August Issue 2002
Myersart Gallery in Charlotte, NC, Features Mother/Daughter Exhibit
Myersart Gallery/Clay on Camden in Charlotte, NC, will present works by mother and daughter, Sylvia and Sarah Coppola, on Aug. 2, which will continue through Aug. 31, 2002. Their work will be showcased in the featured artist gallery behind the adjoining coffee shop, The Queen's Beans. Sylvia Coppola creates wheel thrown, utilitarian stoneware and porcelain, using a diverse selection of glazes, while Sarah Coppola sculpts a variety of functional and decorative pieces.
The elder Coppola is a graduate of Western Carolina University where she began reduction firing in a gas kiln in the mid-seventies, then moved to mid-range firing in an electric kiln. Over the years she has experimented with layered glazes, hand painting with underglazes, and carving bands of lines on her pottery. She now concentrates on textured pottery that is accentuated by satin matte glazes.
"After I make a pot on the wheel, I sometimes alter the form to create a more interesting piece. Then after it dries to almost leather-hard, I use different tools, some of which I make, to carve into the clay and add textures to the outside of the pot," Coppola explains. "Textures have always been of interest to me, which may partially be related to my past work as a weaver and basket maker."
"My current approach to making pottery is to emphasize handles and feet on the pots and how they relate to the form," she adds.
Coppola passed her interest in arts and crafts on to her three children. She says sculpting and hand building with clay has been a natural put of Sarah's life. Sarah practically grew up in her mother's studio and started working with clay when she was two-years-old. In her early teens, she took sculpture classes at Whiterock Studio where she later worked part-time. She traveled with her mother to art fairs and eventually began selling her work. Sarah is now an art and psychology major at UNC-Chapel Hill. She is teaching art to children during the summer and plans to become an elementary art teacher.
Sarah's most recent clay was a life sculpture workshop. Her subject matter includes the human form and wildlife. She tries to bring together her interest in science, history and art through each of her pieces. She says the history of different cultures, nature, and the beauty of the human form are her inspirations.
For more information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings or call the gallery at 704/790-2529
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
427, Bonneau, SC 29431
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