Travel Guides
Pottery Itinerary for the Seagrove Area -- Seagrove -- Stop 3 Ben Owen Pottery
Continue south on 705 for three miles, to the community of Westmoore. On your left, at 2199 Hwy. 705, at the corner of Busbee Road, is Ben Owen Pottery.
In Ben Owen’s contemporary showroom, you will see the work of a young potter born and raised in the Seagrove tradition, whose work is true to the inherited methods of his forebears, and, at the same time, highly innovative in technique and aesthetics. Ben Owen III learned his art from his grandfather, Ben Owen, Sr. Owen, Sr., was the master potter at Jugtown Pottery for decades, and business partner to Jacques and Juliana Busbee, early promoters and entrepreneurs of Jugtown. (You’ll read more about the Busbees when you reach Jugtown, later in the tour.) Young Ben Owen, like other Seagrove potters – especially his grandfather – has made a study of Asian ceramics. Owen has found that the Seagrove tradition has a special affinity for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean forms and glazing techniques, which he can incorporate and improvise upon with beautiful results. You’ll see the Asian elements of Owen’s pottery immediately in its smooth shapes and brilliant colors.
Attached to the showroom is a small log cabin that was Ben’s grandfather’s shop. This cabin is now a museum of the Owen family’s pottery. You’ll see in showcases the work of generations of this creative family, pottery which incorporates a wide spectrum of tradition, utility, experimentation, and innovation.
Photo: Ben Owen III at the kiln; courtesy of Ben Owen III;detail of frogskin mugs and pitcher by Ben Owen, Sr, photo by Sarah Bryan.
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