Bio
Celena Burnett earned her BFA in Ceramics from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. She is a Ceramics Instructor at Levine Jewish Community Center in Charlotte, NC and Member and Program Chair of Carolina Claymakers Guild in Charlotte, NC in addition to maintaining her thriving studio practice and showing nationally.
Artist Statement
As an artist, I try to express my hopes and positive energy into the clay by using words, imagery and bright colors. I work in Earthenware clay and find inspiration in textiles, nature, and in those whom I love. I strive to reach people on a deeper level, to add joy and remind them of the boundless potential we hold within all of us. My focus on making pots has always been on function and the everyday use of them. The pot has a life or personality of it’s own and brings a more meaningful experience to the user. We prepare and eat food everyday. Mealtime can be a wonderful communal experience, or a special quiet time and using pottery can enrich that experience. The food nourishes us, as does the art in which it is served. Taking a hand crafted mug into our hands, into our space, and up to our lips, is intimate, and each piece of pottery can bring an emotion, a thought or recollection.
Bio
Debra is a published illustrator with a love of pottery. She works out of her home studio combining underglaze illustration with wheel-thrown and slab rolled functional porcelain forms. Debra has been drawing her whole life graduating with a Fine Arts Degree in bookmaking and discovered clay 17 years ago. She has been working in clay on and off since then. She has, over the past three years, combined the two mediums to create original and unique pieces for special occasions or everyday use.
Artist Statement
As a ceramist and illustrator, porcelain is my page. Each piece tells a hand-painted tale. I am passionate about creating functional art that conveys illustrative narratives. I have turned my work more exclusively to clay over the past 8 years refining my line work in underglaze from my home studio. I enjoy the contrast between the white porcelain and the black-to-grey values. I have been incorporating more organic forms into my work to complement the imagery. It is a lovely journey forming my ‘canvases’ into functional pieces.
Leicester, North Carolina
Website
Bio
Pottery has always been something I have had the constant desire to do. Back in 1973 I set up a small studio in Broad Ripple, Indiana, building a kick wheel and a few tools. It didn’t take long before the spark of interest began to burn, and I knew that pottery would be a passion that would stay with me. Even at times when I was unable to give it the attention it required it was always the creation of pottery that I returned to.
After moving to Whitestown, Indiana in 1976 I opened Woodsman Pottery. Functional stoneware was the main dish, fired in a small oil fired catenary arch kiln. Experimentation with a small wood kiln revealed the added potential of wood ash and flames on the ware. While working part time at Conner Prairie, a living history museum near Nobelsville, Indiana I came to appreciate the rich surface effects achieved using a wood & salt fired groundhog kiln. In 1983 I opened Log Creek Pottery in Paoli, Indiana continuing the functional pottery tradition. It was here that I began work in sculptural terra cotta tile work. Works were fired in a gas downdraft or wood crossdraft kilns.
The spring of 2004 brought me to Leicester, North Carolina to pursue, once again, my interests in clay. After building the studio the exterior is being clad in handmade terra cotta tile work, serving as a sample of architectural clay possibilities. A range of functional stoneware, Ceramic pieces for garden & landscapes as well as decorative tiles fill my days with creative possibilities as I continue my pursuit of handmade pottery.
Artist Statement
Informed by the rich heritage of Carolina stoneware, Doc’s pieces are designed for everyday use and enjoyment. Tradition is both his inspiration and anchor to past generations of potters as well as a point of departure that serves to distinguish his forms.
“ When a piece of my pottery gives the user a measure of joy similar to the joy I experience while creating it, the circle is complete.”
Bio
I first fell in love with pottery in 2007, when I received lessons from a local potter, in exchange for dog sitting. What started out as an enjoyable pastime and hobby, quickly became my passion. Since then, I have participated in local vendor markets throughout the Charlotte-Metro region and am currently a member of a pottery co-op in historic downtown Concord.
I work full-time as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
Artist Statement
What I love most about creating pottery is starting with a shapeless lump of clay and seeing how it transforms. Working with clay continues to teach me about resiliency and forgiveness and pushes me to embrace the process and to let go of perfection. Each piece I selected is wheel thrown and reflects storytelling through the glazing techniques and exposing the raw clay to show the pure form of the pottery with the contrast of the glazes.
Bio
Emily Flores makes functional ceramic work in her home studio in Kernersville, NC. Inspired by the nature surrounding her home and studio, Emily creates detailed patterned surface designs that demonstrate a love and deep appreciation of the outdoor world. She first muddied her hands with clay in 2017 at a local community art center and immediately was hooked. Mostly self-taught through much experimentation and practice, she finds joy in the problem-solving and process driven craft that is ceramics. She hopes she can share that joy with others as they touch, use, and view her work.
Artist Statement
Texture, pattern, and bold colors intersect in my functional ceramic work. In a world that pushes us to move faster, it is my hope that my pieces encourage the user to slow down, notice the details, and allow the senses to be engaged. Using materials with varying surface characteristics such as slip, underglaze, and glaze with original die-cut stencils made from hand-drawn designs, I am able to create surface patterns that urge us to touch and interact with the piece in a way that invites the mind and body to explore. The pieces selected for the CLAY exhibition were created in the summer of 2023. They were wheel thrown and hand painted with flowers found in NC. Each piece was decorated with slip, underglaze, and glaze and was oxidation-fired to cone 5.
