Charley E. Pritchard

Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Charley Pritchard began his pottery making career in North Carolina. His interest in clay developed as a student at North Carolina State University. After naturally "taking to the wheel" in an elective course, he soon found himself traveling on weekends to visit the old time potteries of the red clay country of Seagrove, North Carolina. It was in the 200 year old pottery making tradition of this area that Charley found his calling. After changing his degree to reflect this interest in the traditional southeastern folk potteries of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, he became the first apprentice of internationally acclaimed, British born potter Mark Hewitt of Pittsboro, North Carolina ("fired with finesse": Smithsonian, October, 1998). Following this 2 1/2 year apprenticeship, he continued his training as a journeyman potter with the Owens family and other well known pottery making families in Seagrove and in western North Carolina. A love of the southwest eventually brought him to Texas, where he and his wife Holly established their first clay studio and gallery in the spring of 2000. Charley's work is a synthesis of his evolving artistic vision, rooted in techniques and forms of american folk pottery, and inspired by experiences and images of the desert southwest. With a 12 year background in graphic design which received national recognition, Holly Pritchard's creative ability is utilized in the carving, decorating and application of relief designs to Charley's wheel thrown vessels.