The Upstate husband-wife potter team of Jim G. and Sally Y. Weber want to show the versatility of clay in their upcoming exhibition, “Clayshapers Pottery: Made with Clay,” April 5 through 30 in Gallery II of the Artists Collective | Spartanburg.
“We want visitors to the exhibition to have an appreciation of the versatility of mud from the earth,” Sally Weber says. “They will see an array of colorful and whimsical pottery that will put a smile on your face and joy in your heart to witness the talent of two clay shapers.”
Married 37 years, the Webers have exhibited their art in numerous shows through the Southeast together and separately. “As professional potters and retired from the rat race we continue to make pottery,” she says. “I’ve been practicing my hand-building skills, reaching upward into vases, lidded coffers and decorating my husband’s wheel-turned vases. This exhibit is a selection of my best at this time.”
Weber is mainly self- taught in her art. “Everything is an inspiration – texture, sights and history. The carving of the clay is my forte, using the clay as a canvas I portray the world around me. I’ve carved some of my favorite artists’ works – Monet, Van Gogh, Alphonse Mucha, Georgia O’Keefe and Maxfield Parrish. My love of nature and fantasy glow through my work. I share my love of art with children and adults making bisque animal figurines and medallions for people to paint. They have my impressions on them so they’re easy for any age to paint and is a delight for all.”
Sally Weber has been making pottery since 1986, when she took part-time classes at Haywood Community College learning all kinds of different clay techniques. She excels at hand-building and carving on the things she makes. She was invited to be a clay hand-builder at the Village of Yesteryear 1988, and she is still part of the educational exhibit at the North Carolina State Fair. Her husband, Jim Weber, is a functional potter who influenced her art to make them functional, too, she says.
“I have been a member of the Artists Collective | Spartanburg since 2018,” she says. “Everyone is very encouraging to my art and business. It is a great community for artists.”
The 40 pieces of pottery in the exhibition will be offered for sale, with prices ranging from $20 to $400.
