Sally Pilcher – A Love Affair With Ceramics
Interview by Vidabeth and Forrest Greenslade, April 2024
Sally Pilcher grew up in a little town in Illinois, near a farm. “I had a totally unstructured childhood, playing in the river, collecting arrowheads, being awed by nature.” She had her first encounter with ceramics in 1972 at the University of Illinois, but raising a family put her passion for ceramics on hold. Rather, she earned an MA and PhD In Educational Philosophy, and pursued a 35 year career as an educator. where she “taught every level of students from grammar school to grad school.” She and her husband moved to Fearrington Village, North Carolina in 2019.
Sally never stopped creating art and collecting ceramics, primarily Mexican sculptures and teapots by American studio potters. In 2020, she took classes at Clayworks Studio where “my love affair with ceramics was reignited and, before long, I founded Wintersage Ceramics.”
“Today, I enjoy making organic ceramic sculptures, some functional, some decorative. But mostly, I am a clay storyteller who is captivated by the human form, ancient myths, and the natural world.”
Sally’s artistic process is a reflection of her unstructured childhood. “I plan nothing – no drawing – just experimenting and problem solving. Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night with a hint of an idea and wonder if I can make it. The process alone is exciting.”
Every piece is constructed by hand, without the use of a potter’s wheel. Working with stained stoneware and porcelain clays, all of Sally’s pieces are playfully formed from slabs, coils, and a large sense of humor. The clay is rolled, pinched, paddled, torn, textured, and refined quickly. Frequently, her art is unglazed, or partially glazed, preserving the texture and appearance of raw clay. Her vessels and sculptures, whether decorative or functional, are playful and elegant. Fossils and found objects collected since childhood form the inspiration for much of the imagery. “Intuitive touch is integral to my work…a dent, a tear, a fingerprint in soft clay gives each piece its own heartbeat and character, creating objects to elevate and preserve the everyday. Many of my sculptural works have implied function and occasionally reference household goods, such as a giant teapot that is not a teapot. In this way, my pieces are not quite functional and not quite sculptural, occupying a unique place in between.”
Sally Pilcher will make her Chatham Studio Tour debut the first two weekends in December 2024. In addition to her iconic ceramic art, she will display her mixed media paintings and textile sculptures. Her work can be seen on the Chatham Artists Guild website: https://chathamartistsguild.org/artists/sally-pilcher/
