On Wednesday evening, Oct. 21, Torch members enjoyed an engaging evening focused on the history of pottery and ceramic glazes. Our speaker was Dr. Howard Sawhill, owner and founder of “Cone Blue Pottery”, a ceramic glaze and research studio in Chapel Hill. His presentation was entitled “Pottery Down the Rabbit Hole.”
The Evening’s Presenter: Dr. Howard Sawhill, a graduate of MIT, holds a PhD in Ceramics, with additional study in ceramic art, sculpture, painting and color theory. He is a regular poster presenter at the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, along with other workshops across North Carolina. Actively teaching in the ceramic arts, Dr. Sawhill has worked with many groups including local seniors at the Seymore Center in Chapel Hill, Carrboro Arts Center, The Forest at Duke, and OLLI. An interesting look at Howard’s work, research and publications, can be found by visiting his website at “www.conebluepottery.com”.
How Did It Go?
Dr. Sawhill is himself a member of the Durham-Chapel Hill Torch Club and spoke directly to the group with a cordial yet academic approach. His own enthusiasm permeated the room and brought us all into the subject area with a desire to learn more.
We willingly joined in with his enthusiasm to be “nerds” and join him on a journey “Down the Rabbit Hole” with a sense of adventure and curiosity.
Several of our Torch members work with pottery and are familiar with both pottery structures and the development of glazes. Much of the Q and A portion of the evening allowed Dr. Sawhill to add his expertise to the knowledge of our club members.
Main Ideas?
Dr. Sawhill organized his presentation chronologically, surprising many of us with his explanation of how far back in human history man’s work with pottery can be found. He said that we must be willing to go “Down the Rabbit Hole” to investigate and appreciate the development of pottery and glazes.
We learned that pottery goes as far back as 20,000 years ago, well before the conventional cut off between the pottery and pre-pottery eras. One of the oldest pieces to survive today, the Venus di Dolni Vestonice from the Paleolithic era, exhibits a fingerprint. We were shown how spacing between ridges in the fingerprint has led to estimates of the child’s age. Dr. Sawhill suggested that the fingerprint may in fact be that of the artist, a conclusion discounted in academic writings.
Our tour of ancient pottery took us through the Neolithic era, from Jomon Period artistic pieces in the Bronze age to the black and red figured Attic pottery in the Iron Age. Early potters relied on open firing and pit firing techniques still used today. He showed the development of higher temperature firing and how glaze advances roughly matched the timeline of advances in kiln technology.
The introduction of lead and tin into glazes marked a major turning point in early color and luster development, but it was the higher firing temperature kilns that led to the development of stoneware and eventually to porcelain, the “Cadillac” of modern pottery.
After Dr. Sawhill’s last slide, he opened the floor to the Q and A, when audience members asked questions from everything for Zuni pottery to Seagrove and specialty work of the North Carolina potters. The evening concluded with a round of applause for Dr. Sawhill’s fine presentation.
What Mattered to Me
This talk made me more aware of what I see in the development of art as I visit museums around the world. For other audience members, the presentation brought specifics into their singular realm of pottery. This lecture had something for everyone. This is Torch! – Victoria Ehrhardt
