Charles Smith, Pottery - Mobile AL

Charles Smith is a well-known and well-liked Mobile, AL, potter who began his career in the early 1970’s: “I began studying art after a tour of duty in Vietnam, the trauma surrounding the war made me want to pursue the arts.”

Smith matured his interest in the arts by earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education with a minor in Pottery from Jackson State University in Jackson, MS. There he served as a Teacher Assistant to the late professor Marcus Douyon. Smith credits Douyon with providing a solid foundation of artisic discipline, skill and vision that would help him grow into the artist he is today.

In 1977, he was hired by the City of Mobile as a resident artist, during which time he painted murals and taught art in city parks and recreation centers. Since that time, Smith has won some 25 first place or Best of Show awards for his work. His work was included in the traveling exhibit: “Uncommon Beauty in Common Objects: The Legacy of African American Craft Art.” He has exhibited all over the country, including the National Museum of American Art in the
Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and the American Craft Museum in New York City. His most recent work uses bold colors such as black and tan.

“I’ve been doing this for several years now, and in that time my work has evolved remendously, but it has not changed all that much. Art for me has been a maturing process, not a series of radical departures.”

Smith said he is always attentive to the technical aspects of clay and glazes, considering their limitation, and at the same time, employing the unimagined possibilities they hold. His forms are classic, and his glazes are sophisticated in color and application.

Charles uses cone 7 stoneware and decorated each piece using a carved-and-sgraffito technique. The style is derived from realistic and Art Nouveau forms, mixed with and interspersed with abstract animal imagery.

While the size and shape of each pieces is unique, it is – and always has been – the hand-carved surface that distinguished his work. Designs used today originated in design elements first explored in the late 1970’s. “They are the shapes and patterns of nature, and until Mother Nature finds it necessary to rediscover herself, I’ll remain content following her lead.”

Visit Charles Smith's web site: www.smith-pots.com

Anne Webb, Pottery - Magnolia Springs AL

A native of Canada, Anne relocated in 2000 from Ontario to coastal Alabama, where she currently shares a studio with Lowell Webb.

She discovered the joy of working with clay in 1993 when she signed up for a pottery introduction class as a diversion from her day job. Ever since university, she had been looking for something that was intrinsically satisfying, and it appeared clay was it -- the connection was immediate, and she hasn't looked back since.

Mostly self-taught, Anne prefers to work on the potter's wheel.
"The clean, graceful forms that one can achieve on the wheel can equally stand on their own without adornment, or provide a good foundation for most any decoration, whether it be a simple glaze, free form brushwork, or carved design."

Anne makes both high-fired functional ware as well as one-of-a-kind art pottery. She draws design inspiration from the world around her here on the Gulf Coast, and is strongly influenced by the aesthetic and spirit of Asian and Celtic design, as well as that of the Art Nouveau Period.

"Pottery has a distinct human connection. It is a tradition strongly rooted throughout human history, transcending both cultural and chronological lines. Revisiting works from the past is a celebration of our diversity, giving us a reference point as both artists and human beings. "

Visit the Webb Pottery website: www.webbpottery.com
and blog at: http://www.webbpottery.com/blog

Lowell Webb, Pottery - Magnolia Springs AL

Working with clay has been a love of Lowell's since his childhood. He first discovered clay on his own when he was about 5, while playing near his family's home in Fort Walton, Florida. When he was about 11, he happened to see a folk potter giving a throwing demonstration at a local shopping mall. This really caught Lowell's attention and focus, and he went home and fashioned a crude kickwheel with "an old bicycle rim, some wood, some brick, and whatever else I could find. That was my first wheel and that's what I first learned to throw on."

After taking his first pottery class when he was 21, he met Florida potter Charlie Brown, who really opened Lowell's eyes to the raku firing process. Later, Lowell attended Memphis Academy of Art and from there, transferred into the sculpture program at Memphis State.
"I actually moved to southern Alabama in the 1980's because of the abundance of high-quality native clay, as well as the rich pottery tradition, ranging from that of Native Americans to the potteries of the last century."

Since moving to Baldwin County, he has taught at Fairhope's Eastern Shore Art Center, and has given many people private lessons out of his old studio in Silverhill, Al. He co-owned and operated Twinkleberry Pottery, producing raku, primitive-fired, and stoneware pottery. In 2000 he relocated to his present location in Magnolia Springs.

Lowell is currently working on a body of work he calls "artificial artifacts". As the name suggests, these artifacts aren't meant to be an imitation of actual ancient finds, merely reminiscent of them. His pieces provoke thought and distant memories of long lost cultures, as we envision the possibility of who might have made or used them and what hands they may have passed through. These clay pieces have a story to tell, even if only from a distant place in our imagination.

Visit the Webb Pottery website: www.webbpottery.com

Maria Spies, Pottery - Silverhill AL

Maria Spies has worked as an independent ceramic artist since 1973. Originally from Mobile, she has studied with many national and international artists but most of her time has been spent in her own studio working and developing her own styles and skills.

Maria’s work appears in many galleries and collections throughout the country. Teaching others through classes and workshops has also been an important part of her career. This has kept her in touch with students and helped them to develop a respect for the ceramic arts.

Maria has also been active with non-profit organizations throughout her career serving different positions as an officer, board member and volunteer. She has chaired and juried numerous shows and exhibitions. Recently awarded Best of Show at Mobile’s Arts Alive 2008.

To find more out about Maria, please visit her website:
http://www.maria-pots.com