October 2013

Pottery 101 in Salisbury, NC, Features Works by Travis Hall, John Morehead and Ashley Pierce

Pottery 101 in Salisbury, NC, will present Assembled Expressions, featuring works by Travis Hall, John Morehead and Ashley Pierce, on view from Oct. 25 through Dec. 2, 2013. A reception will be held on Oct. 25, from 6-9pm.

This exhibit features works from three very different artists who have a common theme in their approach to making art.

Travis Hall began drawing and painting at a young age but developed a special bond with clay when he was enrolled in the Associates of Fine Arts program at Central Piedmont Community College in the fall of 2007. He has since graduated and has plans to further his education and, eventually, pursue his master’s degree.

Hall currently works in his home studio where he creates his sculptural works from white and red earthenware. The pieces he creates are playful and cartoon-like with an abstract flare. As Hall likes to say, he “marches to the beat of a different drum”. This independent streak definitely shows up in his work.

Hall hopes to, one day, become an artist who is “sought after for his individualism and ability to create imaginative pieces that brighten up any ceramic enthusiast’s collection”.

John Morehead grew up in the foothills of North Carolina and started making, building, and fixing things at an early age. This love of creating has followed him throughout his life, as he has always been drawn to abstract art and sculptures. Today, sculptures made from found objects are his specialty. Friends and family have often referred to Morehead as the “ultimate recycler”.

Morehead has been creating these unique works of art for many years; however, since 2008, his sculptural work consists mostly of fanciful “fish” created from metal and wood. Inspiration for his art often comes from treasures gathered at junk yards, auctions, friend’s attics, barns, and even the occasional dumpster dive. His pieces are created in the “Fish Factory”, where he has boxes and bins of items categorized as eyes, fins, gills, tails, and other assorted parts. There are also rows of shelves filled with other great finds just waiting to be repurposed.

Taking this scrap metal, wood, and other found objects regarded as useless and breathing new life into it, without guidelines or accepted standards, has become a passion for Morehead. It is also a way to show others that everything new and shiny is not always the natural order of things. He currently resides in Salisbury.

Ashley Pierce earned her Masters of Fine Arts in Visual Art from Eastern Carolina University in 2010. She is currently a professor at Catawba College. She also works at Pottery 101!

“My work as a visual artist is very much still evolving,” says Pierce. “Both of my Fine Art degrees are concentrated in Illustration. Most viewers will immediately see the connection to cartoon and comic book culture in my representational work. Complex neutralized color schemes may help to steer away from this reference. Lines are often used to depict energy and emotion. Subject matter often includes a figure or two enclosed in chaos or in introspection. A juxtaposition of dark and light subject matter is also a common theme.”

For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 704/209-1632 or visit (www.pottery-101.com).

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