Photo Blogging Penland Gallery

Instructor Gallery

Tara Wilson is teaching Altered Pots in upper clay. Everyone in her class seemed to be having a lot of fun and had just unloaded the wood kiln. They’re firing it again this weekend so everyone was busy making more work. Here is one of her signature pitchers.

Jerilyn Virden is teaching Sculptural Pottery in lower clay. I absolutely love her work and wish I could be there taking her class. Actually, both clay classes left me envious, but such is life.

Resident artist exhibition

I was really drawn to the glass work of Devin Burgess. Aside from his balanced forms, I appreciate his muted palette. Glass is often too bright for my taste, although it all has a place. Were I of stronger means, his work would have a place in my living room.

Other work at the gallery

Michael Sherrill continues to amaze me. You can see better pics of his work on his website. Aside from his artwork, Michael has been reinventing the wheel, well pottery tools at least, not a wheel yet. He did improve the basic potters sponge though. I really love his variety of ribs, the carving bow, and shredders. Check out his product line at Mudtools.

detail

Here is a glass and concrete sculpture by Junichiro Baba. Again, the muted glass fits my taste, plus I think it compliments the concrete well. Both seem cold, but the glass seems cold in more natural way versus the industrial chill of the concrete. This idea of nature and industry, where they meet and where they collide, has been a theme central to what I hope to make in the next year. I used to have a cup by the artist but it somehow disappeared during a party. Go figure.

Last but not least, I saw some of Tom Spleth’s new cups.I think they do a great job of combining his print making with his ceramics. You can buy them at his new cup website too! I got to know Tom while working on his retrospective at the Gregg Museum and I’ve had a lot of ideas since then about art I would like to make incorporating slip cast. A lot of these ideas revolve around the exploration of nature versus industry. Fortunately, I’ll be his studio assistant next spring for concentration at Penland so I’ll have a good shot at making some of these ideas come to life.

More Penland area coming pics soon.