Benjamin Gufford Pottery

Robin Hopper at Dan Finch Pottery

2010-11-12T23:08:00.000-05:00

Design

2010-11-05T20:55:00.000-04:00

Bathers By a River

2010-11-04T20:01:00.001-04:00

Grays/Greys

2010-10-31T19:35:00.001-04:00

Rothko

2010-10-31T19:11:00.001-04:00

Keep Coming Back to Voulkos

2010-10-29T22:23:00.002-04:00

Peter Voulkos part four from Ken Stevens on Vimeo.

Jackson Pollock

2010-10-29T22:06:00.002-04:00

Staring 2300 Degrees In The Face

2010-09-29T19:11:00.002-04:00

What I'm Watching

2010-09-08T17:20:00.001-04:00

Watch the full episode. See more Speaking in Tongues.

2010-09-08T16:38:00.001-04:00

Watch the full episode. See more ART:21.

Frank Gehry

2010-08-25T21:10:00.000-04:00

willem de kooning

2010-08-24T22:11:00.000-04:00

Jeff Koons

2010-08-24T22:01:00.001-04:00

Marcel Duchamp

2010-08-24T21:58:00.001-04:00

Bauhaus:The Face of the Twentieth Century

2010-08-24T21:54:00.000-04:00

Frank Lloyd Wright

2010-08-24T21:30:00.002-04:00

Philip Johnson

2010-08-24T19:10:00.001-04:00

Warren Mackenzie

2010-07-18T19:56:00.001-04:00

Ceramic artist Warren Mackenzie

The Bernard Leach Story

2010-07-16T23:21:00.004-04:00

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

Washing the Clay Off

2010-06-10T21:31:00.002-04:00

Never thought I would want to take my hands out of the mud, but I think it is time to step away from the ten year onslaught of living with clay everyday. Clay doesn't define me anymore. Aspirations of acceptance in the intellectual world of ceramics and making a name for myself are not important to me anymore. So what I want ever define clay as Peter Voulkos or Paul Soldner . . . no I'm not a mover or shaker in the field . . . . MY NEW FOCUS IS ON THE ART OF EDUCATION NOT THE EDUCATION OF ART.

RUDY AUTIO

2010-05-29T16:25:00.000-04:00

Contemporary Korean Ceramics

2010-05-17T19:10:00.002-04:00

The following video is brief but filled with unforgettable imagery in clay as seen through a contemporary Korean perspective.

A Vessel's Journey

2010-04-26T20:22:00.002-04:00

This was a brief demonstration filmed by a student working on his senior project. I agreed to mentor a student from a local high school so that he could create a product/video about pottery and write a paper about the history of NC Pottery. He filmed the footage below, which was later scrapped to feature footage of him throwing a bowl. Rather than scrap the footage all together I decided to make something with the footage. A Vessel's Journey.

Don Reitz, Cynthia Bringle and Tom Turner

2010-04-16T21:16:00.006-04:00

Below are some photos from my trip to see Don Reitz at Western Carolina University. Don amazed everyone by showing a passion for clay rarely seen today. I stopped in on Cynthia Bringle, Tom Turner, Joy Tanner and Michael Kline too. I enjoy meeting the people behind the pots I like.

NC Pottery Center Auction

2010-04-14T18:19:00.002-04:00

On April 25 the NC Pottery Center will be having its annual auction/fundraiser. The doors open at 3:30 and the auction starts at 5:00. This is a great opportunity to mingle with some of the best potters in our region as well as to see and purchase some wonderful pottery, both new and old. Below is a photo of the pots I donated.

Spring Vacation

2010-04-08T10:42:00.004-04:00

During my spring break I visited Western Carolina Univeristy to see Don Reitz give a one day open to the public workshop. Don was filled with stories and entertained with his usual light hearted comical comments about clay, life, etc. It was a thrill to see Don again. The day before the workshop I visited with some potters whose works I greatly admire. I was able to visit with Cynthia Bringle, Joy Tanner, Michael Kline and Tom Turner. I had never been to Joy's or Michael's studio, so it was fun to see their studios and working methods. Below are some photos of the potters I visited and their work. Click on the photo to enlarge.

In The Process of Development: Afoot - A Foot

2010-01-10T13:58:00.003-05:00

Tom and Elaine Coleman Workshop

2009-11-03T19:13:00.002-05:00

These photos were taken during a two day workshop with Tom and Elaine Coleman and hosted by Dan Finch Pottery. There were over 100 in attendance. The presentation was laid back and less formal, which made for great conversations with very useful information and some with great stories filled with laughter. Having attended lots of workshops, I would recommend going to see and learn from Tom and Elaine. They are very generous, very approachable . . . just down to earth potters with a huge amount of experience. They create some of the most beautiful post modern Art pottery being created in the world today.

Beatrice Wood

2009-10-25T16:24:00.002-04:00

Takashi Nakasato

2009-10-11T18:12:00.001-04:00

Contemporary Japanese Ceramic Artists

2009-09-14T19:12:00.003-04:00

I have been watching video productions posted on youtube that document the works of contemporary and traditional Japanese potters. These two particular videos feature some forms that are truely insights into the simpliest of beauty while utilizing superb craftsmenship.

Southern Highland Craft Fair Visit

2009-07-17T22:24:00.002-04:00

I went to the Southern Highland Craft Fair today in Asheville. Met with several wonderful and nationally/internationally respected potters. Met a really interesting potter with ideas that I had never seen before, Paveen "Beers" Chunhaswasdikul. You will be seeing more of this guys work in the future. Not only is he a fantastic Artist, but the guy is a cool character. He's got a sales pitch for his items like I have never heard before. His personality and pots will take him far. Paveen is fairly new to the guild and hasn't exibited much, but it want take long before the clay world will recognize his pots with personality. I Talked some with Kyle Carpenter as well. He is a nice down to earth family man with some fantastic pots, too. Really nice guy to talk to. Also spoke a while with Akira Satake about Japanese pottery traditions, Raku, Hikidashi, Seto Goro and ofcourse his other love, bluegrass (one of mine too). Akira has produced some albums for some mighty big names. He even produced a song with Earl Scruggs playing on it. He said that was a thrill. I can only imagine. Akira is another well respected potter and watched by many other potters world wide. Another wonderful Artist who took time to talk glazing was Doug Dacey. His experience with glazes sure shows in his work. He mixes all his glazes and has a wonderful pallette of colors to work with. I also enjoyed talking to Melisa Cadell who is not a potter but a sculptor. Her figurative works really spoke to me. I was reminded of Gustav Klimt's paintings. Romantic yet raw and real is the best way for me to describe her work. I got a box from her. Steve Louck's wife took time with me and explained his and her glaze processes and forms. Karen Newgard also took some time with me and talked much about other area potters that I might would like to visit. Other potters I spoke with and bought work from were Courtney Martin's husband, John Ransmeier, Chris Bauman, Jim Whalen and a pottery student from Haywood Community College who's craftsmenship was superb, Lydia Hearne. Below of some photos of the folks works I spoke to and bought. Visiting the Southern Highland Craft Fair is like visiting Seagrove, Penland, Bakersville, . . . . it is a Mecca for potters.

New Raku and High Fired Pieces

2009-07-10T16:16:00.009-04:00

Below are some photos of new pieces that I hope to get accepted into some shows and competitions.

Quick Vacation

2009-07-06T21:37:00.004-04:00

Each year my summer vacation is always to visit potters and to go see pots. I've known of the potters I went to visit for some time, however I didn't know where they lived until this past spring. A friend of mind told me that Ellen Shankin, Silvie Granatelli, Donna Polseno and Richard Hensley all lived in the Floyd, Virginia area. I looked it up on the map and it looked close enough for a day trip. So today I got up at 5:00 am and drove up there. I visited Ellen first. She was very nice and showed me around her studio and gallery. She was working on some pots and was nice enough to demonstrate how she alters her bottles and shaves them to get them thin. Needless to say I bought some of her work and in the gift giving tradition I gave her one of my bottles. She liked that it was squared and liked the carving. Later I, after seeing lots of deer, I visited Silvie Granatelli. She was in the midst of glazing. And if you know the mode we get in when us potters glaze you know we have to work hard and steady to maintain some fluidity in our approach. Silvie did pause though to give me a quick tour and introduced me to her studio assistant. Her assistant was very nice. She helped me purchase some of Silvie's work. Before I left I made sure to present both of them with one of my works. I enjoy giving my work. Then I decided to drive over to Donna Polseno's and Richard Hensley's pottery. After getting turned around a bit, I drove on the parkway and finally found their studio. They weren't home, but they use the honesty policy and leave their gallery open with instructions on what to do if you want to make a purchase. After browsing through their beautiful work, I settled on some pieces and made a purchase. I left the money, a note and one of my pieces. So, I saddled up and decided to trek back home. I enjoyed the outing and beautiful views as well as the cool mountain air. Finally I arrived home at 5:00 pm, with some great work in hand to add to my collection. After I had put the work up on my shelves, I packed two of my really good pieces to ship to the Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville to be auctioned off at Penland to raise money for Liz Zlot Summerfield who is having some medical issues and will need some money to help with bills. Then I ate lite and went to the gym for an hour.

Visit www.16hands.com if your interested in visiting Ellen, Silvie, Donna and Richard.

Drawing Helps

2009-06-09T19:53:00.018-04:00

You know, it helps to sketch ideas. I decided to post some sketches I made in the past several weeks. If you click on a sketch it will show up larger in a new browser so you can see the pictures up close. I can't say that I have made too many of these pots and often times I don't make any that I sketch. However, I can work out ideas and keep ideas afloat, like the jet pieces and sports pieces I would like to make. I did a teabowl covered with a car, jet and helicopter a long time ago and really liked it. I would like to do a whole line of work dedicated to transportation, military aircraft and maybe cartoon/sci-fi imagery. I have too too many ideas and not enough time or money. I do have the energy and passion, just not the money or time.

Light House Jugs

2009-05-16T16:46:00.003-04:00

It has been a while since I have posted anything, so I thought I would post some pics of some new light house jugs that I hope to market at the coast during this summer tourist season. I just finished today showing at the 2nd annual Wayne County Pottery Festival that was organized by my good friends and potters Theresa and George Glisson. It was a little hot, 87 degrees, and a thundershower came up during the last hour. However, every potter sold atleast one piece. We hope to build the festival into a great showing of work that will bring more focus on the phenomenal pottery being produced in our area.

New Work . . . And Pieces for Show . .

2009-04-10T20:35:00.013-04:00

I thought I would post some new work I made today and also take a few photos of works in progress as well as works I intend on putting into a show at the NC Pottery Center.

New Work

2009-03-22T14:36:00.006-04:00

I thought I would share some of my new works. I am making some altered mugs and teapots with a completely new design with new style of handles. I also made a few Phil Rogers inspired pieces for the upcoming woodfiring at Dan Finch Pottery. And I got a set of eight chili bowls out of the kiln yesterday. They were for an order.

Video Excerpts From 22nd NC Potters Conference

2009-03-15T19:20:00.004-04:00

Below is a short video showing excerpts from the 22nd NC Potters Conference. The first clip is of Phil Rogers talking about his visits to Mashiko, Japan. The second clip is of Alleghany Meadows discussing design choices according to the firing process he chooses. The third clip is a brief discussion that took place between Phil Rogers and Mark Pharis regarding Mark's prior experience with wheel throwing.

22nd NC Potters Conference Slide Show

2009-03-15T15:16:00.005-04:00

Below you will see some photos of the exhibition and demonstrations that took place at this years 22nd Annual North Carolina Potters Conference. The presenters were Mark Pharis, Phil Rogers and Alleghany Meadows. Check back soon, as I hope to have a few video excerts posted as well.

22nd NC Potters Conference

2009-03-14T23:01:00.010-04:00

Here are some sample photos I took this weekend at the 22nd North Carolina Potters Conference in Asheboro, NC. I am currently working on putting together a short slide show with video clips of the presenters; Alleghany Meadows, Phil Rogers and Mark Pharis. Although I had to leave early, the experience broadend my thoughts on altering forms as well as pricing. I hope to in the next few days try out some new ideas. I think my newest pieces are finally breaking from being so stiff/rigid and "perfect". I'm finally getting contraposto and figurative dimension to simple forms such as mugs. I hope to have some photos up soon to show what I took from the conference and the new direction my work is taking.

On A New Website!

2009-03-02T16:39:00.007-05:00

Hey, folks. I was recently invited to set up an account and sell work on a cool website called America Creates. Here is the site: www.americacreates.com

Oh yeh, here are a few pictures of some recent work.

Filling An Order

2009-02-15T22:30:00.003-05:00

Here are some pieces I made this weekend. I had an order for eight chili bowls. I also made a few other things.

Great Holiday Sales . . . .

2009-01-17T11:57:00.004-05:00

Well, I am finally receiving checks from galleries for my holiday sales this year. I have to say that this years holiday sales, even with the economy, were the best that I have ever had. I just finished teaching an advanced pottery class for Greenville Parks and Rec. and I've decided to take some time off from the class so that I can focus more on my health, job and personal clay work. I do hope to go back later this year to teach another class. I have also been asked to teach a Saturday class for Smithfield Parks and Rec. I am very fortunate to have some great pottery friends that support my work and put my name out in the state as a great clay instructor. I try to return the favor as often as possible. So, to do so, I have organized a one day pottery workshop featuring Dan Finch, Justin Finch and Kathryn Finch. Below you will see the flyer that I put together with all of the specifics. If you are interested in attending the workshop feel free to contact me at benjamin_gufford@hotmail.com or click on the flyer and it will appear in your browser at full size. Just print it off and send it in and Dan, Justin, Kathryn and I will look forward to working with you.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-20T22:52:00.001-05:00

Myspace Comments,

Gallery Representation . . .

2008-11-26T16:50:00.005-05:00

I am finally getting my work into some galleries. I am now represented by Seagrove Pottery located in the Cameron Village shopping center in Raleigh, NC. I am also represented by the Gallery 101 located in downtown Manteo, NC. The Ink Stone Gallery is still representing me as well. I must give a thank you to Justin Finch for helping me get my foot in the door with two of the galleries. And if you look below you will see my latest in videos, featuring a brief demo by Dan Finch in which he paints some slip onto a platter and then carves a design into the slip. This video was shot during a recent workshop that he hosted and gave.

Bottles Used By Famous Photographer in Still Life Photos

2008-11-10T06:43:00.005-05:00

Karen Anderson, an acomplished photographer and Artist, purchased some of my work at the Ava Gardner Festival several months ago. She told me she wanted to put the pieces into a still life photo and that she would send me a copy of the photos. Below are the photos. I thought she did a wonderful job of displaying and complementing my work with her color choices and border design.

Dan Finch Pottery Open House A Success

2008-11-10T06:31:00.019-05:00

Dan Finch had his annual pottery Open House this past weekend and I was fortunate enough to have a booth display of some of my work. It was a wonderful fall day with great weather. The sales were good and attendance was good. I demonstrated the wheel for a little while then helped man my booth during the afternoon with my mother and sister. I don't know what I would do without them. I am very blessed to have the family support that I have. I have some photos posted below that my sister took of the event. Check'em out.

Dan Finch Pottery Workshop

2008-11-05T20:10:00.006-05:00

I went this past weekend to Dan Finch's Pottery Studio and saw him, his son Justin Finch and Justin's wife Kathryn. They demonstrated many larger forms and shared several carving and slip techniques. Below is a slide show I created to document the event.

Valle Crucis Fair and Wooley Worm Festival

2008-10-19T14:16:00.004-04:00

Hey yah, I went to the Valle Crucis Fair and Wooley Worm Festival yesterday with my sister and mama and daddy. I enjoyed the beautiful leaves. This weekend was the peek weekend for the leaves. I also saw some wonderful crafts and many many potters. I even ran into a myspace pottery friend, Jeff Martin, and I was able to get a photo with him and purchase a tumbler for my collection. Although there was a lot of traffic and tourists everywhere, the fall weather was cool and the leaves were very very beautiful. The outing was a great mini-vacation from the hectic life of being an Art Teacher of 700 children. Below is the photo of Jeff Martin and me that my sister took and the photo that Jeff took.

Stress

2008-10-11T18:30:00.004-04:00

Hey Folks,

I haven't been well lately. With my job keeping me very busy, I finally ran out of steam. Having attended two Open Houses at two schools, one Hot Dog and Bingo supper, one Fall Carnival in which I painted kids faces for four hours straight with no assistance, and rushing between classes to create a backdrop for a short school musical and artwork for other teachers and principals . . . my body got weak and I got sick. I am fighting bronchitus this weekend and hope that it doesn't turn into my fourth bought with pneumonia. And in the midst of the school stress I went out on a date for the first time in ten years and the girl later told me she wanted to go out as friends, then changed her mind and said she doesn't wish to see me anymore period. That is what I get for going out with a recently divorced girl who was ten years younger than me. I had to cancel a pottery demonstration and booth sale for this weekend due to being sick. Well, well, . . . I hope I can get well, cause I have to put up the backdrop for a school musical at another school in the next two weeks, along with getting artwork turned in to three local art contests for the kids. And I have to get some of my work into two local Arts Councils holiday art sales so I can try to make a little money. And, oh yeh, I am scheduled to teach pottery classes to kids on Thursday afternoons as soon as I get off from work and to adults on Monday nights in a town that is a hour away from work and an hour away from home. However, I will not let the gas prices get me, the COPS pull me, or the stone throwers hit me. God provides me with money, a cruise control and a stone proof vest. He has blessed me and will continue to do so.

Dan Finch Open House

2008-09-27T22:54:00.002-04:00

Dan had me create an Open House mailer for him. This is what I created. Please feel free to join us for a day filled with pottery fun.

The Ink Stone Gallery

2008-09-06T23:25:00.007-04:00

You can now find my work at the Ink Stone Gallery in Winterville, NC. Matt and Lisa are wonderul folks and have a tremendous love and knowledge of potters, pottery and North Carolina crafts in general. Please check out their website at www.inkstonegallery.com.

Video Just A First . .

2008-09-02T22:19:00.001-04:00

I had my video posted on CeramicArtsDaily.org as the video of the week. I had several comments that made me feel wonderful and had a gallery send me an email with interest in representing me. I hope that this video will be the first of many documenting the variety of techniques I am capable of demonstrating.

New Version of Video

2008-08-23T20:14:00.006-04:00

I recently submitted my demo video to Ceramic Arts Daily and got a response. I was asked to edit the video to make it shorter and to add text narration to eliminate any questions viewers may have. So below you will see the new and improved version and a picture of the form demonstrated. Here is an explanation of where I got the idea for the form in the video. I visited Judith Duff and Akira Satake this summer in the mountains of North Carolina. Seeing their altered forms gave me several ideas. So when I returned to my studio I made several pieces to refine a method that would work. After making several I took them to Dan Finch and he allowed me to spray glaze them with a Temoku. He later fired them for me. I am greatly interested in Japanese Pottery as well as Asian pottery in general. Ikebana and Bonzai floral arranging are interests that influence my forms. I think it is very important that potters network and share ideas and Ceramic Arts Daily is a great way to do just that, especially with the addition of videos to the newsletter.
You may want to click pause on the music player to the right so that the Chopin does not interfer with the music of the video.

Glazing and One More Bisque Load

2008-08-10T21:04:00.003-04:00

I have been glazing a lot of pieces lately. I got some tea bowls and salad bowls out of the kiln last week. I have several large bowls, vases and platters coming out of this weeks gas firing. I am trying to create another load of bisque pots before I start back teaching next week. I will post some pictures soon of new pots.

2008-08-01T21:07:00.003-04:00

I saw Mark Hewitt was doing a raffle of one of his pieces to raise money for the North Carolina Pottery Center. He suggested I raffle one of mine, however I decided to talk with Dan Finch and he donated a piece to raffle. So this evening I took photos of it and decided to take some photos of my work. I wanted to show my simple photo set up as well. Below is the piece Dan is raffling and some of my work. (If your interested, the tickets are $10.00 and checks can be written to NC Pottery Center. Make sure your check has your phone number on it so that we can contact you if you win. You can mail checks to 5526 Finch Nursery Lane, Bailey, NC 27807-9492 or call 252-235-4664 or 919-735-1130.)

My Studio and Current Works

2008-07-26T23:15:00.000-04:00

Below are some pictures I took this evening. I wanted to show folks some of the current works I have been creating. And I also wanted to show what my studio/garage looks like.

Working Out . . . .Throwing . . .

2008-07-25T22:36:00.001-04:00

This summer vacation I chose to lose weight, visit a few potters and make lots of pots. So I have been working out for the past month and a half. Every afternoon I go to the gym and walk 3.5 miles and lift weights for about one and a half to two hours. So far I have lost 28lbs. Then I go home eat supper and go out into the studio and trim leather hard pots thrown from the day before and then I throw a series of more pots. Right now I am moving into throwing larger platters/low bowls and largers vessels, as the space in my kiln often dictates what I make. I am also practicing on making more altered pots. I am making some work that are responses to having seen Akira Satake's work and Judith Duff's work. I am altering to make Ikebana vessels and have also made several square slab built plates with trimmed feet. I hope to post some photos soon. I also am getting ready to buy a FLIP camera so that I can start posting instructional videos like Mark Peters has. I have created many, many slide shows of all the workshops I have attended, now I want the photos to actually move . . . . it is time for video.
Stay tuned for the first look into how I view clay.