Bruce Gholson
North Carolina

Porcelain
Functional
7.5"w x 5"d x 6.25"h

Artist Statement
I am always amazed at how classically traditional my pottery seems to be after completing a body of work. I try to be unfettered and eclectic in the way I approach working with the clay, especially when choosing clay bodies, forming techniques, and types of firing necessary to achieve the surfaces that I desire. I find that changing between porcelain, stoneware, and red clay stimulates ideas. The material based intuitions that result feed back into the creative process.
I have been fascinated with fossils, fish, reptiles and insects since childhood. Recent interests have included fossilization in amber, Chinese scholar stones, and arrowheads from the region. Researching the chemistry of other arts such as fabric dyes, analog photography, and pyrotechnics provides inspiration in the form of a comparative formula based cabalistic mediation. These interests blend into an esoteric mix that is hopefully evident in the overall feeling and imagery found in my work. I want a sense of comfort in use, combined with an eccentrically sublime sense of the handmade led by a transcendent force. Instead of the idiom of the direct and honest touch, I am after something with mystery, a surface that seems more of a phenomenon than the result of traditional craft. Success is of course a matter of perception and opinion, but for me having the goal aids in facilitating the journey- making pots in my own voice.

About Bruce
Bruce Gholson is a full time studio potter maintaining an open pottery shop, amidst a community of over 60 potteries in central North Carolina near the small town of Seagrove. Bruce and his wife Samantha Henneke operate Bulldog Pottery, making a diverse range of functional and decorative ceramics working with a variety of clays and glazes. Bruce received his M.F.A. in ceramics from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and his BFA in ceramics from the University of Georgia at Athens.
Originally from Stillwater, Oklahoma, Bruce started making pots in 1973 after his first exposure to clay in his hometown’s college ceramics facility at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK.

*Teapots that are sold must remain on display in the gallery as part of the exhibit until the show closes on September 10, 2020.  After the show closes, teapots will be carefully packed and shipped by September 26 or available for pick-up at the gallery.