Collaboration in clay: Exhibition of ceramic works described as 'stemmed poetry'

"Baucis and Philemon: Entertaining Angels Unaware"
"Baucis and Philemon: Entertaining Angels Unaware"
photo "Baucis and Philemon: Prologue"

Dan and Mary DeFoor have been married for the last 40 years, and for the last 32 of those, they both taught art in schools in Douglas County near Atlanta. Their mutual connection with the art world goes back even further, however. Both were art students at Berry College in Rome, Ga., they were art students, but it wasn't until after each retired a couple of years ago that they truly pursued being artists themselves, especially Mary.

"I feel more like an emerging artists than an established artist," she says.

"This is a new direction, so it makes us feel like new artists," Dan adds.

Since retiring - she as a French teacher and he as a visual arts instructor - the two, who now live in Resaca, Ga., have been collaborating on pottery pieces. About 30 of those are on display as part of an exhibit at the Creative Arts Guild in Dalton, Ga., through Nov. 20. Dan describes the pieces as a "stemmed poetry bowl series."

Each starts with a vessel that Dan throws. Mary then does the hand-build part of the piece, adding everything from jewels to hand images. Each has a verse from a favorite poem or piece of literature encircling the base. Mary then does the glazing.

"All of our pieces deal with deep bits of truth," Dan says.

The centerpiece of the collection is a work called "Carolen's Legacy," a piece the couple created for a contest held two years ago by the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia. The contest's theme was the spirit of community giving. For the piece, the DeFoors focused on the legacy Carolen Hansard, a choral teacher they'd observed over their years of teaching. At yearly choral concerts for her students, Hansard invited past students to the stage for a group singing of "No Man Is an Island."

"We noticed the group got bigger each year, and we noticed that they were now teachers, doctors, leaders in the community, and we just thought 'What a legacy,'" Mary says. "It's like the concept of dropping one pebble into the water and seeing how far the ripples go."

Snippets of the lyrics to the song adorn the piece: "No man is an island," "Each man's grief is my own," "Each man's joy is joy to me."

Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.

If you go

› What: Symbiosis: An Exhibition of Collaborative Ceramic Works› When: Through Nov. 20› Where: Creative Arts Guild, 520 W. Waugh St., Dalton, Ga.› Admission: Free› Phone: 706-278-0168

Upcoming Events