Collaborations: A Ceramic Collage

Collaborations: A Ceramic Collage is a Fired Works event that is taking place at Macon Arts. The Macon Arts gallery has featured monthly shows, and the show closest to Fired Works always centers on ceramic work.

This year, Diane Mead curates the show, and came up with the concept of ceramic collaborations. She loosely based this idea on the Surrealists' game of "The Exquisite Corpse"; a game of folded paper played by several people, who compose a drawing without anyone seeing the preceding collaboration or collaborations. Obviously, such an "Exquisite Corpse" can hardly be achieved with ceramics! However, each artist mailed or traded pieces after the initial firing, and their corresponding partner finished each piece in their personal style.

I had the joy of meeting one participating artist last Friday; Ken Horvath dropped off his collaborative work with Fired Works artist Eileen Braun. He has yet to see Eileen's applications on his forms, but looks forward to seeing them on First Friday.

Participating artists in "Collaborations" include Heather Davis, Diane Mead, John Britt, Susan Feagin, Ken Horvath, Eileen Braun, Joy Raynor, Meg Campbell, and Roger Jamison. Please join us for the first of several Fired Works events during the opening reception for "Collaborations". First Friday, April 3rd, from 5 to 8 p.m. Light refreshments and wine will be served.

Call Macon Arts for more information: (478) 743-6940



While you're at it, check out John Britt's Blog about the up-coming Collaborations show.

Serving Art: new artist Shelia Bradley

Ceramic artist Shelia Bradley has been considered for previous Fired Works; we're quite happy that she is finally able to participate this year. Her work is quite vibrant, and she lets her love of cooking inspire her work. Read her artist statement below:

Shelia Bradley

Loving art and being an artist all my life has caused me to be led down many diverse paths, from graphic designer to chef. The sum of these experiences has served me well and left me with the belief that all art, no matter what we are drawn to as the observer, or what we decide to touch as the artist, comes from a place locked deep inside all of us. It is a soulful search to make a connection, a longing for a moment of clarity, a complete and reconciled thought, a state of joy that delivers us from the antagonists in life and the complexities and inconvenience of being human.

My connection and love affair began when I was a child as I played with clay for many hours at the waters edge, on the riverbank in North Carolina. Those cherished memories followed me into young adulthood when I was compelled to take a pottery class. I remember crying and being overcome with the feeling that I had, at last, come home.

Since 2005, I have devoted all of my creative energy into exploring the world of clay. The focus of my work revolves around and is inspired by my love of food and the joy that comes from preparing it. I am completely absorbed with the opportunity to create a functional pot based on the food I would like to see in it. I have become aware that the elements of cooking and making a pot are one in the same, for me. Although I am admittedly attached to the outcome, I am profoundly in love with the process.

I work, for the most part, on the wheel turning out functional pieces. I like the smooth, bright surface of porcelain like clay body. I glaze fire for stoneware in gas reduction to cone 10. I enjoy creating a certain attitude about the piece beyond its shape. The variety of shapes and the mixed bag of surface decoration that I use excite me like having a bounty of fresh herbs and exotic spices at my fingertips. I have many favorites and cannot limit myself. Some would say that I am indulgent, and that could be true, but I cannot live in a world without daring to experience the joy of exploration. My fondest hope is that I can invite hands to touch, persuade eyes to see and compel the user to enjoy every aspect of the piece, to have the piece become a part of someone’s life through daily use.

I have attended several Craft Schools on work study, including Penland in North Carolina, Arrowmont and Shakerag in Tennessee. I have been a continual student at Good Dirt Studio in Athens Ga., and regularly attend many workshops and seminars. I am an instructor at Good Dirt and have taught adult education classes at Gainesville State College in Gainesville Ga. I work from my studio at home in Bishop Ga., producing work for a number of galleries and pottery shows.

Bragging Rights (article in the 11th Hour)

Georgia’s main resources; cotton, peanuts, peaches, and clay? Georgia is by far the leading clay producing state in America; as well as stoneware and earthenware, natural kaolin is one of Georgia’s leading products. Kaolin is used not only by local potters, but by industries that make bathroom fixtures, tiles, and chinaware. It is also used in the paper industry, as commercial filler and paint pigment, and in pharmaceuticals.

There are natural deposits of some of the best kaolin right in middle Georgia. Native Americans discovered this natural resource, and used it for their clay ware. In the late 1700’s, European immigrants applied their craft techniques to the native clay. A few tons of southern kaolin were shipped overseas to Thomas Wedgewood, who praised the clay quality but deemed it too expensive to transport back to England.

Americans had no problem with the southern kaolin, and pottery became so widespread in the 1820s and 1840s that several pottery making centers sprang up in the south, known as “Jugtowns”. Peak years for Georgia potters was during the Civil War; they supplied the Confederate army with nearly all its storage vessels.

The Great Depression and increased production of cheaper glass and metal containers had the largest negative impact on Georgia potters. Unable to sell their wares to poor farmers, those potters who did not close their doors had to discover new ways to keep the tradition alive. One way potters began to appeal to a more diverse clientele was to add an artistic element to traditional forms: thus, the rise of the “face jug”. Oddly enough, many art collectors pay thousands of dollars for work was once produced for farmers.

Ceramic artists today use their “homegrown” Georgia clay and commercial clay (made with Georgia kaolin) to create an eclectic variety of ceramic pieces, ranging from the sculptural to the functional, to the functional with a little bit of “funk” added.

Regional ceramic artists keep the potter’s community alive; artist A.J. Argentina, who manages the Roswell Clay Collective, led a Mardi Gras “Clay Olympics” this year, which involved potters and the community in such competitions as ‘blind-folded wheel throwing’. In Crawford County, artist Shelby West organizes a kiln firing, open to the public, in a huge community kiln he helped build. Roger Jamison has an anagama kiln (Japanese for “cave kiln”) in his backyard, and has at least two annual firings. His kiln can hold up to 600 pieces of pottery, and about 20 artists come to his Juliette home to help keep the fires stoked ‘round the clock for 5 days.

Numerous art festivals and gatherings educate the public on the variety of ceramic work that is readily available, and give ceramic artists a chance to meet and exchange ideas. “Perspectives” at the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation in Watkinsville, is an annual ceramics show featuring 50 Georgia ceramic artists. It includes an exhibit that mixes the contemporary with the traditional, last year with a display of Georgia face jugs next to a large modern piece by artist Sooyeon Kim. The Georgia Jugfest and Old Knoxville Days, held in Crawford County every year, is a gathering of many traditional folk potters, including artists Mark and Coni Merritt, who own the Lizella Clay Co. The Merritts also have a small annual Pottery Festival each fall which features artists from the region, including Triny Cline of Byrd Mountain Pottery.

Macon has its own pottery festival. “Fired Works: A Regional Ceramics Show and Sale,” which features work by over 50 regional artists, including those mentioned in this article. Fired Works will be taking place later this month at the Round Building in Central City Park. Though the show itself is in its fifth year, and Macon Arts is proud to sponsor it, the history of ceramics in Georgia runs as deep as the kaolin fault-line; now that’s something to brag about.

"Fired Works: A Regional Ceramics Show and Sale" will be taking place this month, April 18th through April 26th.

Featured Pictures in this article: 1. Collaborative piece, thrown by Roger Jamison, glazed by Diane Mead. Part of Macon Arts' April show: Collaborations. Opening reception April 3rd, 5-8 p.m. 2. Artist A.J. Argentina throwing blindfolded as part of the "Clay Olympics", photograph by Michael Phillips. 3. Part of "Teapot Conversation", piece by Sooyeon Kim, one of the featured works in the "Perspectives" exhibit.

New Artists this year: A.J. Argentina

I first saw A.J. Argentina's work on-line, beautiful large pieces that incorporated negative space and architectural elements, each one dominating its environment, drawing the viewer to peer closer at the lines and weight of the material. It is absolutely fascinating; his functional pottery was nothing less when I viewed it in person at OCAF's Perspectives Pottery Show in August, 2008. Macon Arts was quite pleased when he agreed to participate in Fired Works.

A.J. is an instructor and manager of Roswell Art Center West, part of the Roswell Visual Arts program. Until you get to meet him at the Fired Works Preview Party, learn more about his artistic process in the following artist statement:

A. J. Argentina
Artist Statement

As a potter, I work within a functional format and am informed by the rich history of ceramics. At its best, my work reflects upon these vast traditions and adds an interesting layer. I strive for my pieces to transcend their utilitarian boundaries and to function equally as sculptural elements. I am interested in composition, surface, and craftsmanship as well as utility, and for the combination of these elements to create a dialogue between maker, user, and object.

Form remains primary in my exploration of functional wares, but I am constantly excited about finding balance between form, function, and surface. My inquisitiveness leads each pot I make to inform the next. The new and exciting information I gain from each kiln load influences the subtle changes in the next group of wares. Even in the earliest stages of my process, both form and surface are considered. My pots, organic in form, and are contrasted with the movement of subtle lines and folds. The lines, folds and curves that compose my wares are informed by the potential surfaces that a simple pallet of slips, glazes, and soda firing can create.

Soda firing can create surfaces that are dramatic and complex, yet simple and pleasing. Working with only a few flashing slips, allows for the firing process to paint the wares with blushes of color and a variety of tactile surfaces. The volatile soda fumes accentuate edges, lines, and change in form, often giving dramatically different surfaces to each side of the wares.

The formal combination of balance, line, volume, proportion, and surface allow for an infinite number of conclusions. My goal is to find a resolution that has a strong visual presence and emotive impact on the user. In the end, whether my wares are held or is sitting on a shelf, I would like their presence to be felt.

Join us at the Fired Works Preview Party, April 17th, from 6-9 p.m. Reserve your tickets today by calling 478.743.6940.

On the Look-out: Fired Works Brochure

We are finalizing the Fired Works brochure, soon to be off to the printers, then to a mailbox near you!

Take note of the images on the brochure; you'll see ceramic art by Rick Berman, Vanessa Grubbs, Barry Gregg, Judy Shreve, Geoff Pickett, Cheri Wranosky, Bridget Fox, Jim Peckam, A.J. Argentina, Shelia Bradley, Sooyeon Kim, and Lora Rust.

If you're interested in receiving a Fired Works brochure, and find you're not already on our mailing list, please e-mail heatherly@maconarts.org to be added!

Ceramics by Judy Shreve

Tour the Anagama Kiln with Roger Jamison

“Anagama Kiln and Studio Tour with Roger Jamison” Friday, April 24th, 2009, 3 to 5 p.m.

From Roger Jamison's Web-Site

Anagama Kiln: In 2000-01 I built a 250 cu. ft. Japanese style wood fired anagama kiln at my studio in Juliette. The kiln holds 500-600 average sized pots and is fired for four or five days continuously in order to create unique natural ash glaze surfaces on the clay.

Each summer since 2001 a community of approximately 20 potters and friends from Macon, Athens, Milledgeville and Atlanta have fired this kiln. Firing large wood kilns is new to all of us and we are learning as we go. Research includes testing clays and glazes for the wood atmosphere and modifications to the kiln design to improve performance, along with the investigation of forms which respond well to wood firing.

Eventually, two firings per year are planned. I hope that the kiln and its firings will continue to be a focus for the clay community in Middle Georgia affording not only an alternative firing opportunity, but a chance to share ideas, information and enthusiasm about ceramics.




Join us at Roger Jamison’s residence, studio, and anagama kiln (Japanese for ‘cave kiln’ or ‘hole kiln’), located just past the county line, overlooking Tobler Creek near Juliette. Jamison, recently retired professor from Mercer, will discuss anagama firing and the predictably unpredictable nature inherit with the process. Free, with light refreshments served.

Maps will be provided upon sign-up for this event. Please call Macon Arts: 478.743.6940 for more information or to register!

New Artists Participating this Year: Lora Rust

We are quite happy to have an extensive line-up of regional ceramic artists. In fact, the majority of our artists currently live in Georgia! This year, we're happy to announce that we have 12 new artists participating.

A newcomer to Fired Works is Lora Rust, from Atlanta. Katy McDougal was kind enough to suggest her, and we're excited to see more of her work. She is currently a studio potter, and also works as the instructor for Beginning and Intermediate Wheel courses at the Abernathy Arts Center in Sandy Springs, GA.

Lora Groton Rust

Biography and Artist Statement

January 2009

Growing up, our house was always full of ceramic art. An early admiration for artistic elements of design, form, and functionality were incorporated into my everyday life. When I found a way to express myself artistically, the modalities were always tactile. My initial inspirations and experiences were through sewing and needlepoint at an early age, and then clay, in my high school and college years.

In 2002, after a 15-year hiatus, I came back to clay and have been consistently working with it since. During a two year Assistantship at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia, which I have just completed, I have built a solid foundation and developed my own style applying innovative techniques for surface textures and glazes. As I texture the clay, my intentions are to create a visual reflection of form and surface. Designs and patterns found in Gothic Architecture mixed with the fluidity of the Art Nouveau period are strong influences. I also use inspiration from fashion design to help capture a certain lushness to the texture on the form. In this process of experimenting with texturing techniques, I found that making my own tools made these surfaces more original and complete, providing more depth to the surface design. My hope is to entice the user with the initial visual reflection, and then invite them into depth of the surface created by color and texture.

Fired Works will be open daily April 18th through April 26th. Until you have the opportunity to peruse her table, check out more of Lora's ceramics at her Flickr Page.