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About ANDREA DENNISTON

Andrea is a studio potter in Floyd, VA where she has been working full time since completing her MFA in Ceramics at Syracuse University in 2016. Prior to graduate school, she worked for Silvie Granatelli, a founding 16 Hands potter in Floyd, as an apprentice for 2 years. She also received her BFA from West Virginia University. Andrea shares a studio with her husband and fellow potter, Seth Guzovsky. Their work can be found online and at Poor Farm Pottery. Andrea’s work is primarily wheel thrown with a grolleg porcelain clay body that she fires in an electric kiln to cone 7. She exhibits nationally, and has written several articles for Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated, in 2017 she was named a Ceramics Monthly Emerging Artist.

 

About SETH GUZOVSKY

After finding clay in high school, Seth left his hometown of Boston, MA to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics from Syracuse University in 2010. He spent the following three years apprenticing for master potter, Mark Hewitt in North Carolina. In 2013, Seth joined Andrea Denniston to assist 16 hands founding member Silvie Granatelli in Floyd, VA. Poor Farm Pottery, established in 2013, is where Seth and his wife Andrea make and sell their pottery alongside their two daughters, dogs and chickens. Seth strives to make vessels that have a balanced weight with a voluptuous curve. He’s attracted to pots that suit a home space and bring attention to the comfort of handmade pottery. Seth’s early training set the foundation of using well-formulated and mixed clay, and safe utilitarian glazes to create finely thrown forms. Seth continues to hone his skills to create specific pots in a variety of sizes, making tools for the kitchen and home.

 

Artist Statement (ANDREA)

My studio practice is slow and steady. The inlayed line is particularly significant on the surface of my pottery. It can be found on feet, handles, under lids and on the interior of most pieces. These lines form repeating patterns and floral motifs that reference traditional quilt blocks, architectural ornament, Art Deco patterns, and stained glass windows. My color pallet is bright, with translucent blues, shades of chartreuse green, and spots of yellow and red. With my work I hope to add pomp to daily life. As my pottery moves into the world, I optimistically pursue my goal to make useful and beautiful objects. Objects that I hope will find a home in everyday life and daily conversation, where they will reward and remind the user that the well crafted object has not only satisfied a need but has connected them with another human being.

Artist Statement (SETH)

Throwing uniform vessels with voluptuous curves and clean lines comforts me. Fun for me is filling tables and shelves with consistent curves and functional forms. Altering these vessels immediately after the wheel stops, allows me to stretch the bellies and reshape the lips of my pots. Gas kilns help toast the edges of the raw clay and warm the saturated glazes that line the wares. Wet, juicy, slick ash glazes tease the underbelly of the pot. I attribute my use of this type of glaze as a reflection from my time spent as an apprentice with Mark Hewitt. Under the ash glaze, I add surface embellishments of slip trailing, incising lines and tool stamping. The base of each pot is glazed with a satin catch glaze, a space for the ash glaze to dribble down to.

Contact

Website: andreadennistonceramics.com

Poorfarmpottery.com

Instagram: @andreadenniston

@Poorfarmpottery

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