Ron Johnson on fri 27 jul 07
Thanks for the suggestions that came to me when I asked for recommendations for the trip to Seagrove, NC my wife and I were planning.
Billie Mitchell recommended I talk to David Garner of Turn & Burn Pottery ( http://www.turnandburnpottery.com/ ) and kindly included an email introduction, so that was our first destination when we got to Seagrove on Friday, a few hours later than we intended. David was a gracious host for the town, making recommendations about a variety of potteries to visit, and willingly talking about pottery and the potter's life. While we were in the shop, he threw (turned, I suppose he would say) a small pot. For beginners like us, it was a kick to be treated as members of the club.
We went next to MasterWorks, a gallery staffed by David's wife, where we bought a lovely little pot by Clay Trotter that had been incised vertically and perhaps dried as discussed on this list a few weeks ago before being expanded. And I have kicked myself repeatedly for not buying a piece of Billy Mitchell's work in that gallery, a tall, squarish handbuilt vessel with a thrown top. She also had some great sculptural pieces there, purses or bags or briefcases, depending on what you call things people carry things in.
Our last stop that afternoon was Johnston & Gentithes Art Pottery ( http://www.johnstonandgentithes.com/ ), where we saw two very different styles under one roof.
We began the next morning at the studio of the English Potter, Robert Saxby, where we were entertained by the potter and his dog and inspired by the work. Saxby was friendly and forthcoming about pottery and its making, offering encouragement along with suggestions and tips. We found the glazing particularly wonderful and I bought a tumbler with a beautiful red glaze. It was the only tumbler he had on hand, and he had to wash it first since he had been drinking coffee from it.
From there we went to Caldwell-Hohl Artworks ( http://www.caldwellhohl.com/ ), which housed a variety of pottery styles, interesting soaps, and other goodies.
Next stop, just up the road, was Dean & Martin Pottery
( http://www.discoverseagrove.com/nc-potters-details.asp?Potter_ID=14 ), where a handsome and well-lit gallery held the works of a talented, hospitable, and friendly young couple. I was unable to resist a graceful tumbler with a beautiful glaze of green vertical stripes against an almost metallic background, and have since verified Jeff Dean's claim that it holds 12 ounces of beer.
From there it was off to Jugtown Pottery ( http://www.jugtownware.com/ ). The work there was beautiful and there was a ton of it. We bought some wonderfully balanced and glazed cups (I consider them wine cups, a function they have already served well) by Pamela Owens.
After lunch, we went to the distinctly high-concept Ben Owen Pottery ( http://www.benowenpottery.com/ ) where Ben Owen III, scion of a potting family, has a grand gallery and a studio in the back open to customers. A group of us tourists stood watching as Owen deftly threw one after the other of almost identical pots. As a beginner, it was eye-opening to see the speed at which he could create graceful forms.
While at Dean & Martin pottery, we had seen a very large platter on the wall, stained but unglazed, featuring a tree pattern, and we called them to find out where it came from, which turned out to be From the Ground Up, just down the road ( http://www.fromthegrounduppots.com/ ). A lot of the work there was intriguing, especially the tree-themed work and the wind chimes hanging outside -- large, thick-walled bowls hung upside down by a thick rope through a hole in the bottom of the bowl, with a wooden clapper hanging beside it.
From there, we hurried back into "downtown" Seagrove, back to Turn & Burn, where a horsehair raku firing was underway. Behind the small sales gallery, a crew of four women were working steadily at turning David Garner's pots into smoke-marked beauties. Like almost everyone we encountered in Seagrove, they were happy to explain what they were doing as they did it. Of course, we then had to go inside and buy a piece of horsehair raku to make tangible the memory of that event.
Our last and longest stop was at Ole Fish House Pottery/Blue Moon Gallery, owned and operated by Byron and Georgia Knight. The gallery is large and well-lighted, with terrific work by a variety of artists, including that of the Knights. A large window looks from the gallery into the studio, into which customers are invited. Byron was throwing bowls on a wheel installed in a large Rubbermaid horse trough and was happy to talk and share insights and techniques, including a way to reduce the amount of water used in throwing, a tip I have already happily put to use. He and Georgia were generous with their time and attention, still working the whole while. They showed us the whole setup and talked about their decision to quit their non-pottery jobs, cash in their chips, and put it all on this throw of the dice. After watching Byron throw about three of what he calls "flair bowls," I couldn't leave the gallery without one. Georgia mostly does handbuilding, and the flair bowl was k
ept company in the heap of packages in our car by a lasagna dish. They fire everything in electric kilns and have developed some great glazes.
We left Seagrove happy, poorer in a financial sense, richer in an aesthetic sense, and swearing to return and try to see some of the 100+ potteries we didn't get to.
Thanks again to everyone who made suggestions. Seagrove is a great destination for a pottery-based mini-vacation.
Ron Johnson
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