It’s Showtime!
The following are some favorite shots from the 16 Hands Spring Studio Tour. My Asheville potter son Josh Copus is a 16 Hands member and one of the tour stops is at our house, his childhood home.
Tour goers taking the ride through the country enjoyed being greeted by our free roam chickens. I just posted the above photo on my Facebook Timeline.
Josh had some help setting up in my kitchen. We call this shot “the block party.”
Meanwhile, while Josh was transforming my kitchen to a pottery gallery, his guest artist, Julie Covington, was setting up her display in my living room, after our furniture got moved to the cellar.
The displays are always an art within an art. Julie uses antique cupboards, shelves and tables to show her work. Her check-out station was an old wooden ironing board, which was where she also hand-painted bags when the weekend traffic of friends, shoppers and collectors slowed down.
That’s Josh and his girlfriend Christy just before she climbed an apple tree to collect blossoms for some of Josh’s woodfired vases.
The porch is not off limits and the gallery work spreads out onto it.
On the evening before the tour begins all the 16 Hands artists and guest artists visit each others studios to snack, socialize and see the work. They call it the “run around.” HERE is a story I wrote in 2009 about 16 Hands for the Floyd Compass and where you can see some of the studios of the other 16 Hands artisans.
It’s the people that make the tour and sometimes they come in droves, filling both rooms and spilling out on to the porch.
Sometimes old friends drop by and pose for a picture with babies and with pots in the background.
By Sunday afternoon things start to slow down and we all feel grateful for everyone that came and that the rain, for the most part, held off until Monday.
THIS is the story I wrote in 2010 for Clay Times about the history of 16 Hands and founders mentorship of young potters. And HERE is a short video clip of Josh at this weekend’s tour talking pottery to some guests. Read about past 16 Hands Studio Tours and more about Josh’s pottery HERE.
______________________Our World Tuesday
May 6th, 2013 11:43 am
I loved the pretty display where Christy collected blossoms for Josh’s woodfired vases.
It looks as though the whole show was a great success. That’s GOOD.
May 6th, 2013 11:54 am
We picked the dogwood together but only she climbed the tree for the apple blossoms!
May 6th, 2013 12:44 pm
Here is hoping that they sold most of their inventory!
May 6th, 2013 3:53 pm
Wood fired potters and their shtufffs I have enjoyed. They are different breed of clay throwers, no question.
May 6th, 2013 4:25 pm
What a beautiful way to display the work.
May 6th, 2013 4:27 pm
I just love that first picture–the Beautiful large Pot, and a darling Chicken! So Wonderful.
Everything looked so very beautiful!!!
May 6th, 2013 5:46 pm
What a wonderful way to organise a collective exhibition by giving up part of your home for a weekend. If we do not support our artist/artisan children, who will. It is a hard life supporting yourself on such a tenuous income. I hope they all had good sales and that the huge effort of mounting the displays paid off.
May 6th, 2013 5:46 pm
Great tourof your house and of the art show. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
May 6th, 2013 5:49 pm
Colleen…What a treat for me to read this post. Where in Asheville does Josh work? When I lived there, it was just becoming a mecca for artists of all kinds. Biltmore popped up and then Lexington Avenue changed from the Red Light District to an art area. I love his pottery, but I love all hand thrown pots of any kind. The next time Buddy and I are there I would love to pay him a visit. Love that the showing is in his childhood home. How special. Tonight before bed I want to come back and read your articles and look at the video. Genie
May 6th, 2013 5:58 pm
Josh is the founder of the Clayspace Coop in the River Arts district of Asheville, next to the Wedge Brewery. His work and the work of other coop members is there, as well as their working studios. He also has a place in Madison County with 3 hand built kilns on it. He’d love a visit!
May 6th, 2013 8:30 pm
Wonderful creative work!
May 7th, 2013 8:34 am
Love the mugs!!! They are nice.
June 23rd, 2013 5:51 pm
[…] to go to Asheville more often, but since Josh comes to Floyd 4 or 5 times a year (for holidays and 16 Hands), it had been […]