Julie Olson is a “2008 Art in the Round Contest” participant.
Thrown and altered white stoneware by Julie Olson (copyright Julie Olson)
Artist’s Statement: In honing my skills as a craftsman, I strive to make order out of chaos, explorers out of spectators, and to create appreciation through understanding.
The lidded form represents the unknown, something that can spark the curious to become involved. The object must be touched and handled: shape, color, texture, weight, and size are all artistic decisions, which are my tools. When an observer becomes a participant and recognizes my efforts, I have accomplished my goal.
With the exception of my functional pottery, my work focuses on series’ of one-of-a-kind pieces.
Medium: I am mainly a clay artist. I love clay for its endless possibilities. I also work with metal and glass, and am an amateur bookmaker.
Artistic Resume: I studied clay at Olympic College in Bremerton, Washington, before moving to North Carolina in 1979. Since then, I have taken numerous workshops in clay, metalsmithing, lampworking, and bookmaking. All of these are part of my movement toward becoming a mixed-media artist.
I taught Advanced Pottery classes at the Crafts Center of North Carolina State University from 1986 to 2007.
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