Charles Counts (1934-2000) American, Incised Spiral Ceramic Vase. Beige tone throughout, with a flared mouth on a thin neck and deep gouged lines running in asymmetrical curves that form a spiral design when viewed from above, down the sides to a point near the bottom where they stop at three horizontal grooves. Signed on the underside. 

Size: 5 x 9 1/2 in. 

Charles Counts (1934-2000) was an American potter and educator known for his contributions to the Appalachian arts and crafts community and his efforts to preserve traditional techniques. Born in Lynch, Kentucky, he studied pottery and weaving at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and with Bauhaus-trained master potter Marguerite Wildenhain. His love of Japanese and Medieval German craftsmanship led him to become an exponent of hands-on practical learning and "discipleships." After serving in the Army, he returned to the Oak Ridge area and opened a pottery studio with his wife, Rubynelle. In 1963, he moved his operation to Lookout Mountain, Georgia, where his contributions to the local artist community created an economic boom. He successfully applied for federal funding to create an apprentice ceramics program for local people at his studio, The Pottery Shop. A key member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, he promoted the economic benefits of producing crafts in depressed areas and contributed to art and craft magazines. He also worked with the Smithsonian Institution on a 1971 report on American folk art. In the 1980s, he developed an interest in Nigerian craft traditions and began teaching at Ahmadu Bello University and Maiduguri University, eventually living in Nigeria full-time. He died there from malaria in 2000, and his ashes were returned to Oak Ridge, Tennessee. 

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