The Soul of a Potter

The Soul of a Potter

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feel like God has given me talent to use my hands to shape clay,” Ben Owen III observes quietly, as he gently rolls a piece of iron oxide clay between his palms. Within moments, an elegant pottery handle begins to take shape. He attaches the slim handle to an elegant jug and makes five delicate indentations in the clay that resemble a dogwood rosette.

Studying his work, Owen adds, “It gives me real happiness to think I’m making something that will be useful in someone’s life, or simply giving them something pleasant to look at. But it’s also wonderful to think that through the vessel of clay — using my own hands not unlike a surgeon — I’ve been able to support my family, continue a tradition and contribute to other lives in this community.”

In a season known for its gratitude and reflection, Seagrove’s

BY JIM DODSON

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best known potter stands near his wheel counting his blessings, on fountain that will soon grace a reflective garden at the Cancer by afternoon sunlight in a studio full of warm earthen colors, makCenter at Randolph County Hospital. Owen’s keen sense of giving ing handles for six elegant, elongated, red clay jugs he plans to comback has provided his signature pottery to everything from UNCplete by week’s end for a charity auction.

TV auctions to fundraisers for his children’s school. His graceful creBy almost any measure you choose, Owen, who recently turned 40, ations have been used to raise money for everything from area hosis enjoying a full flowering of life and career. His elegant original pitals and churches to helping cover the medical costs of a neighbor. designs, springing from a folk artisan tradition that dates back to pre“Obviously, I’m very grateful to have these opportunities to Colonial times but draws heavily upon the influences of his own grandexpress my gratitude,” he explains as he continues making handles father’s groundbreaking work blending traditional western folk pottery for the three remaining jugs. “But I like to think I’m simply helpwith Oriental masters, have won a wide ing preserve the history of this area by international following and now grace perpetuating a craft I was fortunate important art museums, luxury hotels and enough to learn directly from my grandcorporate boardrooms around the world. father — taking what has been passed Among other things, his creations along to me by others and building upon have been used to help forge new culthat. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the tural links between North Carolina real story here.” and the Far East and have been presented as gifts to the royal residences he line of potters that precedes of Sweden, England and Japan.

Ben the Third winds back to the Several years ago, the University of middle 1700s when the first North Carolina at Wilmington desigOwens were part of a western migration nated the mild-mannered potter a of settlers who moved into the northern “North Carolina Living Treasure.” portions of what would eventually What exactly does that mean? The become Moore County, attracted by the artist modestly deflects the question. “It quality of the clay found there for making simply means I’m fortunate enough to be utilitarian wares. able to do what I love to do — something In 1923, the family’s modern patrithat is both a hobby and my profession. arch, the first Ben Owen, then 18, went Hopefully, I’ll continue to grow and to work as the third potter hired at nearmaybe pass that along to other aspiring

by Jugtown Pottery by Jacques and potters. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that Juliana Busbee, a pair of Raleigh artists you never know where something like broadly credited with saving the dwinthis will lead you.”

Sung jar in patina green glaze dling art of making utilitarian salt-glazed Though Owen is much too modest to pottery. The Busbees opened a store in say so, this kind of material success means New York City that gave Moore County that as demand for his pottery grows craftsmen like Owen a ready market for their wares. among the ranks of ceramic collectors, more and more galleries clamMany years of working and traveling to museums in New York or for his work, and larger and more intriguing private commissions with the Busbees inspired Owen to experiment with new styles come his way. On this particular mild afternoon in middle autumn, for and forms of ceramics. He was particularly inspired by the unusuexample, Owen has just received a commission to make over 60 pieces al glazes and vibrant colors of the Far East and began incorporatfor the new Bank of America-owned Ritz Carlton, soon to be coning elements of Chinese designs he sketched from museum pieces structed in Charlotte, his largest commission to date. and brought home to his studio at Jugtown into his own traditionOver by a window in his spacious studio sits a large, Orientalal Carolina pottery-making. looking pot nearing completion — the base portion of a ceramic

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After 36 years with the Busbees, in 1959, Owen opened his own shop south of Seagrove. He took to signing his beautiful pots “Ben Owen Master Potter,” a title he’d earned at the 1928 Dogwood Festival. In 1972, owing to declining health, however, the senior Owen closed his Old Plank Road Pottery Shop. In a major way, he had helped create the vibrant community of area potters known worldwide for their distinctive earthenwares.

“Around 1977, when I was about 8 years old,” remembers the legendary potter’s grandson, “my grandfather began taking me to his old pottery shop, really just to play with the clay, little more than making mud pies.”

But something in the clay spoke to “young Ben.” The following year, the elder Owen began showing his grandson how to throw a pot on the traditional potter’s wheel. “The many hours I spent with my grandfather really came to shape my life,” says Ben III. “Among the many things he told me was that it’s easy to make things complicated but hard to keep them simple. I’ve always used that as sort of a guiding principle of my life and work.

No matter what comes along, I try to keep things simple and in perspective.”

“I’m forever appreciative for Buddy Spong at SCC (then dean of student life) because he strongly encouraged me while taking his public speaking class. Because of Buddy’s influence, I began speaking to garden clubs and other interested groups on the rich history of pottery making in this area. Buddy helped me understand how important it was to educate people on how pottery had evolved here. Even back in Donald Ross’ days,” Owen adds, “people could travel to Jugtown and purchase quality pottery for their homes.” At one point when he learned the Pinehurst resort was about to undergo a major renovation of its rooms, he was pleased to discover many of the ceramic lamps being discarded were actually his grandfather’s handiwork.

“We were lucky to save one of them.”

In 1989, Owen decided to strengthen his own academic credentials by enrolling in ceramic arts at East Carolina University, where he began to experiment with color and form and find his own distinctive direction as a potter. Upon earning his BFA in Ceramics in 1993, Owen was presented Outstanding Student awards in both the Ceramics Department and the School of Art. “For me, the creative process has always been about growing as an artist,” says hen young Ben’s interest in Owen. “Ronald Reagan once said that following in the family traevery generation gets to the next level of dition became apparent, success by standing on the shoulders of the Ben Owen Jr. — who went by “Wade” previous generation. When I returned to Owen — decided to re-open his father’s Seagrove, I was blessed to have the solid Old Plank Road Pottery Shop, patching foundation my father and grandfather had kilns and building new ones. After extenestablished. But that was really the beginsive work, the pottery shop re-opened in ning of a new direction for me.”

Dogwood vase in Chinese red 28" tall 1981, and the work of three generations of During the summer of 1995, Owen Owens was offered for sale. made his first trip to Japan to participate Young Ben’s other love was tennis. in a ceramic workshop with potters from After high school, he enrolled in Pfeiffer College to play on the across the Far East. “It was such an eye-opening experience for tennis team but soon wound up teaching classes in pottery makme to live in a village deeply immersed in Japanese culture, ing, which in part paid for his tuition. “Teaching also began to learning something new every day. I saw so many parallels and help me think about what I really wanted to do in life,” he says. similarities in the creative process common to potters everyAfter two years at Pfeiffer, Owen transferred to Sandhills where — the value of learning patience, of failing and beginning Community College and managed his father’s pottery business. again, of dedicating yourself to a craft that requires your time

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and complete attention. We live in a world where instant gratiand, in turn, influenced mine. That trip really gave me great perfication is so commonplace. In Japan, I was reminded of many spective and a renewed sense of purpose. It showed me a lot about of the same things my grandfather passed along to me about the the importance of community.” challenge of keeping things simple. That is a gift — if you can achieve it.” his expanded perspective will be dramatically on display A decade ago, Owen constructed a multi-purpose museum, this month at the inaugural edition of the three-day studio, sales and display gallery on the site of his grandfather’s Celebration of Seagrove Potters, a newly minted festival original Old Plank Road shop. It showcased both this inherited featuring approximately 60 of the region’s most celebrated potters legacy and his ever-expanding consciousness as a potter. Today, and artists, scheduled to take place with an opening night gala at the handsome 5,000-square-foot facility houses both his grandthe historic Lucks Bean Cannery in father’s original earth-floored potting Seagrove, beginning Nov. 21. shed and the airy, state-of-the-art work Serving as one of the new event’s space where Ben III now has five differprincipal organizers, Owen says, has ent work stations. The facility also has given him “a much better understanding 10 kilns (5 electric, 3 gas, 2 wood-fired) of the value of community. Not only has that permit him to produce a much a kind of Renaissance begun here — larger volume of work. more students are studying pottery than “One of the things I love to do is interI can ever recall — but there is a growact with people who come here to buy my ing feeling of genuine fellowship with pottery, to show them how it’s done,” he the area’s potters. We understand that explains. “This adds a whole new layer of we’re all part of something very special.” meaning, say, to a vase or a pot that someAs for the artist himself, continuity one buys to give as a wedding present if and personal growth remain the lynchthey can see where and how that clay vespins of his once and future identity as a sel was made. Like my grandfather, I love Seagrove potter. “For me it’s about famimeeting the people who buy what I make ly and clay,” he admits, finishing the six with my hands.” elegant jugs with rosette handles in the One year ago, another important quiet of a late autumn afternoon. “My moment in the evolution of a gifted potter children Avery, Juliana and Ben IV‚ occurred when Owen accompanied a delwhom we call ‘Ivey’ — are eight, five egation of business and community leadand three. They come into the shop and ers from Moore County to China’s Hunan play with the clay much the way I once Province to help dedicate a memorial to did at my grandfather’s shop.

Robert Hoyle Upchurch, a WWII Flying Equator bottle in copper penny glaze “Will one of them become a potter?”

Tiger pilot from High Falls who went He muses, then pauses and smiles, down during a combat mission 60 years attaching a final slim handle to a pot just ago. Villagers collected his remains and before he turns the pot over and etches his name and the date buried him with honors near a Ming Dynasty tower. Owen took into the clay. along examples of his own work as gifts to his hosts and spent sevBen the Third answers his own soulful question. “It’s impossible eral weeks interacting with his counterparts in China and Japan on to know, I suppose. Right now my wife LoriAnn and I are just eager the return trip. for them to be children. They’re growing up with a lot of love and a “That trip was a real eye-opener and completed so much for me. lot of history around them. I can’t help but feel something good is I saw where so many of my grandfather’s influences originated — being passed along.” PS ideas about glazes and design that he incorporated into his work

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