Joseph Sand Pottery to hold summer kiln during first two weekends in September

A sculptural piece handmade by Joseph Sand is on display at Joseph Sand Pottery in Randleman. (Courtesy Dan Routh Photography)

By Melinda Burris
Randolph Record

RANDLEMAN — Joseph Sand Pottery will hold its annual summer kiln opening the first two weekends in September, open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and from 1-5 p.m. Sundays.

The event marks the 45th firing at the site at 2555 George York Road.

Collectors will find a variety of traditionally thrown utilitarian wares — coffee mugs, plates, platters and vases — along with functional and decorative sculptural pieces.

“For the summer opening, I usually end up doing more sculptural work,” Sand said. “But I still have plenty of thrown pieces that I’ve made for the opening. We’ve got a bunch of big ones, big sculptural pieces for outdoors. And there will be several 2 1/2-foot pieces for the fireplace or entry of the home.”

Alongside Sand’s work, pottery by his apprentice Ben Peregrin, fellow potter Felipe Vasquez and Sand’s 12-year-old son, Owen, also will be available.

Sand said Owen has already built a following among collectors.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he isn’t doing some of this, whether it be full time or part time along with his other occupation in the future,” he said.

A trained sculptor, Sand never envisioned becoming a potter until he traveled to Italy where he was introduced to the craft. He later studied in England and eventually sought an apprenticeship with renowned English potter Mark Hewitt, who established his own pottery in Pittsboro in 1983. Sand worked with Hewitt for 3 1/2 years.

Now, every pot Sand makes is crafted with clay from his property.

“I absolutely put my heart and all of my being into the property that we bought here,” he said.

Sand graduated high school in 2001 at the height of the graphic arts boom and briefly studied graphic design before realizing he needed a more hands-on art form. He then pursued studio arts at the University of Minnesota Duluth, eventually finding pottery as a medium that combined art, craft and home.

Known for his sleek modern glazes, Sand said: “I make a really beautiful blue glaze. It’s just a really pretty blue that sort of breaks, and it does a lot of interesting things when I add other glazes to it. So that I’m very fond of.”

He recently developed a black basalt glaze with a sparkly finish.

“It looks great on larger sculptures,” Sand said. “That’s been very popular. It’s kind of a more sleek, modern line that fits into homes quite nicely.”

The two glazes complement one another, making them favorites among collectors who display multiple pieces.

The summer kiln opening is one of three annual sales at Joseph Sand Pottery. The spring event is held the first two weekends in May, the summer opening at the end of August or beginning of September and the winter opening the first weekend in December.