New Glazes from the Kilns for Fall

It has been some time since our last post. It has been a busy summer and early fall for Ben Owen Pottery and the Owen family. I have been focusing on all of our fall events as well as experimenting with some new colors and textures of glazes that relate to our Turquoise and Yellow Matte glazes. The attached photos are some of the first results so far. We are pleased with the new blue over silky rust to orange finish. Another is the Violet with silver ash crystals. The longer firings are paying off with the finish. We will post more variations later on.

Ben Owen III Exhibit at Franklin Square Gallery

It has been a busy summer with several projects at Ben Owen Pottery. Ben has been working on some large scale vases and other custom pieces for some special projects this summer. We decided to not have a summer kiln opening due to theses special orders. We will post some images of these projects after our wood firing at the end of August.

Ben will have an exhibition at the Franklin Square Gallery in Southport NC, starting Friday August 5th and lasting to Monday September 5th. Ben will have a variety of new works at this exhibit and will be there on Friday, August 5th from 5pm - 7pm, to speak with gallery visitors! Franklin Square Gallery is located at 130 E. West Street, Southport, NC 28461 Phone # is 910-457 5450.

Ben will also be preparing for the Mint Museum Potter's Invitational show September 10th in Charlotte, NC. More info on other events and kiln openings for the fall can be found on the Ben Owen Pottery Website.

Spring Wood Kiln Opening - 2011

As part of the Celebration of Seagrove Potters Spring Kiln Opening taking place at individual pottery shops, we have unloaded a great firing of Chinese Blue from the groundhog kiln today and have posted some of the pots on our website. We will have the opening tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday beginning at 10am-5pm. We will have a preview in person between 9am-9:50am Friday. To view some of the work online go to the Chinese Blue page of our website. We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

For more info on the Spring Kiln Opening going on in Seagrove, go to the Celebration of Seagrove Potters website.

Upcoming Exhibit.

Hi Everyone,

A correction on the UNC-TV show below:

Here is some of the recent work that we have worked on for an exhibition with painter William Mangum, sponsored by the Arts Council of Moore County, in Southern Pines, NC. The exhibit will be at the Campbell House Gallery, March 24 - April 29th.

Please join us for a reception on April 1st from 6pm to 8pm and enjoy some wonderful food and fellowship! Also, UNC-TV will re-air an encore presentation of Pottery Live! with Ben Owen III, Tuesday March 29 from 8pm to 10pm.

Orb Vase in Turquoise Matte.

Punch Bowl Set in Turquoise Blue Matte.

Japanese Style Teapot in Patina Green Glaze.

Teaset in Cabernet.

Large Bottle - Made by Ben, Carved by Patrizia Fenberg, in Green Celadon.

Pottery Live! with Ben Owen III

We are currently getting ready for this year's Pottery Live! event with UNC-TV. The event will take place on Monday, March 7th from 8 pm to 10 pm. Teapots will be one of the featured pieces for the special fundraiser for public TV.

We will be loading the wood kiln this weekend to prepare for a firing that will be seen during the show Monday night.

For the past several years we have supported public TV here in North Carolina and have enjoyed many of their great programs. Below is an example of the Turquoise Matte teapot that will be featured.

Consider supporting UNC-TV!

For more information, please visit UNC-TV's website: UNC-TV.

Fall 2010 Wood Kiln Opening

With a sharp eye, we allowed the kids to make small kilns of their own. Juliana & Cade were able to heat up their kiln to 950 degrees, Avery & Caley got their kiln up to 1100 degrees and Ivey had fun just building his kiln. They had a great time and it was wonderful to watch them as well! It was a great time and maybe some future helpers!

As far as the wood kiln,

We are preparing for our Kiln Opening, Saturday, November 6th from 9am - 5pm with a Preview and Refreshments starting at 8:00am and ending at 8:50am. We fired the wood kiln for 4 days and have had a very successful result. Here are some photos of the firing and different pieces that will be available. If you would like to view some of the pots, please visit the Preview Current Fall Wood Kiln Opening 2010 on our website.
Ben Owen Pottery.

Special thanks goes out to my fellow potters and friends that helped with the four day firing!

Benjamin Burns
Chris Luther
Jeffrey Dean
David Stuempfle
Tim Ayers
Molly Poore
Bryan Pulliam
Cody Jeffcoat
Takuro Shibata

Wayne Smith helping unload the kiln.

Fall 2010 Wood-Fired

Kiln Opening
Saturday, November 6th
9:00am - 5:00pm

Hi Folks,
We are preparing for our next wood firing. Here are some pots we have been making for our next kiln opening on Saturday, November 6th from 9am until 5pm.

We are working on several different types of utilitarian pots by Ben and introducing Cynthia Monroe, who is making several new shapes and familiar ones at Ben Owen Pottery. There will be a variety of pots coming out of the four-chambered wood kiln for this special kiln opening. Colors will be Natural Ash, Copper Penny, Teadust, Frogskin and Patina Green. A few new experimental colors will be available as well.

Preview and Refreshments will be from 8:00am until 8:50am and an online preview will be posted after 3pm on November 5th.

We look forward to seeing you if you are able
to make it. Thank you for your support!

Also, a reminder that the 3rd Annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters will be held November 20th& 21st with a Gala on Friday the 19th. Additional information and tickets can be found online at: www.celebrationofseagrovepotters.com.