Potter to Potter

[Michael Cardew's 20th-century stoneware plate with ash glaze. Brushwork depicts bird in center with three clumps of grass. © Managed by the Crafts Study Centre.]

When he works with clay (his own mix of Southern red and other ingredients), North Carolina-based potter Andrew Stephenson keeps alive traditions of the region, but he's also strongly influenced by English folk pottery and cites British icons Bernard Leach and Michael Cardew as influences.

[Stephenson's work. Image ©Andrew Stephenson Pottery.]

Schedule permitting, I hope to see Stephenson's wood-fired stoneware in person at the American Craft Council Show March 15-17. He is a new exhibitor this year, joining around 1,500 other artisans in the annual juried marketplace. Adding to the momentum, Sarah Schleuning, curator of decorative arts and design at the High, will serve as juror for the Awards of Excellence, selecting three craftspeople for stellar work and one for outstanding booth design (March 15 from 2 to 3 p.m.).

Learn more about Stephenson's background, process and handbuilt kiln here.

BTW, the V & A offers a video series featuring six very different responses to a Cardew jar, here.