LOCATED: Burnsville, NC
MATERIALS: Porcelain, Stoneware
SURFACE: Glazes, Flashing Slips
PROCESS: Wheel thrown. Soda fired in a gas kiln to Cone 10

During my junior year of college, while getting a BFA in painting, I took a ceramics class. Needless to say, I fell in love with clay. When looking at a book on World Ceramics, I remember so clearly pointing to some pots and telling my professor that these were the type of pots that I wanted to make. Of course, these were Japanese pots. I was drawn to the quiet yet powerful surfaces, the subtle strong brush marks and the beautiful forms which let the beauty of the clay show through. What I know now, that I had no idea of at the time, is that those pots were inspired by the textures and the symmetry found in the natural world around them.

I live and work in the beautiful mountains of western NC. My aim as a functional potter is to make pots that honor the rich traditions of the past, while hopefully adding to them. My pottery is wheel thrown, textured and altered directly on the wheel in an attempt to create strong, quiet, lively organic forms. The textures I use are drawn from natural objects and the landscape around me. I aspire to integrate those forms and textures found in nature with the unpredictability of the firing. I fire in an atmospheric kiln using salt and soda which allows me to influence the work during the firing which directly influences the final outcome.

I would definitely say that I am a fusion of many different influences, but there is no denying that my primary influence has been Japanese and Korean pottery. They are my “go to” pots. Their quiet, timeless qualities continue to inspire and challenge me just the way they did 30 years ago.

About Linda McFarling