Kyle Carpenter
"Surface"

MudFire Gallery welcomes back Kyle Carpenter of Asheville, North Carolina for a solo exhibition of masterfully-decorated functional pottery, entitled simply "Surface." The rest of the country is finding out what Atlanta ceramics collectors have known for years…Kyle's work is hot. In 2008, Kyle was admitted to the prestigious Southern Highlands Craft Guild, and the Mint Museum in Charlotte acquired a piece for their permanent collection. Kyle's work was also selected last year for inclusion in juried exhibits at top notch ceramics galleries in Baltimore, Chicago, Phoenix and California. Kyle will unveil a significant body of new work in this upcoming solo show at MudFire, representing months of work in the studio.

The artist reception and exhibit opening will be held Saturday, March 7, from 5-9 pm. The exhibit and sale will be on display through March 28, 2009.

About the Artist

Kyle Carpenter lives and maintains a studio in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where he received his BFA in Ceramics. After graduating UNCA, Kyle worked for Highwater Clays, and taught ceramics at the high school and college levels. He then went on to build his own studio in Asheville and became a full-time functional potter. Kyle's work has received national recognition in juried shows and has been featured in both Ceramics Monthly and Clay Times. He is frequent curator of ceramics exhibits, was recently admitted to the prestigious Southern Highland Crafts Guild, and has work in the permanent collection of the Mint Museum in Charlotte.

Carpenter, a North Carolina native, knows the importance of the rich pottery-making tradition of his home state. His pottery reveals a strong contemporary design sensibility while combining influences of North Carolina folk pottery, the Japanese "mingei" arts and crafts movement, and his training as an illustrator. He creates elegant forms then lavishes time and attention on creating surface treatments using repetition, rhythm, and abstractions informed by nature. His new work continues to evolve, reflecting even greater attention to surface with refinements to the firing process and increased investment in brushwork decoration. Carpenter is also broadening his use of materials, continuing to work primarily in salt-fired stoneware while experimenting with terra cotta works fired in oxidation.

Kyle Carpenter - Artist Statement

As a studio potter, I work diligently to make well-crafted wares for everyday people. It's seemingly less about the "ritual of the table" and more about respecting a long tradition of craftsmen before me and discovering my own voice. As a contemporary potter, I often look to past traditions for inspiration. I'm interested in folk pottery of many origins. My native state of North Carolina, of course, offers a deep well of talented potters, both folk and contemporary, to look towards for inspiration. The "mingei" arts and crafts movement, of Japan, has offered an overwhelming influence to so many potters throughout history, including myself. I want to continue the long tradition of making beautiful wares for everyday people.

Simplicity in form offers a broad surface for me to embellish with lines, patterns, and drawings. Before I was introduced to the ceramics arts, I did a fair amount of illustration before and during art school. The combination of three-dimensional forms and two-dimensional drawings was a natural fusion of both my love of drawing and pottery, art and craft. It is my intention to bring together clear and abstract markings to engage the viewer to look closely at how design relates to the form of the pot.

Kyle Carpenter - Artist Resume

Education