire: Usually my final firing. This lower-temperature firing bonds my Animal imagery into the surface. My Watercolor Animals are fired to Cone 010 (≈1,650°F), and my Sepia-Toned Animals to Cone 04 (≈1,950°F).

5. Luster fire: Cone 018 (≈1,330°F) — this is a “bonus” firing for any pots that have gold luster added to the surface.

Is your pottery food safe?

Yes.

I use a combination of commercial glazes and glazes that I formulate and make myself. All the glazes I use are lead free and food safe. I also use pyrometric cones in every kiln firing to ensure every firing reaches the proper temperature.

Both my Sepia-Toned & color animal decal images are printed with food safe inks and are fired into the glaze permanently.

*Most pieces are dishwasher and microwave safe because I use porcelain which is fully vitrified and can’t absorb water, which makes them stable for regular use.

Any pots with gold luster (which contains real gold), pearl luster, or metallic crystalline surfaces should not go in the microwave and will hold up longer with hand washing. I don’t use these glazes often but I always indicate it’s use in the product’s description.

Buying Handmade:

Each piece is unique and may show subtle variations in form, color, or size. These are the natural marks of being handmade, not flaws. All measurements are approximate, and colors may vary slightly depending on your screen.

Shipping:

I’m currently ONLY shipping pottery in the USA. A limited number of other art items *might* be available for international shipping on my ETSY site: cosmicanimalarts.etsy.com

Please allow 3–5 business days for me to carefully pack your order before it ships. Delivery times that are shown at checkout begins once your package has shipped (typically the whole process takes 5–10 business days total within the U.S.).

If you order more than one item in separate orders to the same address and I can combine multiple items safely in one box, then I will refund any excess postage paid.

Returns & Damaged Items:

ALL SALES ARE FINAL. I don’t offer returns, exchanges, or cancellations.
That said, I want your art to arrive safely! If your order arrives damaged:

1. Take photos of the packaging and broken item.

2. Contact me at tanyacasteelart@gmail.com within 2 days of delivery.

3. Please keep all packaging and broken pieces until we resolve the issue.

Theft:

If your package is marked Delivered but goes missing, please contact your local carrier. Unfortunately, I can’t replace or refund stolen packages once they’ve been scanned as delivered.