Throwing Pots for Aroma of Art

When Rosalie De Fini Outlaw was the Executive Director of the Humane Society of Catawba County several years ago, she co-founded Aroma of Art with Taste Full Beans owners DW Bentley and Edgar Hernandez, Jennifer Hart of ALFA and Lisa Miller of the Women's Resource Center. Rosalie has donated a piece of art to the fundraiser each year of it's existence.

The first few years she donated photography, and now she donates pottery. Jason ahs donated pottery to Aroma of Art for the past two years. This year we wanted to take it to the next level.

Oulaw Pottery donated several pieces of art, inclduing a lizard chip and dip platter and a pottery birdhouse.

During our Holiday Pottery Show and Sale at Taste Full Beans in December, Jason Outlaw asked the attending potters to throw pieces of pottery on his wheel for demonstration during the show.

Each potter donated those pieces for the Aroma of Art fundraiser. The pieces were glazed and fired by Outlaw Pottery for the event. Those potters include Roger Corn of County Line Jug Shop (Lula, GA), Amanda Dobbins of Rosylou Pottery (Hickory, NC), Jesse Rivera and is 12-year old son, Cesar Rivera (Lincolnton, NC).

The offerings of these fine potters are up for auction for Aroma of Art at Taste Full Beans Coffee House in downtown Hickory to benefit ALFA and The Humane Society of Catawba County. There is still time to get a bid number and be a part of Aroma of Art - drop into Taste Full Beans during the next week to bid on your favorite pieces.

Outlaw Pottery

Jason Outlaw and Rosalie De Fini Outlaw founded Outlaw Pottery in October 2008 and teach pottery classes for children and adults at the Newton-Conover Auditorium's NewArt school. Here is their interview for Aroma of Art...

What is your background/how did you get started in your medium?

Jason started throwing pots in high school and fell in love with clay art. He wanted to go to college for an arts degree, but his family couldn't afford that type of education. Instead, Jason received a work study opportunity to attend the Disney Culinary Academy and focus his creativity on the culinary arts. He worked in four-star restaurants as a sous chef and executive chef in Florida, including NASCAR and Disney - for 16 years. His ice sculptures for NASCAR and other food sculptures were one way he took his love for sculpture and used it in his culinary career. Ready to change lifestyles from the hustle and bustle of the late nights running restaurants, he moved to North Carolina near his family and embarked on a second arts career as a potter.

Rosalie grew up influenced by painters on her mother's side of the family and photographers on her father's side. She learned to paint from her artist mother who used to own her own painting business creating accessories for the Broyhill Furniture Galleries in the 1980's. Rosalie studied art photography and photojournalism at the University of Florida. After a long career in nonprofit management, Rosalie joined Jason in the pottery business in 2009.

What effect are you tyring to have on people through your art?

Freedom of expression is very important to us, and we run Outlaw Pottery in a way that allows us to create one-of-a-kind pieces of art instead of strictly functional pottery production. We love to commune with other potters and exchange ideas. There are a million and one ways to throw a pot, and everyone has something to share. As teachers at the NewArt School pottery studio, we have an opportunity to share our love of clay arts with the community. Our personal motto is "peace, love and pottery!" We have to that on a tee-shirt right away.

What drew you to your particular medium?

Clay is about feeling. You can't just look at the pot you're throwing. You have to feel it all the way through the process. Sometimes when you throw a ball of clay on the wheel and get started, it tells you what it wants to be and surprises you! Other times you know exactly what you're aiming for and set out on a path to create it. Of course, one of the best things about being a potter is that our daily uniform is muddy jeans and tee-shirts. It's down and dirty.

Who were your mentors/inspiring artists as you began to discover your art?

Jason's first art mentor was his high school pottery teacher, Mrs. Farmer, from whom he took classes for three years. Rosalie's art inspirations come from her great-grandmother and mother who are painters and the mend in the De Fini family who are amateur photographers. We both consider every potter who shares with us a piece of our art. We have learned so much from spending time with local potters like Hamilton Williams, Gary Lee, Varian Swieter, Betty Gardner, Jesse Rivera, Roger Corn, and so many more! Each one of them inspires us.

What was your first piece of art you created and what inspired it?

Neither of us can remember our first piece of art since we have been artists since we were children. However, we have a great story about the first piece of art that inspired our love affair and eventually the logo for Outlaw Pottery. On our second date, Jason asked me if I could refresh him on the tale of the Frog Prince because he had a concept in mind for a piece of pottery on which he could sculpt the frog. As an english major, I told him the tale and then read the original story to him out of my copy of Grimm's Fairytales on our third date. The story of the Frog Prince inspired a piece of pottery that Jason created as a gift fro me that we not call the "The Frogs of Grimm." A year later when Jason started Outlaw Pottery, we worked together with our artistic friends and family to create a logo inspired by that piece of pottery.

What are some of your favorite projects and what are you working on right now?

Right now we are addicted to Raku pottery! We can't get enough of this technique. Raku pottery is created with a specific ceramic firing process that uses both fire and smoke to create unique patterns and designs. It is the post fire reduction stage that creates the unique look of raku pottery. The resulting patters are colors are unpredictable, as they are created thought he natural process of oxygen removal. Each piece of raku pottery is therefore one-of-a-kind. We really like the effects we can achieve with the metallic raku glazes. We purchased our raku kiln in November 2009 and have become addicted to raku firing. So look for lots of raku creations from Outlaw Pottery in 2010! Our raku pottery is for sale at our new Etsy.com online store.

Outlaw Pottery's donations to Aroma of Art are up for auction at Taste Full Beans Coffee House through the auction finale on March 4th.

More from Outlaw Pottery tomorrow chronicling the beginnings of Aroma of Art and some of the great potters donating to the auction this year.

Messing Around with Clay

David Bellar is an amazing potter. Here is a wonderful essay from him about his beginnings as a artist. Please take some time to visit his website to read more and view his one of a kind pieces.

"There have been many fun things to cross my path. Too many."

"One day, the opportunity to work casually with clay presented itself. "I can do that", I thought. I remember playing in the muddy muddy creek as a kid. I had also been exposed to a ceramic studio early in my life. There was very little mystery there. It all made such good sense so the approach was one of confidence. So it was a girlfriend who demanded that with my construction expertise, I should put together a space for her to pursue her new found interest in pottery. "Sure darlin', whatever you want." I have to admit, the hobby was a lot of fun. There were plenty of reasons to continue trying, learning, building and reaching until it occurred to me; I need to vent artistic. Who knew?"

"I knew nothing about it, not necessarily a bad thing. I started looking around. I recalled a certain piece my mother owned. A small plate with two lizards cozied up. I thought it was a masterpiece. I was inspired. I also had a vague idea of the work being done locally in clay. These were the forms I new, therefore the forms I would try to emulate. I see now that for all I have accomplished, laziness was truly my strong suit."

"Aside from keeping my inquisitive eyes open, making a probingpest out of myself, attending the odd master workshop and basically wanting to limit my failures, I have struggled to learn the medium all by myself. My "problem solving" attitude is a reliable ally. I figure I can do anything I want to do. Keyword..."want". I am sad for those who have allowed themselves to be defeated. Those who say they "want" yet deny themselves the experience mostly due to a learned version of fear."

"I am currently taking full advantage of the weak economy to take a break from pottery in favor of catching up on some long neglected chores. The building of a new and improved pottery studio with kiln as well as the development of a radical new design for a piece of studio pottery equipment heads the list."

"Life is short. Try it. Take it a day at a time. Keep a positive attitude. Control your fears. What's the worst that could happen?"

"More ramblings here....
www.potterycarolina.com"

David Bellar's work is currently up for auction for Aroma of Art at Taste Full Beans Coffee House in downtown Hickory, NC.

Of Earth and Fire...

Pottery is a time honored traditional art form here in North Carolina. From the kiln openings around Western NC to the many galleries across the state, you will find generations of potters showing their skill and artistry, from the functional to the purely decorative.

The Aroma of Art auction is no exception. We have several examples of gorgeous pottery for you to bid on. This piece was made by David Bellar and is just one of the fine pieces donated to the auction. Come see the variety and skill of local craftsman and bid on a piece or two - its all for good causes and will give you a piece of NC history to boot. The auction will go on until the Saturday, February 28th, so be sure to get into Tastefull Beans Coffee House to see all that is on display and to place your bid!