Featured Artists

Featured Artists

	Candace Bell Candace makes mostly functional pottery with a whimsical flair: mugs, bowls, vases, jars, tumblers, plates, platters, pitchers, and teapots. She creates texture and interest using slip, carving, and by altering forms. While most of her current work is fired in an electric kiln using green, brown, blue, and red glazes, she likes to fire some of her work in a wood kiln to achieve special glaze effects and to accentuate the texture and form of her pieces. Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BellMountainPottery email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Bob Campbell Bob Campbell got his first touch of love with pottery when he saw a PBS show of a Japanese potter who went through the entire process of digging clay, throwing pieces, firing and glazing. "I had done some painting, some drawing, some stained glass, some candle making, some photography, etc. and just thought I'd like to give pottery a try," he says. He made the remark to his wife, who decided that for his 50th birthday she would surprise him with the gift of his first round of classes held at a local Roanoke elementary school with instructor Phil Weaver. "That was 27 years ago," Bob states with a smile, "and I don't plan on stepping away from the wheel or the slab roller any time soon. The feel of the clay is most rewarding." Bob shares about what makes clay so appealing to him as an art medium, "I am primarily tactile and then visual, so clay meets those needs. It's really the therapeutic benefits above a certain look or style that keeps him mired in the clay. "Aesthetically," he explains, "the beauty is in the process." Rather than having a definite shape or goal in mind when he sits down at the wheel, Bob says he prefers to let the work evolve as he handles the clay. "I don't always know when I cut a piece of clay and sit at the wheel exactly where I want to go," he shares, "This keeps mystery in the process for me." Perhaps it's the willingness to "go with the flow: that give his work a balanced and fluid style. Bob can be reached via e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Stephanie Duston Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Instagram: @oddfoxpottery Website: oddfoxpottery.com I first started taking ceramic classes in 2012 and have been pursuing ceramics as my major hobby since 2015. I use both wheel throwing and hand building methods to make functional and decorative pottery. Having a tactile feel to my work is important, so I often try to use matte glazes. My background is heavy in soil and geology, which also influences the feel and structure of my work. Carving clay reminds me of exploring the face of a fresh soil pit, with gradiens of color blending into each other, albeit you generally don't find the bright colors I use in a soil profile! I have recently begun to teach hang building classes in Blacksburg, VA at the YMCA, which is a joy. My work is available online and can be found at local and regional craft shows.
	Stephanie H. Firestone - Sculptor and Painter Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Instagram: @stephaniefirestone7012 Facebook: Stephanie Firestone Sculpture website: www.stephaniefirestone.com Phone: 703-635-6139 My medium for sculpture is clay. The subject matter ranges from the human figure to non-functional Raku vessels to wall pieces. My enjoyment comes when the art form evolves as I work with it. Clay has many properties and drying periods, which make it quite versatile. I am also a painter using the acrylic medium. My work can also be seen at the Market Gallery, 22 Campbell Ave SE, in downtown Roanoke, VA.
	Cole Franz This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. In her home workshop, Cole makes pottery that is mostly functional, round and striped. Her pieces are exclusively for sale at the BRPG annual show and sale.
	Nell J. Fredericksen Sugar Grove Studios (540) 365-7400 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. website: www.nellfredericksen.com The natural world, the beauty that I see in everything around me flows both consciously and subconsciously through all my designs. I love taking the raw materials and making them “move” with my hands into the shapes and textures that I picture in my mind. That, plus the play of colors on those shapes with different glazes, produces pottery that is both decorative and functional. Nell has been a professional goldsmith/jeweler and potter for more than 28years. She is an ACV Juried Master Artisan and Juried Round the Mountain Artisan. She teaches a broad slate of Metalsmithing courses for the Floyd Center for the Arts in Floyd, VA
	Lee Niebuhr Lee Niebuhr Pottery Rocky Mount, VA Contact via: Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: Messages can be left at 540.420.7420 Social: Facebook or Facebook Messenger at Lee Niebuhr Pottery Hello ceramic fans and collectors! So glad you found the Blue Ridge Potters Guild website to view a sampling of just some of our amazing artists. I happened upon the world of pottery after retirement, looking for a hobby to keep me busy. I feel like I hit the lottery with this craft, and haven’t looked back. Still developing my creative side and learning so much. Find your passion!
	Jim Privitera (540) 985-8698 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. website: www.stonewareclay.com Long before I started to work with clay I was a purchased many pieces from small studios and individual potters. I was always impressed with their skill at producing unique work. The gifts and collected work were attractive, functional and had character. In the late 90's I took a class in pottery and started on a journey that eventually led to Earthworks Pottery. Earthworks has two major functions: to teach classes in making pottery, and to sell the ware made at the studio. Potters seem to be a special group of people and the classes are always challenging and interesting. There is a gallery attached to the studio and it is open for browsing and sales.
	Susanne Sellars susannesellars.com This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. I enjoy making a variety of pottery forms from bowls and serving platters, to animal themed tea pots (elephants, camels, giraffes, and llamas). I work on the wheel and handbuild both decorative and functional items. I particularly enjoy using a variety of finishing techniques including colored slips, glazes, and carving.
	Barbara Wise Salem, VA Barbara began working with clay in 2003. Her work is both functional and decorative. Lamps are now Barbara’s main focus. Some of her lamps look like stacked rocks but are made of clay. She also enjoys making small bowls and pieces with impressions. Her pieces are either electric or raku fired. Pottery has enriched her life in many ways and has become her hobby and passion.