Posted on by

2010 Penland School of Crafts – Ornament of the Year

In 2009 we began the tradition of the Penland School of Crafts Ornament of the Year. We like to think that these ornaments represent the spirit of creativity at Penland all year round.

Penland School of Crafts 2010 Ornament

Created by Jenny Lou Sherburne

Jenny Lou Sherburne is a studio artist and past Penland instructor who lives in nearby Bakersville, NC. She created this special teapot for our on-going series of annual ornaments.

Penland teapot army...they're here.....

I make mid-fired functional pots. The forms are playfully extreme and stretch the boundaries of function as well as the limits of clay. I make thrown and pinched forms that I stack, carve and augment and then glaze with bright slips and glazes. My inspirations range from garlic cloves to onion domes, from the Isle of Crete to the Land of Oz, from Antonio Gaudi to Dr. Seuss. I want my work to be imbued with an attitude of presence that is full of humor, vigor and joy. As I work I try to let go of old habits and assumptions, to let my intuition and enjoyment of the process guide me. After almost twenty-five years as a studio potter, I am still captivated by the belief that I can sustain inspiration through the pressures and tedium of day to day living. In this way my work teaches me about how to live my life.

Thrown and hand-built, white stoneware, teapot ornament, approximately 3 1/2″ high, with hanging ribbon and gift box.

$50 retail price, plus tax when applicable

Shipping – $5

To order:

Please call the Penland Gallery at 828-765-6211

or e-mail penlandgallery@penland.org

We except Visa, MasterCard, and American Express

You may also purchase a teapot in person at the Penland Gallery.

A very limited number of the 2009 ornaments are still available – please contact the gallery if you are interested.

Posted on by

Penland School featured in Ornament Magazine

There’s a nice feature on Penland, written by Glen R. Brown, in the new issue of Ornament Magazine. It begins like this:

“The final mile of the drive to Penland School of Crafts feels appropriately transitional. The curving ascent through a forest of North Carolina pines and hardwoods serves symbolically as a buffer between the outside world and the eclectic mix of cabin-like dwellings, rustic lodge-style buildings and modern glass-fronted constructions that compose the campus. Nestled picturesquely among the trees at the head of a gently sloping meadow, the school recalls memories of summer camp, but, since its founding in 1928, it has been highly effective in the role of a working retreat—a place, something like Thoreau’s Walden, that is removed just far enough from the complications and diversions of everyday life to allow for focus on priorities. Although those who come to study at Penland generally spend only two weeks (far less than Thoreau’s two-year sojourn in the woods), what they learn during that intense period of total immersion can form the basis for a lifetime of exploration.”

Read the whole article here.