Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville, is featuring one of the finest young potters in western North Carolina today, two North Carolina living treasures, and one of the most accomplished ceramic artists in the country. Our featured exhibition is "Year One: New Work by Alex Matisse" and our showcase exhibition is "Moving Forward: Looking Back". Additionally, our online collection is "Ceramics by Jack Troy".
Year One is
an exhibition of ceramics by Marshall, NC potter Alex Matisse.His work is made in a fusion of preindustrial country traditions in both process and material. It is fired in a large wood burning kiln and made of as many local materials as the chemistry will allow, while still affording him the physical attributes necessary for his aesthetic decisions. He believes in the beautiful object; that there are inescapable aesthetic truths, physical attributes, that remove time and place from the defining characteristics of the made object. These objects can be viewed today or many years from now and be understood as beautiful.
This exhibition is a collection of work from the first firings of Alex's new kiln. As an apprentice of both Matt Jones and Mark Hewitt, Alex has combined strong and refined forms developed and as an apprentice with his own precise and uniquely beautiful decoration. Alex is one of the finest potters in western North Carolina today.
Moving Forward, Looking Back is an exhibition that features two of Mitchell County, North Carolina's Living Treasures. As Billie Ruth Sudduth completes her 10,000th basket she is featuring some of the most requested baskets from among her first 10,000. Norm Schulman is one of the most accomplished and recognized potters in the United States and he will be exhibiting his most recent works and signing copies of his book.
Billie Ruth Sudduth's baskets blend the historical with the present through
color, pattern, surface embellishment, and form. She is inspired by the classical shapes typical of Shaker and Appalachian baskets but she travels back over seven centuries for the most profound influence on her work: The Nature Sequence, developed by Leonardo of Pisa (Italy). She wants to expand the possibilities of design while maintaining function. Her weaving utilizes a mathematical structure of spiral growth found in nature to create baskets with a rhythmic, naturally flowing design. They are both visual and tactile, beckoning the viewer to touch and explore with the eyes and hands. She does not separate herself from nature but through her weaving, affirms being a part of it.
Norman Schulman, is a master ceramist, coming from a career of
more than 50 years of practicing, teaching and leading in his field. Throughout his career as a ceramic artist, he has taught and mentored many potters who have, themselves, become distinguished in the field. His many accomplishments have included professor and head of ceramics and glass at Rhode Island School of Design and head of Ceramics at Ohio State University. His works are included in many public collections, including the Smithsonian, American Craft Museum, Museum of Art and Design (NY), Mint Museum, Cameron Art Museum and Schein-Joseph International Museum. His work has become a search for the essential through simplicity of progress, form and surface; using a small anagama-type kiln and a stoneware clay body.
Jack Troy, teacher, potter, and writer, retired from Juniata College in 2006, where he taught for 39 years. He has
Billie Ruth Sudduth's baskets blend the historical with the present through
color, pattern, surface embellishment, and form. She is inspired by the classical shapes typical of Shaker and Appalachian baskets but she travels back over seven centuries for the most profound influence on her work: The Nature Sequence, developed by Leonardo of Pisa (Italy). She wants to expand the possibilities of design while maintaining function. Her weaving utilizes a mathematical structure of spiral growth found in nature to create baskets with a rhythmic, naturally flowing design. They are both visual and tactile, beckoning the viewer to touch and explore with the eyes and hands. She does not separate herself from nature but through her weaving, affirms being a part of it.Norman Schulman, is a master ceramist, coming from a career of
more than 50 years of practicing, teaching and leading in his field. Throughout his career as a ceramic artist, he has taught and mentored many potters who have, themselves, become distinguished in the field. His many accomplishments have included professor and head of ceramics and glass at Rhode Island School of Design and head of Ceramics at Ohio State University. His works are included in many public collections, including the Smithsonian, American Craft Museum, Museum of Art and Design (NY), Mint Museum, Cameron Art Museum and Schein-Joseph International Museum. His work has become a search for the essential through simplicity of progress, form and surface; using a small anagama-type kiln and a stoneware clay body.Jack Troy, teacher, potter, and writer, retired from Juniata College in 2006, where he taught for 39 years. He has led over 185 workshops for potters at colleges, universities, and art centers in the U. S. and abroad. His career has taken him to 13 countries, and his work is in many private and public
collections, including the Smithsonian Institution, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park (Japan), Auckland (NZ) Museum of Art and the Kalamazoo Institute of Art. His first book, Salt Glazed Ceramics, was published in 1977. In 1978 he built Pennsylvania’s first anagama-style kiln at Juniata College, and personal anagamas at his home in 1987 and 2006. In 1995 he published Wood-fired Stoneware and Porcelain. His collection of poems, Calling the Planet Home, was published in 2003 and more than 60 of his articles, book reviews, and exhibition catalogue essays have appeared in the major periodicals in his field. The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts awarded him two Craft Fellowships for his work in ceramics, and a Fellowship in Literature for his poetry. He was selected by the Council to make the awards for the 2005 Governor’s Awards for the Arts. We will be featuring a collection of his smaller works that are being shown for the first time in our area.
These exhibitions will remain through August 27th. Each exhibition is available online. For more information call 828-688-3599 or online at www.crimsonlaurelgallery.com.
