Tumay Erman was born in 1975 in Edremit, Turkey. Upon receiving her B.A. in Ceramic and Glass Art from Dokuz Eylul University in Izmir in 1997, she has always earned her living as a full-time studio artist.
Ms. Erman worked as creative assistant to Turkish ceramic artist Mehmet Tüzum Kizilcan. In 2001, she moved to the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten, where she developed her artistic background and enriched her creative and technical skills, working with American artists Peter King, Nan Smith and John Trawek in the U.S.
In 2002, Ms. Erman launched Gaia Ceramic & Fusion Glass Studio in Sint Maarten. She built a successful career as a studio artist and instructor, specializing in figurative sculpture and site-specific architectural ceramic commissions in clay and fusion glass, as well as one-of-a-kind pottery.
Community service has been an integral part of Ms. Erman's teaching life. She has conducted many workshops in art centers and schools. In February 2013, Ms. Erman received an award from Sint Maarten's Department of Culture. In 2014, the readers of The Daily Herald newspaper voted her the No. 1 Artist on the Dutch/French island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin.
In late 2014, Ms. Erman returned to Turkey, where she is completing her Master of Fine Arts thesis at Dokuz Eylül University at the moment.
Ms. Erman's work has been exhibited in Turkey, Greece, the U.S.A, Sint Maarten and the French island of St. Barthelemy. In addition, her pieces reside in many public and private collections in the U.S., Europe and the Caribbean.