by Carole Epp | Feb 1, 2014 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, show us your influences, technical tuesday
My
journey into clay began with my love of all things beautiful (art,
music, nature). After taking a pottery class in 2004 I fell in love with
creating beautiful things out of clay. Although in the first few years I
took a few pottery classes, I have further developed my work through
attending many demonstrations and workshops. Most of my development has
been through experimentation.
In 2008 I started selling my work
at art and pottery festivals where my work was done primarily on the
potter’s wheel. My work was functional and very colorful. Then in
December 2012 after taking the class at the John C. Campbell Folk School
with Sylvia Coppola, I now enjoy making most of my pieces with a
combination of slab and wheel techniques. The new pieces are more
decorative, though some remain functional.


My
work has been exhibited at various shows at Mint Hill Arts where
recently I won first place in the 3D category at the Winter Juried show
and in 2011 I won an honorable mention for my tall coffee pot at the
Juried Spring show. Recently I also won first place for my butterfly
cruet at the Summer Art Explosion show at Falling Rivers Gallery as well
as an honorable mention for my Teapot on Fire at the Members Only show
in November. My goal in 2014 is to have my own show at a local gallery.
New Day Pottery can be found at Art Fairs, exhibits around North Carolina and in various gift shops and galleries.
Check out my blog or Facebook page for more information and for updates on what’s happening in the studio.
Judy Abdelaziz
New Day Pottery
by Carole Epp | Jan 26, 2014 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, show us your influences, technical tuesday
Artist Statement
My
clay is wobbly
Sliding
swiftly through my fingers
Wobbly
on clay dome. Wobble on
Open.
Pull up. Thin out. Slap around
Sometimes
they make it
Sometimes
they don’t
Toss
it in the bucket
Start
again
Open.
Pull up. Thin out. Slap around
Pinch
it off
Now it
will sit
Sit.
Stiffen up. Be patient
In a
bucket I mix a little of this
A
handful of that
The
mixture is becoming binder. A texture
Score.
Bind. Attach. It looks good there
And
there. I grab another
Score.
Bind. Attach. Step back
The process
is familiar
Working
as a one woman assembly line
Bisque.
Glaze. Fire. Sandblast. Luster
Fire
again
Each
action creating a symbiotic relationship
Bisque.
Glaze. Fire. Sandblast. Luster
Or I toss
it in the bucket
And start
again
by Carole Epp | Jan 25, 2014 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, show us your influences, technical tuesday






With
current US politics attempting to reverse human and women’s rights, I create
art to keep these rights moving forward. Much of my body of work consists of
feminine-inspired forms and objects with strong female content. The colors and
topics are loud but I also work to inject humor into these heavy topics. It is
clear to me that Women’s and Civil Rights have come under heavy fire in the
political realm. I strive to make work that is functional and domestic,
attempting to keep these conversations at the ‘everyday’ level, thereby making
my art more inclusive for multiple audiences, as opposed to limiting it to
specific groups or sites. Clay is
my material of choice because it is a malleable material that encourages
touching. I am interested in seeing how the soft becomes strong, and I am
pleased with the tactile sensations of the finished projects.
by Carole Epp | Jan 18, 2014 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, show us your influences, technical tuesday




Each of us has a personal history that we carry
with us. We also share a social history. These histories are a direct
reflection and response to our surroundings. I am interested in the way our
memories of our personal past and social past impact our attitudes, and how
they manifest into different
feelings. I am directly inspired by the people around me in my everyday life. I
often use them as direct characters in my work. I dress them up as bears and
use them as my actors to play out specific scenes that have affected me and
stuck in my mind. I like to believe that the legacy of
the people I feature in my work will carry on through time. Each of my objects
represents a single picture of a single story. The story may be short or long,
simple or complex, but each story interweaves with every other. The
meaning of the single frame I represent may be understood, or lost, depending
on the viewer’s own memories, both social and personal. Together I hope the
frames will weave new stories, with new links to the viewer’s worlds. Thus expanding their knowledge
or emotional response to their own lives and symbolically their surroundings.