Husband-and-wife potters crafting art, family and community in historic Paseo district
Making pottery side by side, Hector and Melissa Cobos Leon quickly prove a match made in an arts haven.
Standing next to a small scale inside the studios of Paseo Pottery, a literal cornerstone of the historic Paseo Arts District, Melissa deftly squeezes, shapes and weighs hunks of clay. She then piles them on the ledge of the pottery wheel where her husband sits swiftly spinning out a series of plates and bowls.
As Hector finishes shaping each piece of dinnerware, his wife whisks them away and stows them safely on shelves to dry.
"After they're dry, we put them in our kilns — that's just an oven that goes up to 2,000-plus degrees. They go in there for a day, cool down for a day. Then, we take them out and bring them here, and Melissa ... will wax them and glaze them," Hector explained.
"At the end of the day, I'm a potter. I'm a thrower. ... She brings in a different creative element. I get into a mood or a rhythm or a series where everything becomes this one color or 'I really enjoyed this East Coast look and experience that we lived on vacation.' And she's like, 'That's great, but no one likes crusty pots here.'"
The couple, who have been married since 2016, have been cranking out their collaborative ceramics to prepare for the annual Paseo Arts Festival, where they are selling their H&M Pottery over Memorial Day weekend.
"Our roots begin here at Paseo. This is where we met. This is where we had our dates. ... We planned our wedding right here on the veranda," Hector said, pointing past a display of their earthy yet elegant dishes in the front window of Paseo Pottery.
"So, from the get-go, it's been Paseo."
When is the Paseo Arts Festival?
The 45th Paseo Arts Festival will help mark the unofficial start of summer by featuring more than 100 visiting artists, along with dozens of neighborhood artists and 50-plus Oklahoma entertainers performing on two stages. The event also will include 18 food vendors, two children's art areas, free shuttle service and more.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 28-29, with live music until 10 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 30 in the Paseo Arts District, between NW 28 and Walker and NW 30 and Dewey.
After canceling in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Paseo Arts Festival returned in 2021, but shifted to Labor Day weekend from its traditional Memorial Day weekend slot. Although it has meant a short turnaround for planning the 2022 event, Paseo Arts Association Executive Director Amanda Bleakley said organizers are thrilled that the festival is returning to its usual holiday weekend.
"There's other festivals in town, and everybody has their own weekends or days — and this is ours. ... You go to Paseo Arts Festival on Memorial Day weekend. So we're happy to have it back," Bleakley said. "It's a celebration of the Paseo, and we just look forward to it every year.
How does the festival benefit the Paseo Arts District?
Although admission is free, the Paseo Arts Festival is the largest annual fundraiser for the Paseo Arts Association, with beverage and merchandise sales supporting the nonprofit organization's year-round programs.
"In 2020, not having a festival at all was a huge hit, but we were fortunate to get some of the COVID relief funds. So, that covered our losses. Then last year, our numbers were down: We didn't sell as much beverages mostly, and we didn't have as many artists. ... But I think the attendance was still really strong, and the artists all did really well. So, it was still a success," Bleakley said.
"We have more artists than we've had in 20 years this year ... and it was really hard to jury because there was so much great art. There's people on our waitlist that we would love to have had, but we just don't have the room."
The tents that will line Paseo Drive, which is closed during the festival, will showcase wares by national, regional and state artists as well as locals like the Cobos Leons.
"They're a good team, good folks ... and good artists," said longtime Paseo Arts Festival Chairman Collin Rosebrook, who owns Paseo Pottery, adding that Hector also volunteers with the event.
Paseo First Friday Gallery Walks lead to romance for Oklahoma artists
Raised in Moore, Melissa Cobos Leon never imagined a life of making artwork alongside her spouse.
"Growing up, my dad had a hobby, if you will, of doing woodwork, but he never sold it. ... I don't think I made that connection as much until now, being married to an artist," said the University of Central Oklahoma graduate.
"I majored in business. I've been working for an insurance company for 14 years now. But doing our business and doing the Farmers Market (at Scissortail Park) and the Paseo Arts Festival and the other events we do is a really good outlet for me. Owning a business has been really empowering."
Growing up in Guymon, Hector knew he wanted to become a ceramicist from the time he was a high school sophomore, when he would sneak into his art classroom after hours to build a giant pot. He got a full-ride scholarship to attend Oklahoma Panhandle State University, and he met Rosebrook almost 20 years ago when the OKC potter presented at the Goodwell college's annual Art Jubilee.
That meeting led Hector to the Paseo, where he met his future bride at one of the historic arts district's monthly gallery walks.
"That's really how we got to know each other is me coming to First Fridays," Melissa said.
"It was sparks at First Friday," her husband added with a grin.
Oklahoma City pottery family grows with addition of baby daughter
As if the OKC couple needed to cook up an even stronger connection to the historic arts district, the Cobos Leons have been making all the plates, bowls, ramekins and more for the popular Paseo restaurant Frida Southwest since it opened in 2019.
"They've really tried to keep things local," Melissa said. "They came to us, and we have this relationship now. ... They make beautiful food, and they serve it on the dishes we make. And that's allowed us to connect to even more people in the community."
Between the demands of supplying the restaurant, fielding requests from customers who have seen their pottery at Frida and restocking for the Paseo Arts Festival, the couple hired a babysitter this spring to look after their almost 6-month-old daughter Eva while they work through the rush.
"Normally, I'm a full-time dad, part-time potter. But right now, it's production mode, and we decided we needed help," Hector said, adding that they have already taken their baby to several local arts festivals. "But she's already an art collector. She's got several pieces in her room."
"This is a family business. This is our life, and now it's part of her life," Melissa added. "That's been a huge thing for us to be around other artists, and the people you meet here in the Paseo become family to you. ... It's a very special connection, being in our community. I really love it.
"And Hector and I doing this together as a team is really great. We just balance each other."
45th PASEO ARTS FESTIVAL
When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 28-29, with live music until 10 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 30.
Where: Paseo Arts District, between NW 28 and Walker and NW 30 and Dewey.
Admission: Free.
To volunteer: https://www.thepaseo.org/festival-volunteers.
Information: https://www.thepaseo.org/festival.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Husband-and-wife potters crafting home, family in Paseo arts district
