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| Image of Walter B. Stephen pottery courtesy of Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. |
Walter B. Stephen, 1876-1961, was a remarkable artist with no formal training who became an imaginative and gifted potter. First with slip-painted pots made from Nonconnah Creek clay in the then-rural area outside Memphis, Tennessee, and then with more variety of forms and glazes he developed after moving to the hills near Asheville, North Carolina. Stephen's work spanned Arts & Crafts and Art Nouveau to the Moderne era. His decorative schemes were widely diverse, ranging from memories of his young life on the Nebraska frontier, Bible references, and Asian art. Also, themes with Mayan and Egyptian motifs as well as Wedgwood influences were explored.
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| Image of Walter B. Stephen pottery courtesy of Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. |
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| Dr. Stanton Thomas, Curator of European and Decorative Arts, at the entrance to the exhibit. Photo by John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist. |
"I am fascinated that we have an exhibition by a largely undiscovered and incredibly innovative art potter who began working in Shelby County around 1900," says exhibition organizer Stanton Thomas, Curator of European and Decorative Art at the Brooks. "Stephen is a little idiosyncratic and very much an individualist, and at the same time. he's part of the larger Arts & Crafts movement, when artists were getting away from mechanization and focusing on the handmade."
Mr. Leftwich's book Pisgah Forest and Nonconnah: The Potteries of Walter B. Stephen is available for purchase in the museum's gift shop and here.
Pottery is an interesting subject. There are many artists that can do beautiful work. I am not one of them, but I sure enjoy the good work by others.
ReplyDeleteM.L.H.B., while the execution is somewhat primitive, the design themes are sophisticated. All the examples in the exhibition are interesting studies in folk art.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteLooks like a wonderful show! Stephen's glazes in the second example are stunning.
Courtney, I knew that you, in particular, would appreciate this pottery. The second vase has the most beautiful glaze, probably in the whole show; I am sorry that this image from the museum's publicity does not do it justice.
ReplyDeleteas a working potter, I was tickled to finally see this show and lecture this weekend. I was inspired by that gorgeous turquoise glaze, his slip-painting, and even though I don't/won't go into crystaline glazes, their cascading nature works well with the surface design on my own work. I drew as much as I listened. It was good design food.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments, Bridgman. It is an interesting story, to be sure, especially for those in the Memphis area. Decorative Arts Trust was glad to have bought several pieces of local pottery for the museum several years ago, including the blue Nonconnah teapot in the exhibition; we hope some other significant pieces will follow for a whole collection of historic locally made items being donated to the Brooks. More on that to come.
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