Stoneware vessels by Rosemary Forrest (copyright Rosemary Forrest)
Artist’s Statement: The earthy nature of clay has compelled me for as long as I can remember. Its ability to become anything I could imagine has always seemed magical to me. Clay lends itself as a canvas to the two-dimensional while retaining its intrinsic value as a three-dimentional medium. And while clay yields to the gentlest touch, it becomes stone once fired.
My functional work is done in stoneware. I concentrate on creating contemporary serving pieces such as bowls, platters, and teapots that can be enjoyed every day. Though I use the potter’s wheel for most work, I often combine extrusions and coilwork to increase the range of my work, in both size and design.
Though I spent most of my adult life as a writer/journalist, I have always been an artist at heart. I have been actively practicing my art since I built my studio in 2000 and have been doing this full time for three years.
I want people to know that there is great joy in owning and using handmade pottery. Pressed and stamped stuff from big box stores is OK, but soulless. My work is a reflection of the beauty I have found in life that people may recognize and claim as their own.
Medium: I work exclusively in clay, stoneware mostly, though I drift into porcelain on occasion. I love clay because it is so yielding and forgiving while still demanding a high level of skill. I love the physicality of it, the permanence of it, the history of it. I love how it connects me to the past, the future, and the earth itself. I love its functionality and its beauty and its versatility. I love its simplicity and its complexity.
Artistic Resume: I began my study of ceramics in 1969 as a college student in New Jersey. In the early 1970’s I studied under Helen Chackos in Washington, DC. I also participated in the early days of the Tuscarora, Nevada, pottery program under Dennis Parks. After decades away from my craft, I decided to resume my study of pottery. As one of the first graduates of the Center for Creative Economies in Edgefield at Piedmont Technical College, I have studied with Gary Clontz and participated in workshops with David Stuempfle, Michele Bayne and Ellen Shankin. I am a member of the Potters Council and the Ceramic Artists of the South East (CASE).
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