Fran Molloy of Cocoa Beach is the August Artist of the Month at The Studios of Cocoa Beach.  Visit the gallery at 165 Minuteman Causeway in downtown Cocoa Beach where you view Fran’s colorful pottery.  If you purchase one of Fran’s beautiful bowls and if you want to use it as a soap dish, Fran makes handmade soap too!

Fran has been creating functional pottery for over 20 years, hand building and throwing on the potters wheel. Starting with a simple ball of clay, she shapes it into a mug or bowl.  After drying for several weeks, the objects are fired in a kiln and glazed with her signature bold patterns in vibrant colors.  As a teen , Fran doodled hearts in every color, shape and size.  Now her affinity for this symbol shows up often in the creations she markets as Red Dog Pottery. “Whether it’s in my functional pottery pieces or in my whimsical funky garden art,  my mantra is “spreading happiness with art.”

Fran’s handcrafted soap seeks to give people good choices that pamper your skin and also the environment.  The detergents and chemicals in commercial soap go down the drain and make their way into rivers, lakes, and eventually into the ocean.  People want to make good choices for the environment, so why not begin with the one thing we all use, every day.  Fran makes soap using plant based oils: coconut, palm, castor, rice bran and olive.  They are “flavored” with wild herbs, minerals and therapeutic grade essential oils.  After being melted to the perfect temperature, cut by hand, and cured for 6 weeks, Feeling Green Soaps are ready for use, “healing the planet one bar of soap at a time”

One of Fran’s bowls, complete with soaps, will be the prize in the Studios monthly giveaway.  To enter this free drawing, visit the Studios any day in August.  This non-profit gallery is open Monday 10:30 am to 3:30 pm, closed Tuesday, open Wednesday to Saturday 10:30 am to 8:00pm, and Sunday 11 am to 8 pm.  The gallery also offers classes in a variety of techniques.  For information visit www.studiosofocoabeach.org.