The pottery of TACS’ Artist of the Month, Ron Ponce, will be on display at the gallery this month.

Pottery artist and teacher, Ron Ponce, has been named Tryon Arts and Crafts School’s Artist of the Month. His artwork will be featured, for the month of January, in the gallery of Tryon’s Arts and Crafts School at 373 Harmon Field Road, which is open from Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Ron was an etymology major at Clemson when he took his first pottery class, and so impressed his professor that after his second class, the professor gave him his own studio to work in. After graduation, he was awarded a one-year fellowship with the Tennessee Arts Commission.

Ron has maintained his own professional studio since 1974, producing unique pottery work. He specializes in copper red glazes that require a special firing technique resulting in a beautiful oxblood red color, as well as “lotus blossom peaks” on his pots. He has been a member of the Southern Highlands Crafts Guild since 1975, an exhibiting artist with Hampton III Gallery in Greenville, done several group and one-man shows including the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C. and the Southeastern Center of the Arts in Winston Salem, N.C.

Ron loves teaching and has been an instructor at the Greenville County Museum of Art for over 10 years, and an instructor with Tryon Arts and Crafts School since November, recently being promoted to be head of their pottery studio.

He reveals that his teaching philosophy is “to love the process of creating, and the products will come,” and “to openly share all of my knowledge with my students to inspire them to be the best they can be and to succeed.” And indeed, many of his students have done just that!

In addition to the display at the School, Ron’s work will also featured at TACS’ “Best of Our Best” Instructor’s Exhibition, opening on Jan. 29, with reception from 6-8 p.m., and running through February.

Contact TACS at 828-859-8323 or visit TryonArtsandCrafts.org for more information.

– Submitted by Cathy Fischer