Leanne Ash
Leanne Ash’s makes wheel-thrown, functional pottery that “finds strength in its simplicity.” Her work is set apart by quiet details such as undulating rims, layered surfaces, and soft directional changes. All of her pottery is made with stoneware, individually thrown on the wheel and finished with layers of slip, decorative brushwork, and glaze which add up to a rich and varied surface.
LeAnne Ash at MudFire
Gallery group show The Potters of Energy Xchange, February 2006
LeAnne Ash Artist Statement
LeAnne Ash lives and works in the mountains of Western North Carolina, and is a resident artist at the EnergyXchange. She makes wheel thrown and hand-built functional pottery fired in a landfill gas powered reduction kiln. The beauty of the mountainous landscape and its rich community of contemporary potters serve as great inspiration for her.
LeAnne grew up in Louisville, KY. She received her BFA in ceramics from the Cleveland Institute of Art in Cleveland, OH. She furthered her education as an intern for sculptor Deirdre Daw in her Seattle, WA studio, and has attended and assisted several workshops at the Penland School of crafts in Penland, NC. She was a resident artist at the Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts in Asheville, NC from 2003-2005.
Of her work, she says, "I have always had an interest in food, cooking, and culture, so it feels natural for me to make pottery. As a potter, there is no greater joy than eating at a table filled with good friends, good food, and great pots. Pottery elicits a strong human emotion triggered by beauty, memory and touch, which can be very powerful. Although pottery can be very complex, I am drawn to the simplicity of its nature."
