Greg Allen was born in 1955 and grew up in Port Huron Michigan. He presently works as a studio ceramic artist creating functional pottery, sculptural work and southern folk pottery from his home studio in Niles, Michigan. He has spent the majority of his working career as an engineering designer, working for The Torrington Company and Robert Bosch. It wasn’t till he moved to Rutherford County, North Carolina when he discovered his interest in southern folk pottery. He recalls it was in 1994 at a Burlon B. Craig pottery sale, locally known as a kiln opening, located in Vale, NC. Burlon was an old timey potter. He started his career making pottery for food storage and ended it making folk art pottery. It was the buzz of all the people attending the kiln opening that day along with what felt like a positive energy in the air that he felt compelled to learn more of the craft. That event was the beginning of his love of pottery where, primarily self-taught, he has formed his own style based on the Appalachian Folk Art Pottery.

His most recent work has been in the exploration of sectional throwing where you create multiple cylinders and stack them together to create one very tall vessel. Once assembled the pot is placed back on the potter’s wheel to be altered and shaped by adding or removing clay.

He finds it compelling to produce both functional and artistic wares that remind us of our earthly surroundings and our ability to create and enjoy hand made things to be used and be a part of our daily lives. He shapes newly thrown clay with the intention for each pot to be one of a kind. This uniqueness is to remind the user that it is homegrown and not part of our mass produced world in which we live.

December Artist Greg Allen