24rd Annual Potters' Gathering
with Mark Hewitt
Cedar Lakes Crafts Center
Phone No. (304) 372-7860
Ripley, WV 25271
Date: February 27~29, 2004
Phone No. (304) 372-7860
Guest Presenter: Mark Hewitt, Pittsboro, NC
Background.
Guest Presenter: Mark Hewitt, Pittsboro, NC
Background.
Born in Stoke-on-Trent, England, Mark is the son and grandson of directors of Spode, the fine china manufacturers. As a student at Bristol University in the early 1970's, Mark read Bernard Leach's "A Potter's Book", and decided to become a studio potter rather than an industrial manager. This decision lead to a three year apprenticeship with Michael Cardew, and later another with Todd Piker in Connecticut, where Mark met his wife Carol.
In 1983 they moved to Pittsboro, NC and set up their pottery. Mark built a very large wood kiln and began making the distinctive functional pots for which he is known, specializing in large planters and jars, along with finely made smaller items. He uses local clays and blends the different North Carolina folk traditions together into a contemporary style that has attracted a sizable following. His work has been featured in the Smithsonian Magazine, he has written extensively in the ceramic press and has exhibited in London, New York and Tokyo, as well as throughout the United States. (Background provided by Gloria Gregorich, Cedar Lakes Craft Center)
Mark fires his pottery in a 900 cubic foot kiln which he constructed on their property in Pittsboro, NC. It is designed after the 14th century kilns from Northern Thailand and the firing principles are similar to the Southern groundhog kiln. He fires the kiln three times a year with a mixture of about 2000 large and small pots. It takes six days to load these pots, three and a half days to fire and a week to cool. The stoneware pots are fired to about 2,400 degrees and salt fumed to produce the high gloss glaze over the slip decorated surfaces.
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Mark Hewitt with West Virginia potter, Marsha Springston
hewittpottery@mindspring.com http://www.hewittpottery.com Workshop Pictures: |