Artist statement…

John Skelton earned his BA at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, studying under Roger Jamison. While studying under Mark Pharis, he received an MFA from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. John taught in Minnesota at the Northern Clay Center and at The Blake School for two years before returning to Macon to teach ceramics at Wesleyan College in 1999. He currently is an Assistant Professor of Art at Wesleyan.

John’s work has been included in numerous exhibitions and publications on a national and international level. Some of these exhibitions include The Ceramics Monthly International Competition in Columbus, Ohio, The Naked Truth International Juried Wood Fire Competition in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the Born of Ashes: Wood Fired Ceramics National Exhibition in Little Rock Arkansas. His work has been accepted three times to the Strictly Functional Pottery National Competition in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he received the Second Place award in 2000. His work is also included annually in the Perspectives: Georgia Potters and Collectors Exhibition in Watkinsville, Georgia.

John works primarily in porcelain and in two different firing processes, wood firing and gas reduction. His pottery reflects an interest in traditional, historical forms from the Middle East, China, and Japan, often combining elements from different periods and places, creating interesting juxtapositions of surface and form. Examples of his current work include Chinese celadon glazes on Islamic forms and organic Japanese anagama ash glazes on tightly structured Chinese and Middle Eastern forms. John’s work is quiet and elegant with a strong attention to detail and is often embellished with pattern. His more recent work shows experimentation with patterns created from found objects and
hand-carved stamps.