September Issue 2001
Wilkes Art Gallery in North Wilkesboro, NC, Features Works by Seagrove, NC, Potters
It's been going on in the Seagrove area of North Carolina for more than nine generations: traditional and functional pottery, made from the land. With more than a hundred potteries in the area, Seagrove is known nationwide as the "Pottery Capital" of North Carolina. There are so many potters in this area that you can find almost every color, every technique, every glaze, every medium you might be looking for. During the month of September, you only have to travel as far as the Wilkes Art Gallery to see this variety for yourself. Wilkes Art Gallery's Seagrove Pottery Showcase will be on exhibit Sept. 1 - 29, 2001.
Dan Triece of DirtWorks in Seagrove is the curator for this month's exhibit. He has been in Seagrove for about a decade, and has a great knowledge of all the potteries there. Triece began his career in pottery when he took his first pottery class in the early 1980's at the Waterworks Visual Arts Center in Salisbury, NC. A press release states, "Popular DirtWorks production items, such as dinner plates, salad dishes and mugs, are made by apprentices, freeing Dan to experiment and produce more one-of-a-kind pieces, like his face pots."
The display at the gallery will consist of a group show to display the diversity of Seagrove with approximately 20 potters having 3 pieces each. Among several of the potters will be Phil Morgan. Morgan's shapes and forms bring forward an ancient porcelain-glazing technique from the Chung Dynasty. Morgan is currently hand-throwing a modern interpretation of crystalline glazed porcelain in which each piece is a unique work of art, hand crafted of fine porcelain, from the hand mixing of the clay and glazes, to the firing and finishing of the piece.
Tom Gray works with one clay body, two glazes, and fires everything in one kiln. Gray's handmade pots are now extremely simple, no extraneous bells and whistles, utilizing indigenous material when possible. The year 2001 marks Tom's 25th year of making handmade pots.
Terry and Anna King of King's Pottery use their creativity to produce functional everyday pottery. Their true talents emerge when they direct their hands, minds and hearts toward sculptural folk pottery, such as animal figures and wheel thrown altered jugs, face jugs and grape cluster pitchers.
John Hesselberth, Frog Pond Pottery, focuses his work on functional pottering influenced by his attraction to African art, textured surfaces , geometric patterns, and subdued slips and glazes. While he works with commercially prepared clay, he compounds his own slips and glazes in order to achieve desired effects.
Charles (Doc) Tostoe, the potter, his wife Penny and son, John, of Fat Beagle Pottery continues to grow through constant research and desire to try new techniques. He has exhibits along the east coast from Rochester, NY to Miami Beach, FL. Fat Beagle specializes in an assortment of functional stoneware, high fired to 2400 degrees for durability and luster. Also featured is beautiful specialty-called Stoneku stoneware.
Other featured potters will be Holly Hill, Turn & Bum, Whynot, Dutch Mill and many more.
For more information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings or call the Gallery at 336/667-2841.
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Carolina Arts
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