The Tryon Painters and Sculptors (TPS) have scheduled ceramic artist Gary Huntoon for  a workshop on ceramic boxes or rattles, banks and whistles.

The workshop, open to all, will be held on two Thursdays, Sept. 5 and 11 at the studios of Tryon Painters and Sculptors The gallery is located at 26 Maple Street in Tryon, North Carolina.

The style of work that Huntoon is known for is bold shapes, often-functional pieces and assemblages of ceramic shapes, often in a totem configuration. He has an unusual glazing effect that gives his pieces a stark,  almost oriental look and several pieces were recently featured in several local shows.

“My Dad had an auto body shop, so I was always building something, soapbox derby cars, tree houses, model boats and planes. I had the use of tools I used for doing things that the tools weren’t designed to do,” said Huntoon. From my Dad,  I learned how important good craftsmanship was; I not only had to work properly but the final project had to look good. I was always building something – my hands were always busy. I went to school to be a doctor, took a ceramics class and was hooked; I knew I had to do this for the rest of my life. I had a chance to go and study at Pond Farm with Marguerite Wildenhain (the first female pottery student at the Bauhaus in Germany. That was where I learned to throw on the potter’s wheel.”