The 2016 Ames Area Studio Tour will be Saturday, October 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, October 9 from noon to 4 p.m. Over the next few weeks we'll introduce you to our artists and attempt to give you a small glimpse of what you might see when you visit their studios. We hope you are able to join us!
Find more information here.
Find more information here.
Greg Lamont - Northwood Clay Studio [CASA, 130 S. Sheldon Ave., Suite 108, Ames]
Functional Pottery
Greg grew up in west-suburban Chicago, and discovered pottery at an early age. One of his earliest works in high school – a sculpture of various leaf forms joined together – earned him an honorable mention in a regional high school art competition.
While Greg continued to work in clay when he started his first college career at Columbia College, he chose to major in graphics arts because careers in clay seemed few and far between. After getting married his junior year, he left college to be an artist. Working in The Loop in downtown Chicago, he was employed in retail and commercial art sales.
In 1983, Greg’s wife got a job at Iowa State University, moving them both to Ames. He worked at the bookstores in town, continuing to deal in art supplies.
Greg returned to college at Iowa State, this time focusing on the medium that had always called to him – pottery. He worked hard to hone his craft during his time in college. Influenced by the nature of functional ceramics, Greg draws his most significant inspiration from Shōji Hamada, a twentieth century Japanese potter who was a major figure in the mingei folk-art movement. Mingei is built upon the philosophical pillar of “hand-crafted by ordinary people.”
While creating his pieces now, Greg focuses more on the interaction of the pottery with the buyer. As he continues to evolve as an artist, he would like to pursue blacksmithing and wood-turning, finding inspiration in three-dimensional art.
When visitors come to his space during the Studio Tour, Greg hopes to help people understand how difficult it can be to create a quality piece of pottery. Unlike a commercial cups or bowls, an item made by a potter is truly one-of-a-kind, and carries with it a part of the artist. If a buyer drinks out of the cup of Lamont’s, he hopes s/he is inspired by it and builds a special attachment to the piece.
By participating in the Studio Tour, Greg hopes his visitors will develop a greater appreciation of the hand-made artwork that they see in galleries and art fairs, and perhaps become more frequent patrons and consumers, based in part on what they have learned about the artist’s personal journey of making art.
Learn more about Greg, his work, and the Ames Area Studio Tour by visiting our website, here.
While Greg continued to work in clay when he started his first college career at Columbia College, he chose to major in graphics arts because careers in clay seemed few and far between. After getting married his junior year, he left college to be an artist. Working in The Loop in downtown Chicago, he was employed in retail and commercial art sales.
In 1983, Greg’s wife got a job at Iowa State University, moving them both to Ames. He worked at the bookstores in town, continuing to deal in art supplies.
Greg returned to college at Iowa State, this time focusing on the medium that had always called to him – pottery. He worked hard to hone his craft during his time in college. Influenced by the nature of functional ceramics, Greg draws his most significant inspiration from Shōji Hamada, a twentieth century Japanese potter who was a major figure in the mingei folk-art movement. Mingei is built upon the philosophical pillar of “hand-crafted by ordinary people.”
While creating his pieces now, Greg focuses more on the interaction of the pottery with the buyer. As he continues to evolve as an artist, he would like to pursue blacksmithing and wood-turning, finding inspiration in three-dimensional art.
When visitors come to his space during the Studio Tour, Greg hopes to help people understand how difficult it can be to create a quality piece of pottery. Unlike a commercial cups or bowls, an item made by a potter is truly one-of-a-kind, and carries with it a part of the artist. If a buyer drinks out of the cup of Lamont’s, he hopes s/he is inspired by it and builds a special attachment to the piece.
By participating in the Studio Tour, Greg hopes his visitors will develop a greater appreciation of the hand-made artwork that they see in galleries and art fairs, and perhaps become more frequent patrons and consumers, based in part on what they have learned about the artist’s personal journey of making art.
Learn more about Greg, his work, and the Ames Area Studio Tour by visiting our website, here.
RSS Feed
