Carolina Creations at 317 Pollock Street, downtown New Bern, will feature low fire ceramics during the month of November in a show titled "Smoke and Fire." A wonderful collection of raku, pit fired and saggar fired ceramics by 5 North Carolina potters and pieces from several other potters from across the country will be on exhibit and for sale. The show will run from November 1 through November 30. An artists reception will be November 10 from 5-8:30 pm during the fall Art Walk - Downtown New Bern.

The featured artists include North Carolina Potters, Carolyn Curran (New Bern), Steven Forbes-deSoule, Chiwa (Chris Clark), Brian Evans, Sarah Leary and Chris Moses. Also included will be pieces from Tom and Nancy Guisti, Barbara Harnack, Lou Hanson, Christine Cunningham and Shar Christman.

During the art walk on November 10, 2006 raku artist Carolyn Curran will demonstrate her raku and throwing techniques - working in a very small scale. This New Bern potter is well known in the miniaturist world for her 1" scale reproduction of traditional pottery and for her original wheel thrown creations in small scales. She was elected Fellow of the International Guild of Miniature Artisans in 1989. One of her goals since she and her husband recently moved to New Bern is to work with local materials as glaze ingredients.

Raku is a form of Japanese pottery characterized by low firing temperatures and the removal of pieces from the kiln while still glowing hot. They are immediately placed into a container containing combustibles (paper, sawdust, etc), this is often done in a garbage can, the lid is then placed on the can and the oxygen is burned out. The true color of the piece is not discovered until the carbon is scrubbed off.

Saggar fired pottery is created by placing the pot and combustibles in a bisqued clay container with a lid to trap the combustion gases. It is these gases that give the pottery its color.

For pit firing, low bisqued pieces are placed within a carefully constructed bonfire framework such that the pieces are flame painted (fumed by chemicals and vapors from the combustibles) as they are exposed to oxidation and reduction atmospheres. Examples of each of these types of firing methods will be in the show.

Creating pit fired tiles is Chiwa (Chris Clark). Chiwa grew up in western New York State, and now lives in Western North Carolina. Her pieces convey her love and connection with plants and animals, depicting symbolically what she hears through Nature. The gardens that surround her and her husband Andrews home attest to her love of the land, and their desire to create an urban Permaculture site. She graduated from Springfield College and has taught at John C. Campbell Folk School, The Guildord Handcraft Center and Emerson Umbrella for the Arts.

Creating raku whistles is Chris Moses. Chris studied at Penland School of Crafts, Penland, N.C. "Here I discovered the thrill of putting this slick material on a potter's wheel and making it grow into a cup or a bowl, or if less fortunate, turn into a mass of mud before my eyes. Paulus Berensohn taught me how to pinch this material and make it grow into soft and sensuous shapes. Cynthia Bringle, Paulus Berensohn, Paul Soldner, Andrea Gill and other artists have influenced my work.

Having begun my career making dishes for dolls, I continue with the same thread of child's play. I find that I am still pinching and poking at clay, but instead of dishes I am making whimsical and colorful animal sculptures. It is my hope that these pieces will speak to the child inside of all who view them. The process of raku is what I call a dance with fire. It allows me to be spontaneous in the firing, explore a large range of colors and textures, and, most importantly, provides an intimate experience of the transformational fire. Without the fire, clay is only dirt. With the fire, this humble material is only limited by the imagination of it's handler.

Steven Forbes-desoule has degrees in Journalism/Advertising from Drake University and a Masters of Visual Arts from Georgia State University majoring in ceramics. His work is part of numerous corporate, private and museum collections throughout the U.S., and in Canada, Europe and Japan and has been featured in publications, such as Ceramics Monthly magazine and books such as Ceramics Spectrum, second edition; Clay and Glazes for the Potter, third edition; and Throwing on the Potters Wheel by Don Davis. He has taught classes in schools from Metchosin Summer School for the Arts in Victoria, BC, Canada to Pots and Paints near Los Cabos, Mexico to John C. Campbell Folk School to the Arrowmont School of Crafts.

"Recently, I developed a new, unique surface, which I call a halo/opax glaze. Wherever light strikes this reticulated surface, it seems to radiate from a point, creating a halo. Glaze expert, Robin Hopper, suggested that I was creating simulated opal, hence the name halo/opal was adopted. I found that I could duplicate this effect only if I raku fired the ware multiple times and at different temperatures. Since the glaze contains both copper and silver, each piece is truly unique and exhibits a wide range of colors. Lately, I've also incorporated melting stained glass and colored glass rods on my work, which provides an interesting new dimension.

Brian Evans received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University at Pennsylvania, but he says he didn't begin his pottery career until he moved to Wilmington in 1995. Evans took his first pottery class at Cape Fear Community College and studied under Japanese master potter, Hiroshi Sueyoshi, who introduced him to the art of Raku. "I probably wouldn't have been a potter if I had not moved to North Carolina where their is such a rich history of pottery," said Evans. For this show Brian has created some Saggar fired pieces. The color of the pottery comes from what is placed in the saggar with the piece. It might be shells, or copper wire, even seaweed.

This show contains a wide variety of work, from wall tiles to ikebana, to vases and bowls, whistles and free standing sculpture.

Carolina Creations Fine Art and Contemporary Craft Gallery is located in the heart of Downtown New Bern, 317A Pollock Street. The Gallery was chosen as one of the Top American Craft Galleries in the Country 2006 by Niche Magazine. For more information about the show visit their website at www.carolinacreations.com or phone 252-633-4360.

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Join us
Friday
November 10, 2006
5-8 pm
For Art walk
Downtown New Bern
Raku & throwing demonstration by
New Bern Potter
Carolyn Curran

February 2007

Carolina Creations fine art & contemporary craft gallery presents

From the Heart - with Valentine Cards created by New Bern schools children. Opening: February 9th from 4 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
This event will be a show and sale of Valentine cards which runs from Feb 9-Feb 14. The students will make valentine cards to be sold at $3.00 each at Carolina Creations. All proceeds from the sale of these cards will be given back to the schools art program.e and time shown above.

Artwalk - March 9, 2007 5-8:30 pm Opening reception

"Soups On!" Art depicting food and functional art for the kitchen and table. This eclectic show will feature work by gallery artists including still life paintings of food, functional art in pottery, pewter, wood and glass. Featured artists will include stoneware by North Carolina Potters Hank Goodman and Sylvia Coppola, pewter and aluminum serving pieces by Don Drumm, paintings by Sally Sutton, Janet Francoeur and others. This will be the first art walk of 2007, more than 15 Downtown New Bern art galleries and merchants participate..

Historic Home Tour Open house Friday April 13 5-8:30 pm Friday April 13 5-8:30 pm and print signing by Home Tour poster artist Janet Francoeur. refreshments - Open to all

Artwalk - Friday May 11, 2007 Opening Reception 5-8:30 pm "Bloom" Art for and about the garden birdhouses & outdoor object d art by Steven Fabrico, Diane Markin, and other, hand made paper by Lou Plummer, floral painting by gallery artists. Show runs through June 1.

Artwalk - Friday July 13 2007 - Opening Reception 5-8:30 pm during Artwalk, Under the Palms Paintings by Maggie Ardnt, T Rader, Mike Rooney and other gallery artists.

Artwalk - Friday September 14, 2007 Opening Reception 5-8:30 pm On the Wing - A show with Birds depicted in watercolor, oil, pewter and on clay by gallery artists including Dan Goad, John Furches, Cathy Kifney, Tom and Nancy Giusti and others.

Artwalk - Friday November 9, 2007 Opening Reception 5-8:30 pm an art show depicting Family & Friends including calligraphy, paintings, clay and metal.

Christmas Open House Friday November 23 & 24

For more information visit our website at www.carolinacreations.com or phone 252-633-4369. For general information regarding the Artwalk phone the Craven Arts Council and gallery at 252-638-2577.