For Your Inspiration: Seagrove Pottery

Turn and Burn Pottery

Seagrove is a beautiful rural town, right in the middle of North Carolina. It's half way between Charlotte and Raleigh, out of everybody's way but well worth a trip. Because of it's abundant and diverse clay deposits it has been a center of pottery since before europeans arrived on the continent. 

Eck McCannles Pottery

My mother was a potter and I remember playing around on the kick-wheel in the basement. One of us would sit on the kick-wheel underneath while another would spin the wheel on top. She also made beautiful work and will be again as soon as her shed is finished. I love pottery.

When you visit Seagrove you can stop by the NC Pottery Center and see samples of potters' work and pick up a map and plan your studio visits. Or you can drive around and stop at whichever place captures your fancy. It feels like every other building is a pottery studio. After the first hour we could go in a place and know in a few seconds if we wanted to spend any more time there.

And then... we happened on Eck McCannles' gallery.

Eck McCanless Pottery

I think I fell in love. He layers four different colors of clay then throws the pot, lets it mostly harden, then carves to reveal the most amazing patterns. I only came home with a few little mugs. As much as I wanted the vases and plates I don't have anywhere kid-safe to keep them yet.

 Works by Eck McCanless

I couldn't help buying these tea mugs either. Even though the artist is not from NC they just sang to my heart.

John Bandurchin

John Bandurchin