about/contact
I fell in love with handmade pots in 1974 when my parents gave me a stoneware teapot made by Frank McNutt. It was an idyllic time, living just a few houses away from the primary dunes in north Virginia Beach. I spent many winter nights in front of the fireplace, sitting around a squat handmade Japanese coffee table while drinking tea with friends. That time period became a turning point on my path to becoming a craftsman. Two years later (at age 26) I began studying at the Virginia Beach Arts Center and later at Sandpiper Pottery where I learned to form clay into objects that would be useful as well as visually pleasing. In July 1978 I opened Tom Gray Pottery on the shores of Lake Gaston, NC. I lived and worked in Littleton for 12 years before moving to Seagrove in 1990, a small town with a history steeped in handmade pottery. I’m now 72, and have been making pots for 46 years. When I look back, I have never regretted becoming a full-time potter. My process includes making pots on the wheel, as well as rolling out slabs of clay and forming them into dinnerware. My glaze palette is primarily satin mattes, high alumina formulations that absorb light rather than reflect it, contrasted with un-glazed areas and occasional gloss glazes. My pots are fired in a propane fueled kiln in a reduction atmosphere to almost 2300 degrees F (cone 10). The pots are microwave and dishwasher safe, and safe to use in the oven provided the oven is not preheated.
“Tom Gray Pottery is dedicated to making pots for breaking bread - those special times when we put our feet under the table and refuel - not only our bellies, but our hearts, minds, and spirits too”.
My experiences around the kitchen table have influenced my direction as a craftsman. I’m happy and proud to say my wares are used in kitchens and dining rooms all over the world.
My pots may be purchased here in Seagrove at our studio on Fork Creek Mill Rd; at Seagrove Creations right off of Exit 61 on Interstate 73/74/220; at Appalachian Craft Center in Asheville, NC; at Seagrove Pottery of Cary in Cary, NC; and the Bryand Gallery in Wilmington, NC.
Contact
Tom Gray Pottery
1480 Fork Creek Mill Rd.
Seagrove, NC. 27341
336-873-8270