A Unique Shopping Experience at the Greenbrier's Art Colony, Part 7, The Pottery
While exploring the Arts Colony at the Greenbrier you will have the pleasure of seeing the work of master potter, Tracy Brent Howard at the Pottery. Terri Howard's welcoming demeanor and desire to share Tracy's art with you will add an education about pottery to an already enjoyable experience.
The Pottery opened in 2005 at The Greenbrier. The Howard's also have a studio in White Sulphur Springs were the pottery is made.
When Tracy Brent Howard was three and four years old his mother would watch him go down to the pond and dig up clay and make animals, and dry the clay on his swing set....Today Tracy's personal techniques and expertise in pottery have evolved from a life-long love of the craft. From very early on in school it was recognized by educators that he was gifted and driven in many arts, and he was advised to start his college studies in pottery years in advance.
By high school's end, he had already completed six semesters of education in pottery at a college in Millersville, Pennsylvania. By college age, they gave Tracy personal access to the tutelage and guidance of a number of world re-known potters and sculptors, such as Regis Brodie, Peter Voulkus, Rudi Staffell, and Toshiko Takaezu, during an assistant's position at Skidmore College at Saratoga Springs in NY. These were some of the mentors that helped Tracy develop the vision of what makes great pottery. His attention to their vast knowledge and diversity of technique has allowed him to digest their technique and make it his art.
From there, Don Reitz invited Tracy to study under him for a 6 year stay at the University of Wisconsin, where he received his Masters’ Degree in Fine Arts. Tracy has also received an honorary teaching degree for his role in building a pottery studio for the nearby Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg, WV. This has allowed him to teach college students, and to influence aspiring potters as he had been.
After mastering the pottery wheel and many techniques and clay bodies -- porcelain, stoneware, earthenware, and terra cotta, Tracy is currently working with a more challenging technique. Raku pottery, meaning an enjoyable pleasure, is the name of both the clay body and the technique itself. Its origins go back 5000 years ago to Japan, and employs two stages--disc firing, and rapid firing. Large particles in the clay help it withstand the extreme thermal heat shock of rapid firing.
Whether Tracy's pieces are wheel thrown or slab constructed, many have an added touch of the Greenbrier grounds.
Leaves, ferns and pine branches from around the resort are 
rolled into the clay. During the first firing, the natural pieces are burned away, leaving an impression like a fossil. The pieces are then glazed with Tracy's own formula, and fired for a second time, now reaching a temperature of 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. When placed into a container of wood shavings and newspapers, flames will surround the piece and bring out any pure copper that is in the glazing formula. The surface of these raku pieces also show crazing, created by thermo shock and carbon, which appears as thin black lines in the glazing.
For the moment, slab construction raku technique is the focal point of many of the pieces displayed at the Pottery, whether in the form of a vessel, bowl, wall pocket, vase, decorative leaf impression, or a number of other art pieces. The Howards also happily display other local artists in their Pottery, including WV painters Jan Borrell and Joy Bland among others. One of a kind handcrafted semi-precious gemstone pendants, necklaces and earrings are among these other offerings.
The Pottery
Art Colony at The Greenbrier Hotel
300 West Main Street
White Sulphur Springs, WV 24986
Hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Phone: (304) 536-2021
The Pottery Studio
186 Shammah Way
(304) 536-4723
View Larger Map
When visiting the Greenbrier, stop in at The Pottery and enjoy one-of-a-kind pottery created by master potter, Tracy Brent Howard, along with live demonstrations using various sculpting techniques including the pottery wheel.
This is the 7th of the eight retail stores located at The Greenbrier's Art Colony Shops. Next post will be on Michael Christie, Artist in Residence. See the previous posts:
Joseph Mendel, Furniture Maker
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