The Potter's Eye: Art and Tradition in North Carolina Pottery - Hardcover

by Mark Hewitt (Author), Nancy Sweezy (Author), Jason Dowdle (Photographer)

Classic North Carolina stoneware pots -- with their rich textures, monochromatic glazes, and minimal decoration -- belong to one of America's most revered stoneware pottery traditions. In a lavishly illustrated celebration of that tradition, Mark Hewitt and Nancy Sweezy trace the history of North Carolina pottery from the nineteenth century to the present day. They demonstrate the intriguing historic and aesthetic relationships that link pots produced in North Carolina to pottery traditions in Europe and Asia, in New England, and in the neighboring state of South Carolina.

With hundreds of color photographs highlighting the shapes and surfaces of carefully selected pots, The Potter's Eye honors the keen focus vernacular potters bring to their materials, tools, techniques, and history. It is an evocative guide for anyone interested in the art of North Carolina pottery and the aesthetic majesty of this resilient and long-standing tradition.

Front Jacket

In celebration of the way traditional North Carolina potters look at shape, color, and decoration, this volume honors the keen focus that these potters bring to their materials, tools, techniques, and history. It examines the genesis of NC's stoneware pottery tradition, traces its evolution in the nineteenth century, and looks at its ongoing expression by contemporary artists. Includes interviews with six contemorary NC potters as well as hundreds of breathtaking color photographs that pay close attention to the shapes and surfaces of pots.

Author Biography

Mark Hewitt, a British potter who lives and works in Pittsboro, North Carolina, is the author of numerous articles about potters and pottery. His own work has been featured in Smithsonian Magazine, Ceramics Monthly, American Craft, and other publications. Nancy Sweezy, potter and former director of Jugtown Pottery in Seagrove, North Carolina, is the author of Raised in Clay: The Southern Pottery Tradition.