December Issue 2001
Folk Art Center in Asheville, NC, Features Works by James & Lisa Tevia-Clark and Gwen Heffner
Of the wide variety of clays used by potters, porcelain is the hardest, strongest, and finest. Made from superfine kaolin clay, quartz and feldspar, porcelain is fired at higher temperatures than other clays, bearing the distinction of a very white, almost vitreous character. The Folk Art Center's Focus Gallery in Asheville, NC, will show the work of three members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild who work in porcelain, Dec. 1 through Jan. 9 entitled Impressions in White. James and Lisa Tevia-Clark (Brasstown, NC) show their porcelain relief wall pieces and Gwen Heffner (Irvine, KY) shows the latest in her fine, functional porcelain vessels.
James and Lisa Tevia-Clark have worked together for over 15 years making hand thrown and hand-built vessels, murals and wall reliefs richly decorated with impressions and carvings. Lisa had been a full-time potter several years before her husband James joined her as studio assistant in 1984. Now sharing the studio full-time, Lisa and James collaborate on ambitious pieces with a complex assortment of images that, much like ancient folk-art, seem to tell a story across the planes of painted porcelain. Amidst a composite of scenes and symbols, the eye might settle on a little brook or a circle of birds in flight, finely pressed or carved into the surface. For the Tevia-Clarks, each image is lush with personal meaning. To Lisa, birds represent the magic in life that delivers us above the everyday world, the speed that carries us beyond doubt, toward our proper destiny. When arranged beside other images in this symbolic language, the meaning multiplies. A finished piece can be entirely covered with multi-layered significance, sharing a message that inspires both the eye and the imagination. Jim and Lisa's work has been featured in several ceramic art books, and has been exhibited in juried art shows nationally since 1995. In 1996, they became members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild.
In Gwen Heffner's innovative use of porcelain clay, what is immediately evident is the heightened experience of the clay itself. With careful control, she coaxes the clay's performance to expose porcelain's most admired properties: its fine, even grain, its pure, ethereal whiteness. Since the mid-1970s, Heffner has explored her medium, discovering ways to emphasize porcelain's ability to sport clean lines, a smooth surface and slim walls that resonate with a high, clear ring when struck. Her discreet glaze exposes the translucent qualities of the clay, and her graceful forms are so delicate that only by porcelain's strength are they at all practical. One imagines the curl of a paper birch's bark, or the curves of a sun-bleached seashell in her wheel-thrown, altered vessels.
In addition to being a studio potter, Heffner supports other craftspeople through her own fine craft gallery, Contemporary Artifacts, in Berea, KY. Her love and appreciation for a variety of crafts has led to surrounding herself with the work of other artists of all media from around the country. They often present a source of inspiration for her own work, as is the case of some of the work in this show.
To celebrate her love of handmade beads, her latest gallery show, Bead Masters features contemporary bead artists. Heffner has experimented with using handmade beads as teapot finials and handles for her porcelain pieces. In keeping with the style of beads chosen on each piece, the surfaces are carved with coordinating designs, and new glazes have been used. One of Heffner's greatest enjoyments is collaborating with other artists. Heffner has appeared in numerous books and magazines, and has been an independent curator for many exhibitions. In addition, she has taught classes in porcelain as well as craft marketing and management. She has been a member of the Guild since 1984.
For more information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings or call the gallery at 828/298-7928.
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