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Charity Davis-Woodard
Medias Used or Areas of Interest:
Ceramics
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“Originally from Indiana, I decided to become a potter after a variety of other experiences. Following my bachelor's degree in Spanish, I received a Master of Library Science degree and served as a reference librarian for nearly 10 years. After taking several adult education pottery classes, I decided to test my excitement about this 'hobby', and in 1990 I began a series of activities including an apprenticeship, numerous workshops, and finally graduate school from 1994-1997. My home-based studio, Lane's End Pottery, is located on a wooded bluff outside of Edwardsville, Illinois, where I focus on limited- production and one-of-a-kind porcelain pottery fired in my Bourry Box wood kiln. In addition to selling from my studio showroom and several galleries, I I participate in a number of national and regional retail events as well as invitational and juried exhibitions around the country. I also enjoy teaching opportunities as a workshop instructor and visiting artist."
"Being a maker of objects that can serve the needs of both hand and spirit is a rare privilege. As a potter, it is also humbling to belong to a rich lineage that stretches back to the beginning of human history. Pots have always had the ability to convey meaning on many levels, through absolute utility and beyond. The challenge to add my own sensibilities to this ancient craft is a constant source of inspiration."
"For the most part, I make functional pottery that can be held in hand and experienced through all of the senses. I believe in the primary importance of form, the potential strength of detail, and the power of suggestion. In addition to form, I rely heavily on texture, color, line, and subtle evidence of my touch to communicate my interest in complementary opposites. Wood-firing the pots tempers my tendency toward refinement and contributes unique surface variations not otherwise attainable."
"I enjoy doing most of my throwing on a treadle-style potter's wheel using porcelain clay. Many of the pieces are then worked further by altering the original round form and adding thrown or hand built parts. I work in a small series and approach each piece individually, hoping to recognize its expressive potential at the same time that I consider the intended function. Details added to the surface through 'punctuations' of bits of clay, incising, slip trailing, and other mark-making techniques both decorate and personalize the pot. Later during the glazing process, I choose from a vocabulary of colors, textures, and pattern motifs that will enhance the form and speak in a language that is warm, simple and somehow mysteriously familiar."
"My kiln requires an average of 17 hours of rhythmic stoking every five minutes or so to reach temperatures exceeding 2350 degrees Fahrenheit. Atmospheres are created in the kiln that can bring a uniquely warm and complex appearance to the pot. The flame and resultant ash-bearing heat that begin in the firebox are pulled through the kiln by the draft of the chimney, leaving a record of this flow in the ash that is deposited on the pots in the ware chamber. The minerals in the ash affect the glazed surface of the pot, and on clay that has been left unglazed the melted ash becomes a glaze of its own. Many results are unpredictable and there are always tremendous surprises. Surface details that I created on the pots join with variations added by the firing process, allowing me to indulge both my attention to detail and my desire to abandon some control over the final outcome. It requires me to heed both intuition and reason and in turn offers a world of wonder and surprise."
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