While studying for his BA in Industrial Arts and Masters in Liberal Studies, Dan Finch was exposed to clay. Having worked the land on the family tobacco farm, it was only natural for him to be attracted to the medium. Continuing his pottery education at the Penland School of Crafts, in the mountains of North Carolina, while in that area Dan was influenced by Mary Law, Cynthia Bringle, Don Reitz, Jane Peiser, and Bob Turner.
Dan throws miniature pots for children during demonstrations, 10-foot tall pots and 30 pound bowls in stoneware, and delicate pieces of porcelain making his work scale and materials very diverse.
As past Director of the North Carolina Pottery Center and former President of the Village of Yesteryear at the North Carolina State Fair, Dan is continually involved in promoting pottery throughout the state.
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Conference Panelist and Lecturer
Justin Lambert received his BFA from Florida Atlantic University 1999, and his MFA from Indiana University 2003. Justin has spent the last 17 years firing utilitarian pottery in wood burning kilns. Investigations into reduction cooling variations in the teardrop anagama adds dramatic decoration to the subtle curves in his pots. In addition to running the studio, Live Oak Pottery, Justin Chairs the ceramics department at the Lighthouse ArtCenter where he has been rebuilding the clay program since 2007, and travels for firing workshops. Justin is also a very accomplished fly fisherman, a licensed USCG captain, and runs fishing charters on occasion. He enjoys spending time with his wife Andrea cycling, snowboarding, hiking, swimming, eating delicious vegan meals, traveling, and playing with their dogs Rusty, and Daisy.
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Conference Panelist
Logan Wannamaker is a potter residing in Taos, New Mexico. He has worked with clay his whole life and currently has three different lines from three different kilns. His tableware line or white line is single fired cone six white glaze on black clay. He is looking for simplicity of form and gradation of white to black in the movement of the glaze on the clay. The forms stress minimalism, function and are created as a palette for the food they present. The Salt fired line draws upon brushwork as well as local materials: It is also functional but is created as accent or serving pieces for the white line. The wood and charcoal fired work is composed of porcelains with native irons. This work is sculptural; It is distinguished by rich flashing and ash development. The work is fired in an Anagama for 5 days using 10 cords of wood. The inspiration comes from his surroundings. He tries to embody the rich hues, tones and texture that make up the high desert that surrounds him. He tries to work with the local geology to better embody that inspiration and communicate the beauty of his native Taos.
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