2023_HORN_Endless Ground

Presenting material explorations by work and life partners Naomi Dalglish and Michael Hunt, this exhibition frames their functional ceramic forms as a process of investigation. Viewed as a group, the individual pieces are seen as a study of line, form, and surface. Their holistic practice draws on the material qualities of locally dug red earth and wood-fired pottery, creating visually potent work.

ENDLESS GROUND

One single pot can contain a universe in itself and can draw us into an
intimate relationship of use, heft, habit, and attention. Yet the process
of making pots in our studio also involves a journey through infinite,
sometimes minute, explorations of form and pattern. The wild materials
and processes with which these pots are made will have existed long
before and after the two of us, and they are the forces that compel
our own studio investigations.

The coarse red clay from our neighbor’s field reveals a beautiful texture
when cut, inviting us to carve textures or shapes. The interaction between
fluid white kaolin over dark clay coaxes us down a seemingly limitless
path of variation. Often it is the making of one pot and then another and
another that produces an intuitive evolution of touch and form. In the
wider context of time, place, and material inquiry, each pot is part of
a continuum (that contains us, contains you) of endless ground.

Michael Hunt and Naomi Dalglish

POTS FROM SOMEWHERE

In the old days, potters chose their homes according to where
they could dig good clay. When several potters set up shop in the
same area, their collective work formed the basis for a regional
tradition. Today, because we can get materials from all over the
world and assemble them wherever we wish, few pots have any
regional specificity.

Very few contemporary potters mine clay close to their homes;
even fewer find slip clays and glaze materials nearby. Michael Hunt
and Naomi Dalglish are in this rather exclusive company. Having
collaborated since 2003, these fine potters are adamant about relying
on local materials. While this may seem like an old-fashioned,
even romantic, approach to their trade, they are also at home in
the modern world complete with cars, cellphones, and a lively
Instagram feed.

The mountains of North Carolina are not known for pure clays;
instead, they are home to dirty kaolins, pockets of impure stoneware,
and valley bottoms of gritty red earthenware. In response to
this, Michael and Naomi have tested rigorously and then skillfully
adapted their results, using a small batch production system to
move their ideas forward. They build on the colors of their chosen
materials, carefully observing the subtle, shifting tonalities produced
by the clay and the atmosphere of their wood-fired kiln. The result
is an earthy rainbow of brown—white brown, cream brown, pink
brown, and purple-brown—that give their pots an exquisite
natural allure.

Earlham College, Korea, and Penland School provided the bedrock
of Michael and Naomi’s pursuit. Their subsequent growth has
come from a willingness to engage with the materials and skills
required to make good work. They care deeply about all aspects of
the pots they make and the processes they employ, including the
use of a slow kick-wheel and innovative carving from solid blocks
of clay. They are enthralled by the aesthetic labyrinth presented by
old Korean rice bowls and the fickle “deer spotting” found on pots
from Hagi (Japan) and elsewhere. Observations from nature and
a sophisticated design sensibility have propelled their growth, and
their sweet collaboration is now in full bloom.

Michael and Naomi’s pots are like rare wildflowers: talismans
of hope and beauty amid the disturbed prattle of the world.
They are a magnificent testament to what you can do if you
pay close attention to what’s in your own backyard.

Mark Hewitt
Potter and writer

Michael Hunt and Naomi Dalglish live and work in the mountains of western North Carolina. Using primarily local materials, they collaborate in making wood-fired utilitarian pottery. Although they make and glaze the pottery together, individually, Naomi makes the figurative sculptures, and Michael makes the large jars. Michael got hooked on clay in high school and became a student at Penland School of Craft shortly after graduating. It was there that he met Will Ruggles and Douglas Rankin who became teachers and mentors to him. Several years later he was invited to go to Korea to learn the traditional method of making large Onggi storage jars with master Ongii potter Oh Hyang Jong. Upon returning from Korea, Michael began setting up a studio and building a large Thai-shaped wood kiln in the Penland area.

Naomi began making pottery with her grandmother as a child. She studied clay at Earlham College with Mike Theideman, a former apprentice of Warren MacKenzie. She spent a semester in Mexico, where she studied with Mexican potters and discovered pre-Colombian clay figures. In addition to making pottery, she began making sculptures inspired by pre-colombian and Japanese Haniwa figures. After college, Naomi came to Penland to take a kiln-building class and met Michael, who was building a kiln at his studio. Michael and Naomi discovered they shared a similar passion and approach to making pottery. Now they work together as full-time potters, firing their kiln four times a year, and occasionally teaching workshops. Their pottery is named “Bandana Pottery” after the small community in which they started their first studio. They exhibit their work internationally.

PURCHASING FROM THE EXHIBITION

This exhibition has closed in the Horn Gallery.  Availability inquiries of the exhibition artwork will be re-directed to the artists. 

Exhibition List HERE
To inquire about works in the exhibition contact us at 828.765.6211 or via email at gallery@penland.org