May Artist of the Month Lee Hazelgrove

The May artist of the month is potter Lee Hazelgrove. Lee's exhibit consists of eight pieces of pottery. The exhibit will can be viewed online as well as in person in the gallery May 3-31st.

For Lee Hazelgrove, art is best broken down into two parts, not necessarily equal in nature: process and the tangible object. Paramount to him is process. The act of creating. The doing. It represents activity, thought, creative impulse, the channeling of an idea into reality. Secondary is the tangible object, the final product. Hazelgrove’s playground lies somewhere between the two, inside the space where process and product meet, where all the most delicate and perfect parts of the process merge into art. Standing amid his work, one immediately senses this intentional channeling of energy. His colors are bold and vibrant, yet the lines of his vessels are soft and subtle. The sheer size and weight of some of his work carries with it a tangible power, while the brush strokes suggest an elegance that is pure and unburdened. And his unquenchable thirst to challenge himself in the creative process is what propels him. “Much of this challenge has been purely physical,” said Hazelgrove. “I enjoy working on a very large scale, pushing myself to master bigger vessels,” he said. “In spending several hours on a four-foot-tall urn, or a three foot-wide platter, there is a greater sense of focus, communion with the clay, solitude of the studio, and greater degree of commitment to each piece and its outcome.” The challenge continues as these creations face the fire and the never ending-demands of the kiln.

To see Lee's collection CLICK HERE

Watch a LIVE video in the gallery of Lee's collection CLICK HERE