An avid art enthusiast since she was a child in Ventura, Calif., Mau says she was always interested in art but was very practical. Thus she planned to be an English teacher, moving up north to double major at UC-Berkeley in English and history and then attaining a master's in history from Berkeley as well.

While working on her second master's degree at San Francisco State University during the mid-1970s, Mau took a pottery class in San Jose and was instantly hooked. "With the teaching credential, master's and everything, it was just too organized. That's why I got into art. It was so natural."

She swiftly switched to an art major and began studying with artists outside of school.

Although Mau appreciated her own growth as an artist, her passion was ultimately spurred on when she moved to Saratoga more than 15 years ago and began teaching ceramics through the Sunnyvale Parks and Recreation Department. After several years, she moved on to teach at De Anza College in Cupertino, where she continues to work.

"I love it. It's a great job, and we have a wonderful studio," she says. "It's one of those things you'd do for free but it's nice to get paid. Teaching stimulates me and gives me new ideas. I love to experiment and try new things."

Venturing into uncharted art territory is one of Mau's specialties—she started the then unheard-of practice of making paper clay sculpture roughly five years ago.

By mixing paper fiber into liquid clay, it allows the material to adhere to metal, instead of slipping off as it would if it were regular liquid clay. Mau molds galvanized steel wire into a shape and subsequently treats the piece to a number of dips in the clay bath.

She enjoys this method as "it takes some weight out of the material, and it's just an unusual thing." The project initially took off with the creation of industrial-looking cubes, but now Mau is using the technique for a new twist on her kimono sculptures.

The hand-built, freestanding kimonos are thick but delicate, colored by natural manipulations of the glazing and paper clay process. "I like simple design," which she says explains her interest in Japanese art. "I wanted to achieve simple design because then it's in pure form," she says. "I'm a 3-D person—I like the form itself to be the most powerful."

The hand-sized kimonos are particularly popular, as evidenced by rapid sales at the recent Palo Alto Clay and Glass Festival. The kimonos, along with her ikebana vase work, are also a big hit at the Saratoga Rotary Art Show, which she has been attending for the past 12 years.

Watercolor artist Kay Duffy has also participated during those years at the Rotary Art Show and has known Mau for close to 20 years. "She's really grown tremendously," she says. "I first saw her doing pots, and now she is doing wonderful slab work with beautiful shapes. I like the elegance and simple, beautiful lines in her work."

In addition to Saratoga and Palo Alto shows, Mau's work has been featured at Hakone Gardens, the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara, and numerous galleries throughout the country as well as Finland. She is on the exhibits committee for the Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California and is the chairwoman for the Orchard Valley Ceramic Art Guild.

"She is really energetic and very organized," Duffy says. "She's not only artistic but very organized, which is uncommon within the artistic community."

While Mau's blooming art career would appear to be the result of such organization and artistic clarity, she attests that much of it is due to the creativity struck upon through teaching.

"I like to see how other people work. I literally know the technique, but I love to sit and see someone work and how they approach it. It's amazing the energy you can get from watching people do what they love," she says.

"If I'm not teaching, I'm less driven. I get more done with deadlines, with the idea that I have to come up with something for a class two to three times a week. Teaching charges my batteries."

Mau's latest collection of work will be included at the "One Of A Kind" juried exhibition at 600 Townsend St. in San Francisco. The opening reception will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on July 31. For more information, visit http://www.acga.net.