Porcelain is an amazing medium for artists to use in their creative endeavors. It is a ceramic material made by heating clay-type materials to high temperatures.  I don’t know much about the process of making porcelain but I do know that I appreciate any artist that can create works of art using it.  Lucky me – I got to see some beautiful creations first hand that were designed and created by an extraordinary artist Laura Peery  last week.

I was gifted some tickets to the Southern Highland Craft Guild Show by jewelry artist Ruthie Cohen.  Ruthie designed my beautiful jewelry that I wore at Micah and Wendy’s wedding last summer and she was kind enough to give Chris and I a couple of tickets to the show in downtown Asheville.  You can check out Ruthie’s work on her Facebook page by clicking here.

Pendant and earrings designed by Ruthie Cohen

We had not been to the show before and we were overwhelmed with the skill level of the artists that were present.  One booth particularly caught my eye and it was the booth where I met Laura Peery.  

Laura’s art caught my eye primarily because she had many beautiful teapots. Of course I had to stop.  After looking at them closer I realized what an amazing medium she had created -porcelain pieces with bits of whimsy added.  I loved them and while I did not get adequate pictures you can at least get the idea.  

Laura draws a great deal of her inspiration from the dress shop that her grandmother owned.  She uses her clay medium to imitate the textures and lines that she found in the fabrics in her grandmother’s shop.  Her teapots and other vessels are created as one would create a garment from fabric – complete with cuts and darts that give the unique piece its form.  Colors are then layered through brushing, rubbing and spray to create the magnificent finished products.  I loved the soft colors that she chose for each piece.

Each piece is unique and while some may have similar attributes each is uniquely its own with shapes and colors that are just right.  Names are given to them depending upon their theme and the names are perfect.

All of these pieces are completely one piece–the pedestal on this teapot is attached to the teapot itself.

This wall hanging had to be one of my favorite things in her booth.  So much fun and detail in this piece, don’t you think?

You can imagine that I spent a lot of time examining this display and Laura was so gracious and allowed me to photograph and admire .  Check back on Tuesday to see what came home with me from Laura’s booth.

If you want to know more about Laura Peery and her art please visit her website by clicking here.   She has quite an impressive CV and has opened my eyes to some other great places to look for teapot art.