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Ben Owen Pottery
2199 South Hwy. 705
Seagrove, NC 27341
phone (910) 464-2261fax (910) 464-5444
info@benowenpottery.com

Ben Owen III is a potter from Seagrove, North Carolina. His forefathers came to North Carolina from England as early as 1756 to ply their craft and furnish storage jars and other utilitarian wares for the early settlers. Ben's grandfather, master potter Ben Owen, Sr., admired early oriental pottery displayed in museums and collections and translated those works into his own style of pottery. He worked as a potter at Jugtown Pottery in the early to mid 1900's. Ben the III's work was influenced by his grandfather's style at an early age. He studied pottery from 1977 to 1983 as an apprentice with his grandfather and, later, at East Carolina University from 1989 to 1993. Like his grandfather, Ben III's pottery reflects a foundation of traditional designs as well as oriental translations.

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During the summer of 1995 Ben participated in a workshop in Japan to learn more of other pottery cultures. With an early understanding of the Asian forms, Ben was able to immerse himself in the culture that inspired his grandfather. To have the opportunity to study their culture, experience the importance of simplicity and tranquility in everyday life, and to see the types of pottery made in that setting was immensely rewarding.
As a result of this study, the Asian influence in Ben III's work has been carried to different levels of interpretation. The utilization of form and color are valued in each piece. To create pieces that relate to the importance of form and how they are used in everyday life is emphasized through pots that are simple in shape and can relate to many things in nature and our surroundings.

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The color of pottery can be an equally vital characteristic due to seasons of the year. Lighter or brighter colors appear in the warm season and darker or more subtle colors represent the cooler season. The Japanese stress the utilization of pottery and its role in everyday life. A pot is not a complete piece until the person that treasures it for life will use it for the sole purpose it was made. The act of holding, feeling the form and absorbing life from the clay is an experience that can only be felt by the user. Ben III's work conveys this vital strength in pottery, but with a touch of spirit that carries on from one generation to the other.
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