HIT THE CLAY Fred Johnston (left), who practices his art alongside his wife, Carol Gentithes, caught the pottery bug after a field trip to Jamestown, Virginia, in the second grade. He plays on classical forms, updating them with contemporary designs. Carol, on the other hand, uses decals to decorate her folk art works, like the clay salamander (right) that tells a story about the Homestead resort in Virginia.
to take up pottery, both produce their own distinct art wares. Many of Fred’s pieces, which range from updated moonshine jugs to rough clay plaques, reflect nature. Designs on his pots echo ancient cave drawings and early Native American rock paintings, while other symbols pay homage to members of his family. His ubiquitous bees nod to his beekeeper father and grandfather, and totemic animals honor the wisdom of his grandmother. His forms find inspiration in the couple’s travels to places like China and Greece, as well as from specific architectural elements that might catch his eye, such as the top of an old chicken-coop ventilator. red’s techniques mix old and new. He follows tradition by digging his own clay and using a wood-fired kiln, but also experiments with glazes he makes using ash from rice hulls. For some pieces, rather than refine the clay he digs, he leaves the rocks and leaves in the mix. “The idea is to let the clay have a bigger voice,” he says. Carol’s workspace is littered with sheets of decals, which she cuts out and affixes to her contemporary folk art pieces. “I have a degree from Duke University in English Lit,” she remarks, “so I approach everything with a story behind it.” She likes to play with color and texture, and animates plants with faces, creating a surrealistic effect in her fantastical hand-built animal figurines—perhaps a salamander or a frog—each of which tells a different tale.
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Whether native residents or new arrivals, traditional or avant garde, Seagrove’s potters each find their own distinct expressions in clay, the medium that binds them.Together these diverse artisans are sustaining Seagrove’s pottery tradition, guiding it, as the Busbees once did, steadily into the future.
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