Cousins in Clay

Ron Meyers at the Huntington Museum of Art

2012-01-13T19:15:00.002-05:00

This is a video of Ron Meyers talking about his work at a 2010 Walter Gropius Master Art Series exhibition at the Huntington Museum of Art inWest Virginia.

While at the Huntington Museum of Art in 2010,
"Ron Meyers presented a three-day workshop and demonstration on making spontaneous, casual, and useful wheel-thrown pottery. Forms such as cups, platters, lidded jars and teapots were demonstrated and discussed. Participants also experienced his use of slips and under glazes for surface decoration." (this quote is taken from the Huntington Museum of Art's website)
to read more about the Walter Gropius Master Art Series and to find out about their next workshop (which is Randy Johnston in April with a guest presentation Warren MacKenzie) click here.

Come see Ron Meyers and his pottery along with the pots of Judith Duff, Michael Kline and hosts Bruce Gholson and Samantha Henneke at the:

4th Annual Cousins in Clay in Seagrove, NC
At Bulldog Pottery, 3306 US Hwy 220 Alt North, 27341
Just 5 miles South of the town of Seagrove.

May 26, 2012: Saturday 10-6 and May 27, Sunday 11-4
Greek Music played throughout Saturday afternoon by Chronis Pou Vasiliou of Greensboro, NC
Michael Kline brush-work demonstration Sat and Sun

Sunday "Potters Potluck". Bring a dish! and join in some fun conversation.

Ron Meyers Covered Jar

Judith Duff- Seagrove Cousins in Clay May 2012

2011-12-08T10:39:00.000-05:00

Judith Duff woodfired Clay Basket

Judith Duff will be one of our honored guest potters for "Cousins in Clay" at Bulldog Pottery in Seagrove, North Carolina. Cousins in Clay is an intimate contemporary pottery sale that takes place on Memorial Day Weekend May 26&27, 2012. There will be quality time to spend with the potters and pottery collectors, as well as Greek Music and snacks during Saturday afternoon, and a potters potluck on Sunday! Michael Kline will have a brush demonstration both Saturday and Sunday (details and specific times to come)

We are very excited to have Judith Duff bring her beautifully textural, stone-like pottery to Bulldog Pottery.

From WNC Magazine written by Angie Newsome

"Wrapped in deep earthen colors and subtle undulating grooves, Judith Duff’s pottery begs to be picked up and held. From orange tea bowls to platters stamped with seashells, her pieces are tactile, yet ethereal and organic, combining her background in clay with a passion for Japanese aesthetics. “Always growing through change,” the Brevard potter writes in her artist statement, “I value the unique and unusual.”

To read the complete article about Judith Duff visit WNS Magazine's website.

Judith Dudd altered wood-fired clay vase

Ron Meyers- Seagrove "Cousins in Clay" May 2012

2011-11-09T07:32:00.009-05:00

The 4th Annual "Cousins in Clay" in Seagrove, North Carolina will be held on May 26 and 27, 2012 at Bulldog Pottery. Bruce and Samantha are very pleased to announce their honored guest Clay Cousin Ron Meyers.

Ron Meyers is a retired ceramics proffessor and studio potter living in Athens, Georgia. He was one of Bruce Gholson's instructors at UGA . (Bruce received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia in 1978.) Ron Meyers shows his work all over the country and is a workshop favorite throughout the states. I read an article about him on Critical Ceramics by Barbara Kirk about his show at the AKAR gallery in Iowa City, Iowa. She mentions that an early passion of his was to be a professional cartoonists. I found this to be very interesting because I can imagine stories behind his drawings. His animals have strong personalities, and I can continue to wonder what are they up to next after posing for their portrait with Ron.

Ron Meyers will be here at Bulldog Pottery on May 26 & 27, 2012 for "Cousins in Clay". You will be able to meet him and collect a piece of his pottery.

We will introduce our other honored Cousin in Clay guest soon.

Ron Meyers two cups

Jack Troy kiln opening this weekend Oct 29 2011

2011-10-26T10:42:00.001-04:00

This weekend! October 29, 2011
Jack Troy's kiln opening!

Preview

2011-08-25T00:02:00.005-04:00

Some of the pots unloaded today from the wood kiln. Some of these might just be for sale at this weekend's show in Bakersville, NC. Don't hesitate. See you at 10 a.m. Friday morning! Here's a link for the invite.

Pattern

2011-08-18T09:37:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, as I sat in my shop looking over all the pots that I was painting, my daughter, Evelyn, came in from just getting off the school bus and after my inquiry into her school day, I was struck, really struck, by the shirt she was wearing and its pattern.

I'm not sure how it will translate itself onto my pots, but I'm sure something interesting will emerge. The colors remind me of Iznik pottery. Patterns, too. Maybe I will paint some of my porcelain dishes with some similar colors and slip them into the wood kiln this weekend.

You can find out what happens if you come out next week for the "Mountain" Cousins in Clay here at my place in Bakersville. Go to our Cousins in Clay web site for details and directions.

Wish me luck.

The Mountains: Dispatch From Bakersville!

2011-07-16T10:22:00.007-04:00

It's 64 degrees here in the Blue Ridge today! A welcome rain has cooled everything down and the gardens are bursting! I [cousin Michael, here] have been working towards a new collection of pots for my wood kiln and the summer couldn't be finer.

Our little field of corn, potatoes, beans, and melons is a pleasure to walk through every day with its fragrant tassels and searching vines. After a nice rain, it's a must to take my boots off and walk on the red clay in bare feet.

Soft clay, imprints, a trail.

A lot of this red clay finds itself to my shop where I turn it into something with a different use. It's no wonder that pottery thrives in NC to this day, from the earliest transformations of the stuff by Native Americans to the Cousins in Clay!

view from the Mountains Cousins in Clay in Bakersville (on a sunny day!)

2011-05-22T22:48:00.000-04:00

"COUSINS IN CLAY"

Memorial Day Weekend

May 28 Saturday 9-4

May 29 Sunday 10-4

Michael Kline's Brushwork Demonstration

Saturday 2:00-3:00

Sunday 1:30-2:30

(This is from our (Bulldog Pottery's) e-mail that we sent out today)

Jack Troy just returned from Australia as a presenter on a panel at the Australian Wood-firing Conference. He is a renowned potter from Pennsylvania, ceramics author, teacher, and poet. Creative energy is clearly unlimited for Pennsylvanian potter Jack Troy, who weaves his productive life around his passion for ceramics. He has taught over 185 workshops, written 2 books about clay, a book of original poems, published over 60 articles and book reviews, and won awards, all while producing a constant stream of pottery in his Pennsylvania studio.

Peter Lenzo from Columbia, SC reexamines the southern pottery face jug tradition, by creating his autobiographical head sculptures. We think you will enjoy these incredibly intricate and quirky sculptural interpretations of this Southern regional art form.

Michael Kline from Bakersville, NC is known for his floral brush imagery that gracefully wraps around his wood-fired pottery forms. Michael is our perennial co-conspirator with Gholson-Henneke's annual Cousins in Clay event. Sometimes his pots are covered with a honey amber color glaze that is as appetizing as maple syrup. Look for a Mountain Cousins event in the near future.

Bruce Gholson and Samantha Henneke have created a collaborative environment at their Bulldog Pottery studio that provides them the support to express their independent voices, more than they would be able to achieve individually. Their art pottery has become known for an eclectic mix of form, imagery, texture, pattern, and graceful design all integrated by their rich and distinctive glazes

Michael Kline demonstrating at Cousins in Clay 2011

2011-05-19T22:44:00.000-04:00

For the upcoming Cousins in Clay on Memorial Day weekend, 2011, Michael Kline will demonstrate his brushwork technique on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday he will begin at 2:00pm and on Sunday at 1:30pm. This brushwork demo will last around 45 minutes. Michael has a you tube station where you can watch some of his techniques.

Michael's You Tube Station

Michael just unloaded a wood kiln, and will be having his kiln opening this weekend at his homeplace in the mountains. Check out his fabulous pottery at his famed "Sawdust and Dirt" blog.

Michael also has a "working potter" two page feature in this months [June, July, August issue] Ceramics Monthly Magazine. Check it out!

Michael Kline Painting Pottery, Pt 1

2011-05-19T22:29:00.000-04:00

Carolina Arts Unleashed Blogs, Read all about Cousins in Clay

2011-05-14T10:14:00.000-04:00

Carolina Arts publisher Tom Starland writes, "We ran this article in our May 2011 issue of Carolina Arts, but we’ve learned that everyone doesn’t bother with publications these days. Many people’s attention span is just too short for publications. They like blog entries, Facebook status updates or even tweets.

But, I wanted to make sure people interested in pottery would see this – one way or another. I’m hoping I can make another trip to Seagrove (hold the tornadoes this time – please), but it’s a rough time of the month for us to be gone – unless we’ve finished our June issue early. We’ll have our fingers crossed."

Visit Carolina Arts Unleashed to read more about the 3rd Annual "Cousins in Clay".

April and May ads in Carolina Arts Online

2011-05-09T17:49:00.001-04:00

This year the Carolina Arts went online. We appreciate Tom and Linda's publication about what is happening in the Arts in South and North Carolina. This month they did included Cousins in Clay. You can read the article at their online newspaper at Carolina Arts Online. We begin on page 36 and on page 37.

3rd Annual Cousins in Clay May 28 & 29

2011-05-08T10:16:00.000-04:00

We are in the last three weeks until this years Cousins in Clay. Always such an exciting time for us! Getting the house and yard ready, and pottery made and fired. Recently we have been up early in the morning clearing out the area that Michael will be giving his brushwork demonstration. On Saturday, May 28 he will be presenting his demo at 2:00pm and on May 29 Sunday, 5/29 he will showing at 1:30 pm. He has been making some great work over in the mountains. Michael and his wife Stacey just had an opening at Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville. Follow Michael on his Saw Dust and Dirt blog to find out what he will be up to next!

Jack Troy is at a wood firing conference in Australia. When he returns he will be firing up his own wood kiln.

Peter Lenzo has told us that he has been filling his days with making his head sculptures. He will be bringing various sizes to Cousins this year.

As for Bruce and I, we are throwing and glazing for our Moka glaze kiln. Which means we will have an assortment of bowls, mugs, plates, and jars in our soft and satiny matte glaze. Bruce is also pulling out his bucket of shino glaze, and will be revisiting shino on porcelain and stoneware for this kiln and kilns to come. You can follow us on our blog "Around and About with Bulldog Pottery".

Please join us for this years Cousins in Clay! Sat. May 28 or Sun. May 29, we all will be here and are looking forward to your visit and conversations!

Cousins in Clay ad in Carolina Arts-March 2011

2011-03-13T21:19:00.000-04:00

We placed this Cousins in Clay announcement in March 2011 edition of Carolina Arts. Did you know that they are now online? You can visit their website and view and download March's edition of the Carolina Arts. It is full of articles and ads announcing art shows throughout the Carolina's.

Do you read Tom and Linda Starland's blog "Carolina Arts Unleashed"? Carolina Arts Unleashed is a blog that focuses on the arts in South and North Carolina.

It is great to have a publication like this that focuses on the Arts in our communities.

Peter Lenzo - Cousins in Clay- May 2011

2010-12-08T19:20:00.002-05:00

Peter Lenzo - Face

3rd annual "Cousins in Clay" - May 28 and 29 , 2011

Bulldog Pottery - Seagrove, NC

We are excited to announce another "Cousin in Clay" guest artist Peter Lenzo, to our May 28-29 pottery weekend at Bulldog Pottery in Seagrove. He will be joining Jack Troy and Micheal Kline here with us (Bruce Gholson and Samantha Henneke) for the two day event. Peter is a sculptor living in Columbia, SC. He makes these incredible and thought provoking heads encrusted with porcelain finials.

There are videos and images from a workshop that were posted on jbf times blog.

To see more of Peter's work from 2008 visit Michael Baynes website. Michael has posted many images of Peter's face scupltures that they worked on together in 2008.

To read a little bit more about Peter Lenzo click to Mo' Coffee.

Jack Troy - Cousins in Clay-May 2011

2010-10-06T15:57:00.000-04:00

Jack Troy

3rd annual "C0usins in Clay" - May 28 and 29 , 2011

Bulldog Pottery - Seagrove, NC

We are very excited to announce our 2011 "Cousin in Clay" guest potter --- Jack Troy. He is a potter, teacher, and writer from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.

There is an interview of Jack Troy on his local NPR station that aired on September 24, 2010. Jack is firing his wood kiln and getting ready for his Saturday, October 30th (noon - 3:00) fall pottery sale along with his partner Carolanne Currier. A local potter, Edge Barnes from Raleigh, NC can be heard during the radio interview, helping Jack fire his kiln.

Cousin Bruce

2010-06-03T08:31:00.003-04:00

Bruce Gholson has been an influence and hero of mine ever since I began making pots way back in 1983. My teacher at UT/Knoxville, Ted Saupe had a bunch of Bruce's pots and in particular a little set of fluted cups that were my obsession for quite a while. As a matter of fact I drank my morning of coffee out of one of them for a long time. I was fascinated by their weight, their handles, the zig zag fluting, and their beautiful shino glaze. I'm sorry that I don't have any pictures of them to show you.

Bruce continues to inspire me with his wonderful forms and beautiful glaze surfaces. It is an honor to be in his company and as he and Samantha's guest at Cousins in Clay this weekend. I can't wait to see their latest pots! And we hope to see YOU!

Read the (Mud) Bucket interview of Bruce and his partner, Samantha Henneke here.

Cousin Val

2010-06-02T20:22:00.004-04:00

i

Val Cushing, retired from Alfred University in 1997, taught for 40 years and has a legendary career as an influential and highly regarded ceramic artist and teacher. Cushing makes strong and harmonious functional pottery forms that are inspired by nature and he continues to show and lecture around the country. Val will be bringing his beautiful pots to Bulldog Pottery for this weekend's "Cousins in Clay". We hope you will take advantage of this special appearance by our world famous cousin!

Allison McGowan

2010-06-01T22:22:00.006-04:00

Concord, North Carolina potter Alison McGowan will be joining the 'Cousins' this summer! Allison will be joining Carol Gentithes and Fred Johnston at their showroom in downtown Seagrove! Here is an excerpt from her artist statement:

I have found that, in clay, I am able to tailor my forms to maximize the volume while keeping them relatively simple. Finally, the Art Nouveau style of uniting nature and structure gives me ideas for the basic form and function of my pieces. I marvel at the architectural elements of continuous lines that softly join different sections of a doorway or balcony and somehow invite one to enter or linger.

Come to Seagrove on the 5th and 6th of June and check out Allison's pottery as well as all of the other cousins at their 2nd Annual Cousins in Clay sale!!

Cousin Fred

2010-06-01T21:57:00.004-04:00

From Fred's artist statement:

My origins in clay are rooted in the southern folk pottery traditions of North Carolina. Growing up in the rural south has given me access to its colorful history and characters, which serves as a catalyst for ideas. Yet my work also draws from many cultures: Greek, Korean, Chinese, Pre-Columbian, European and Mimbres. The idea of dipping my ladle in many historical and cultural wellsprings is an adventure, my journey.

I question how I can extend the tradition of pottery. What can I contribute? I am not interested in pots that are mindless, shallow imitations and replications of the past. I believe in the idea of cross-fertilization and playfulness. The mixing and matching of different cultures, motifs and art styles are fertile ground, a place to cultivate.

Cousin Carol

2010-06-01T19:54:00.010-04:00

Carol Gentithes

From Carol's artist statement:

To me, art is a visual language. The origins of my artistic language emanate from life's experiences, readings of literature and mythology, and visual interpretations of art history. Often this language focuses on the absurdity, the unpredictability and the unruliness of life. Like a classical language, the vocabulary that I create has many layers of meaning. I leave it with the viewers to derive their personal interpretations.

"Back from Extinction"

"Golden Goose"

"Transformations"

Carol is a new "cousin in clay" this year along with her partner, Fred Johnston. Both will be showing at their Johnston and Gentithes Art Pottery show room in "downtown" Seagrove, the weekend of the 5th and 6th of June at the 2nd Annual Cousins in Clay Show and Sale! Their guest this year will be Allison McGowan.

Cousin Michael

2010-05-28T07:30:00.000-04:00

Michael Kline will be showing and selling his work at Bulldog Pottery on June 5 and 6 in Seagrove, NC. He fires his work by using wood for his fuel in a small mountain town called Bakersville located near the famed art and craft school called Penland. He has a wonderful touch with clay and creates graceful vine grass reed patterns with the brush on his pottery. You can view some of his techniques on You Tube. Follow and read Michael's famed blog called Sawdust and Dirt and read about the news from his pottery shop. Michael's work belongs in every one's collection as his pots are ones that are wonderful to use as well as to put on display for their artistic merit. He shows his work across the country and has a show up presently in Massachusetts at the Artisan Gallery with his neighbors Michael Hunt and Naomi Dalglish called "As the Crow Flies".

Cousin Samantha

2010-05-27T00:29:00.000-04:00

Samantha Henneke born September 26, 1970 in Tallahassee, Fla.

From an interview on the blog, The Mudbucket, on when Samantha caught the pottery "bug":

Yes I remember very clearly. When I went to Virginia Tech I was trying to find what I was interested in doing for my “career” in life. My folks always said every semester take a class that I really enjoyed. I signed up for an art class every semester and figured I might as well get a minor in art. I needed another semester's credit and went to the sculpture class. Apparently it was full, but I was told to check out the pottery class next door. To tell you the truth I was not that enthused about taking a pottery class, but there was room and I needed the art credit. Funny to think that this pottery art class would end up being my “soul” focus in life.

Samantha transferred from Virginia Tech to the NY State College of Ceramics at Alfred University where she met her partner, Bruce Gohlson and completed her BFA in 1995.
In 1997 Samantha and Bruce moved to Seagrove, NC to set up their Bulldog Pottery.

Again from the Mudbucket interviews,

I really like to work on my glaze paintings. I focus my compositions on the insect, and recently I have started to add a bit more fantasy narrative and figurative imagery into the work. Soon we will set up a painting studio and I plan to work out more ideas on paper.

For the complete (Mud)Bucket interview click here!

On Living in Seagrove, North Carolina

2010-05-09T07:54:00.003-04:00

"On Living in Seagrove"

The land around Seagrove offers a prodigious array of quality clays and raw geological material. The American Indians were the first to discover this useful resource, they were mound builders and their material culture is found in the form of arrowheads and pottery shards throughout the area dating back to more than 3,000 years ago. These American Indian potters learned to make functional and ceremonial objects from local wild clay and flint rock.These ancient pieces are among the most important artifacts of the area’s early civilization. In the late 18^th century many English immigrant potters arrived from Jamestown, Virginia to this region to make pots for a burgeoning agrarian society.

To think in 2010 that we are still making ceramics in the same geographic footprint is remarkable. Today the Seagrove pottery community is home to an array of individual artistic talent. There are few places in America where such a continuum exists. There have been over the years a few Seagrove artist potters who have had the courage and talent to push the envelope and to break from the tradition of anonymous ceramic production. These artists helped create the emergence of the studio art pottery movement in Seagrove. Perhaps their appreciation of folk pottery or the art pottery movement and their connection to academia, an informed awareness of world ceramic history and a love of making began the catalyst of change.The variety and quality of their work continues to evolve and is collected passionately by many ceramic aficionados and museums.

One strong connection that has influenced some of these potters is their tie to the famed Alfred University located in upstate New York. The university’s ceramic program was founded in April of 1900. It has trained and educated some of the most recognized and celebrated ceramic artists in the country today: Robert Turner, Karen Karnes, Norm Schulman, Val Cushing, Ken Ferguson, and Cynthia Bringle to name just a few. Their ties to North Carolina and Seagrove are many. Robert Turner was a founding member of Black Mountain College and later a ceramic professor at Alfred University. Karen Karnes was an artist at Black Mountain along with choreographer Mercer Cunningham and the avant-garde composer John Cage. The names Cynthia Bringle and Norm Schulman are synonymous with the Penland School of Craft in Spruce Pines, NC. Alfred University’s ceramic engineering department trained some of the first ceramic engineers in the country. These engineers were instrumental in developing the commercial ceramic stains used by Seagrove potters in 1920s & 30s who were trying to survive the economic effects the industrial revolution was having on their pottery business.

Basically by the 1930’s the business of making and selling Pots for an agrarian culture was over. The future and survival of many Seagrove potters would depend on their ability to transition to the active and colorful glazes of the Art pottery movement. Of this ilk was Charles Maston, a glaze expert employed by the Auman family pottery in Seagrove around 1930. It is believed he was a student of Charles Harder, the chair of Alfred University’s ceramic department. Some potters view the relationship between folk and academic as a symbiotic one, uniting the inherent folk traditions with the insights of scholarly academic research. Having knowledge of an array of historical and cultural perspectives enriches the possibility that one may contribute to the great and noble tradition of making pottery.
In 1989, Fred Johnston was working in Seagrove as an itinerant potter where he became friends with many members of the old pottery families. It was here that he developed a deep appreciation for the history of the region’s pottery industry. During this time, Fred was enrolled at Montgomery Community College. At the suggestion of his ceramic teacher, Mike Ferree, Fred transferred to the New York State School of Ceramics at Alfred University. To pay for school Fred would return to Seagrove in the summers to make pots for an array of Seagrove potters who paid him by the pound to make their shapes. While at Alfred he met ceramic student, Carol Gentithes, his future wife and business partner. They became friends with fellow student Samantha Henneke and a bit later potter Bruce Gholson. Bruce was a visiting instructor for one semester at Alfred University. He was a sabbatical replacement for Wayne Higby and then the following year Bruce applied to and then attended Alfred to obtain an MFA in ceramics.
Carol and Samantha nearly froze to death while modeling for the student drawing classes.Alfred was no place to go for warm weather. Fred talked much and with great enthusiasm about the potters in Seagrove. After receiving an MFA from Penn State and year long residency at The Arrowmont school of art and craft, Fred bamboozled Carol into living in Seagrove by taking her first to a Starbucks in Chapel Hill, placing a bag on her head and then driving her quickly to the town of Seagrove. To her chagrin, she soon realized that Starbucks was not within a short driving distance of their future home and studio. Seagrove potters, David Stuempfle and Ben Owen welcomed the couple to the community and encouraged them to stay regardless of the coffee situation. Upon leaving Alfred, Samantha and Bruce decided to visit Seagrove with the possibility of also setting up a studio. Carol assured them that Starbucks would soon be coming to Seagrove. All four artists are the first Alfred University graduates to establish their own studios in Seagrove. They share a deep appreciation for quality and beauty as well as aesthetic sensibilities and a strong commitment to their work.
"Cousins in Clay" phrase is attributed to fellow potter Michael Kline who referred to a visit to his “clay cousins” Bruce and Samantha in Seagrove, on his blog Sawdust and Dirt. This was after a visit to Seagrove, to attend the fundraising auction of pottery in April 2008 at the North Carolina Potter Center. Michael Kline stayed with Bruce and Samantha and even voluntarily shared his bed with their 85 pound American Bulldog Moka. After the Cousin reference in his blog, Bruce and Samantha decided to invite Michael to participate in their first Bulldog Pottery Studio Art sale, and titled it “Cousins in Clay”. This has now become an annual event with exciting guest clay artists cousins from across the country.

Cousins in Clay -- June 5 & 6 -- 2010

2010-03-18T06:01:00.004-04:00

Here is an ad that Gloria and Ed Henneke designed for the upcoming Cousins in Clay event that will be held at Bulldog Pottery and Johnston and Gentithes Pottery in Seagrove, NC. Michael Kline and Val Cushing will be joining Bruce and Samantha and Allison McGowan will be joining Fred and Carol. We will be here with our work looking forward to meeting and talking with you.

This ad will be appearing for the months of April and May in the Carolina Arts newspaper.

Tom and Linda Starland also keep a blog at Carolina Arts Unleashed.

Cousins in Clay June 5 & 6, 2010

2009-12-18T12:41:00.001-05:00

The Cousins in Clay pottery sale will be held at two locations this coming June 5 and 6, 2010.
Val Cushing and Micheal Kline will be joining Bruce Gholson and Samantha Henneke at Bulldog Pottery.
Allison McGowan will be joining Fred Johnston and Carol Genthesis at Art Pottery.

We are conveniently located 5 miles apart. Johnston and Gentithes Art Pottery are located in downtown Seagrove and Bulldog Pottery is located 5 miles south towards Star on 220 Alt.

Cousins in Clay -- June 5 & 6 -- 2010

2009-10-22T19:47:00.003-04:00

This upcoming year Val Cushing will be joining the three of us at Bulldog Pottery for the 2nd Annual Cousins in Clay pottery sale. The pottery event will be on Saturday June 5 and Sunday June 6.

Layers & Patterns in Nature & Art

2009-05-27T09:20:00.000-04:00

I find it very interesting how certain visual textures and patterns can reoccur, and compel our personal awareness of the world around us. Layering, veining, and grain, all seem be major players in the composition of the natural world, and for sure in my appreciation of it. I believe many others gravite towards such surfaces because of their active and visually rich contrasts, and potential for decorative use. We, or many of us, let our minds guide our eyes into realizing fantasy images found in these whirling lines and shadows.

Over the years Samantha and I have even been moved to adopt pets that have the rich contrasting coats called brindle. That we might pick a pet based on its coat color seems to have interesting implications, but that would be a topic for someone else's blog. Suffice it to say that brindled,

veining, and wood grain like effects are compelling. Below, these flints or cherts, are shards or flakes left behind from the labor of crafting some tool, projectile point, or blade. If I am lucky, I may find an actual point, or at least part of such a tool made from this material.

It seems that weaponry may have made a major contribution to the use of grain pattern as a decorative effect. At first it may have been just the natural by product of forging metals together that had different compositions to provide enough stock metal for a particular object. When grinding through these layers to achieve a shape or blade, the metals are different enough for a contrasting grain effect to be revealed. This can also play a major structural role for metal, and blade smithing in particular.

A close -up of knife blade: "Art and Design in Modern Custom Folding Knives", author: David Darom, artist: Van Barnett, page 65

As a rule, the harder the metal, the better the edge holding quality, but it will at the same time, likely be more brittle. By layering with a softer, but more resilient metal, a composite material is achieved having the positive qualities of both metals. This is probably how Damascus steel blades evolved and flourished in the past, and currently have had a dramatic resurgence as an art form. Contemporary knife makers have made many amazing innovations, achieved through the use of modern metallurgy techniques and technologies. There is a whole lexicon of Damascus terminology, describing the different patterns and effects that are currently achievable, as well as the historical ones.

A close -up of knife blade: "Art and Design in Modern Custom Fixed Bladed Knives", author: David Darom, artist: Jerry Fisk, page 125

A close -up of knife blade: "Art and Design in Modern Custom Folding Knives", author: David Darom, artist: Van Barnett, page 68

A close -up of knife handle : "Art and Design in Modern Custom Folding Knives", author David Darom, Artist: Glen Waters, page 228

In clay, the great mimic material, I would be surprised if the use of layered and contrasting colored clays wasn't an attempt to exploit the decorative effects that had already been achieved in metals. Unfortunately, for pottery, there doesn't seem to be any inherent structural benefit to layering different clays that I am aware of. In reality, it actually poses some seriously important technical hurdles to compensate for. For one thing, the shrinkage rates must be relatively close, or cracking can occur at the seams of the differing clays. The clays must also mature at a similar temperature range, or serious warping and or bloating can occur. So far, the oldest examples of marbled layers of colored clay used decoratively, that I have come across, are from the Tang Dynasty of China, but I have read of Roman pottery from 1st century AD using the technique.

"A Journey into China's Antiquity- volume three- Sui Dynasty--Northern and Southern Song Dynasties", Porcelain Pillow, Tang Dynasty, page 101.

"The Museum of East Asian Art: Bath England Inaugural Exhibition Volume 1 Chinese Ceramics", Offering Tray, Tang Dynasty, 684- 756 AD , page 63

"The Museum of East Asian Art: Bath England Inaugural Exhibition Volume 1 Chinese Ceramics", Green marbled-ware Tripod Jar and Cover, 684- 756 AD, page 62

"The Museum of East Asian Art: Bath England Inaugural Exhibition Volume 1 Chinese Ceramics", Marbled Ware Cup, 9th century, page 74

"Oriental Ceramics the Worlds Great Collections: Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm", Tang Dynasty, 7th - 8th century AD, plate no. 25

I am guessing that the above examples from the Tang Dynasty were all made by press molding, which maintains the pattern developed in slabs of clay. The mug below was thrown from a ball of mixed clay and the act of throwing the pot swirls and distorts the pattern as the piece is pulled up.

A variation of such patterning is known regionally as swirl ware. A wonderful example of this is over at Sawdust and Dirt.

Family of Potters

2009-03-07T13:18:00.000-05:00

I wonder if the pots I make were to go to a "reunion" of the pots that have influenced them, would they find it funny that they shared certain characteristics or had similar gestures? Would they be able to see which side of the family they were from by physical similarities, or share similar quirks in their personalities!? Would they find it humorous or would they be horrified on some level? Would they realize that they really weren't that unique in the scheme of things?
We, as potters, can trace personal influences and may remember when we first saw someone throw a pot. During the course of finding my own voice, I find that it is more a matter of continuing the good ideas of the past. By doing so I find "cousins" I didn't know I had. Our own histories are sometimes vague and memories fade, but we find kinship in the pots others make. We are more alike than we may think. The pots we make are born from the past. Some may say that this point of view is 'nostalgic', but I like to think of this process as being part of a greater truth, a continuum. Good ideas make the way for even better ones, they build on themselves.

These are just a few thoughts I had just now. Maybe I will elaborate or correct some of these thoughts as I digest them. Please feel free to share your thoughts on being a potter or being a collector of pots. How do you see your work or your collection? Does it bring together certain ideas or does it reveal your own personality in some way?

[images taken from "Ash Glaze: Traditions in Ancient China and the American South" by Daisy Wade Bridges. I bought my copy at the NC Pottery Center gift shop.]

Cousins in Clay : Pottery Show and Sale

2009-02-17T13:32:00.000-05:00

Michael Kline's Bird Jar

Who: Michael Kline, Bruce Gholson and Samantha Henneke

When: Saturday and Sunday. June 6 and 7, 2009

Where: Seagrove, North Carolina at Bulldog Pottery to have a joint pottery sale.

Times: 9:00 am - 5:00 : Saturday

10:00 am - 5:00 : Sunday

Bruce Gholson's Vidalia Vase

Samantha Henneke's teapot