How one Asheville potter brings art down to earth
Kristin Schoonover’s functional vessels are distinctive for their sophisticated color combinations.
Photo by Rachel Pressley
Some artists infuse their pieces with visual metaphor, telling a narrative with brushstrokes and backstitches. But then there’s Kristin Schoonover.
A plainspoken Long Islander, Schoonover claims there’s “no big story” informing her tumblers, mugs, pitchers, and other ceramic wares. “My work is pretty basic,” the potter says. “It’s about striking color combinations, patterns, and functionality.”
Her pragmatic approach can be traced back to Alfred University. As an undergraduate art major, she curated an interest in two mediums: glass and ceramics. But during her senior year, Schoonover started mulling over the practicalities of establishing her own studio.
“With glass, I would need a hot shop, which requires burning gas or electricity 24/7,” she explains. “But clay was more of a possibility. All I needed was a kiln, wheel, and table.”
In 2002, at the suggestion of a professor, Schoonover moved to Asheville to fire up a pottery business. She snagged a job at Highwater Clays and a studio in what is now Riverview Station, where she developed a line of soft yellow and verdant green pots that secured her membership in the Southern Highland Craft Guild. But in 2006, she had her first child — followed by her second in 2007.
“My main priority was to be there for my kids,” she says. “I continued making art, just to keep my hands in it, but I worked very little.”
When Schoonover’s youngest went into kindergarten, she moved her studio (which had been relegated to her garage) to Clayspace Co-op. “I felt like such an amateur,” Schoonover remembers, noting that she was working from an improvised table made from cinder blocks. “I knew I needed to step up my game.”
But rather than reinvent the wheel entirely, Schoonover combined her techniques with those of artists she found on YouTube and Pinterest. The resulting process is detail-oriented yet economical — a slurry of form and function.
The process goes a little something like this: After throwing batches of mugs or vases, Schoonover uses a hard bristle brush to cover the piece in a gray slip. (A slip is an amalgamation of clay scrap, water, and pigmentation. When blended together, it makes a “Greek yogurt-like consistency,” says Schoonover.)
Once the background slip is applied, Schoonover cuts stencils from newsprint and brushes on contrasting colors. Later, she removes the paper patterns, covers all areas with a black stain wash, and dips the piece in a clear glaze.
The resulting style is decidedly modern. But it doesn’t feel cold or distant. That’s because Schoonover leans on friendly earth tones like cedar greens and paisley blues. Plus, she pulls geometric patterns from everyday life, taking inspiration from leaves, waves, and even supermarket aisles.
“I look everywhere for patterns,” she says. “For instance, there’s this scalloped cross design that’s on half of the tissue boxes in Target.”
Never one to wax poetic about utensil holders or garlic jars, Schoonover also finds inspiration in the bottom line.
Photo by Rachel Pressley
“I want to make things that speak to people enough that they’re willing to keep me in business,” she says. “That’s what drives me.”
Kristin Schoonover, Asheville, Clayspace Co-op, 119-A Roberts St. in the River Arts District. Studio hours are 11am-5pm, Thursday through Monday, or by appointment. Schoonover will participate in the River Arts District Studio Stroll happening Saturday, Nov. 12, and Sunday, Nov. 13, 10am-5pm (riverartsdistrict.com). For more information, call 828-243-3033 or visit krisbenyopottery.com.