NORWICH – The Chenango Arts Council will host a special reception and gallery talk for Roycroft Artisan Leslie Green Guilbault from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug, 10 for her solo exhibit, “Variations on a Theme: Carved Pottery & Bone” at the Mariea Brown and Raymond Loft Galleries, 27 West Main Street in Norwich.
Leslie left the cubicle world in 2012 to pursue creative interests, and in just six years has developed more than a dozen distinct styles of ceramic art that she sells on the fine art circuit, at local craft shows, online, and at 32 galleries and gift shops across eight states. Though her style varies significantly across collections, one aspect of her work remains consistent: a love of carving.
“Nearly everything I make ends up being freehand carved at some point. I don’t use any stamps, stencils, templates, or molds in my work, so each piece is a one-of-a-kind, and that keeps me fully engaged in the process from start to end.”
The loft gallery will feature the Botanical Collection--bold black and white paintings of birds, leaves, flowers, and trees on functional pottery, as well as a series of etched bird tiles and Asian landscape vases. The main gallery space will feature the Metallic Collection--intricately carved pieces in the Arts and Crafts style, many bearing the Roycroft mark; the Artifact Collection--deeply carved ceramic vessels and mixed media wall pieces that incorporate bone, antler, quills, seeds, and other natural elements; and the Hamilton Collection—a line of carved ceramic jewelry that was made from Hamilton, NY clay.
