Terry Gess Pottery, Bakersville, NC

Terry Gess was invited to be a Guest Artist by the Delhom Service League when another potter had to withdraw. His selection was based on his long history of exhibiting at Potters Market; this will be his 12th appearance at Potters Market.

My work is hand-constructed red stoneware clay laminated with various layers of saturated & semi-opaque glaze, incised lines, and brushwork. The process, always challenging and somewhat unpredictable, offers prized one-of-a-kind results that are a subtle collaboration between myself, the clay, and fire.

I once met a woman who looked like her cat. It was a subtle thing, but there was an unmistakable bond between pet and owner, some collaborative demeanor or design sense. Potters and their pots are really no different. During the years of steadily making, marking, and firing pots, something distinctively myself has slipped into the process. It’s a sensibility as intangible and basic to me as the way in which I hold the salt shaker when I tilt it to pour, how I turn the pages of a book, or how I kick my potters wheel.

Pottery is one of the oldest expressions of human culture, a cornerstone of the domestic interior. Every pot’s personality is a blend of character and poise determined in equal parts by the potter and the process.

I especially appreciate pots that are subtle, filled with presence and bearing. My pots are meant to express tactile and visual qualities that will accentuate one’s individuality. To quote William Morris: “Keep in your homes all that you know to be useful and all that you believe to be beautiful.”

I approach pottery much like a jazz musician, improvising with form and surface patterns. My work is hand-constructed of red stoneware clay laminated with various layers of saturated and semi-opaque glaze, terra sigillatta, incised lines as well as brushwork - each at times incorporated into the body of work. The process, always challenging and somewhat unpredictable, offers prized one-of-a-kind results that are a subtle, expressive collaboration between myself, the clay, and the fire.

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