Join us at the North Carolina Pottery Center on Thursday, April 4th for a slide presentation by Chapel Hill ceramic trompe l’oeil sculptor Eric Serritella!

Trompe l’oeil is French for “fool the eye”—in art, it refers to pieces and techniques that create an illusion. Eric’s body of work focuses on creating hyper-realistic, hand-carved sculptures that appear uncannily like birch trees, charred wood and weathered logs. Though they are made of clay, his piece’s textures and colors are astoundingly lifelike, and invite viewers to consider our relationship with the natural world.

“Through aging and decay, I explore how nature maintains its splendors with tenacity and triumphs of existence, despite the disregard we humans show her,” Eric says. “I appreciate how ceramic mirrors the environment’s fragility and durability—easily damaged if disrespected and yet invincible in its inherent beauty and longevity.”

Eric’s works have been exhibited, awarded and collected on five continents. His pieces are in numerous museum collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Carnegie Museum of Art, and the Mint Museum.

Eric’s talk will focus on how the self translates into a body of work, and how an artist can communicate form, aesthetic and message through clay. A potluck at 6 pm will begin the evening’s events, followed by Eric’s presentation at 7 pm. Come out for a great night of food and community!

Eric is a participating artist in the Pottery Center’s first-ever national juried exhibition, Art of Clay. The show is on view at the Pottery Center from February 28 through June 15, and features 41 artists from around the United States. The exhibition’s juror, Douglas Fitch of Scotland, narrowed the field down from 230+ pieces. He will be doing the final judging at the beginning of March, as one of the featured potters at the North Carolina Potter’s Conference hosted by the Randolph Art Guild in Asheboro.

This presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, call the center at 336-873-8430. This ongoing lecture series is facilitated by Emily Lassiter, NCPC Educational Program Manager.

Location: The NCPC Educational Building located behind the NC Pottery Center at 233 East Avenue, Seagrove, 27341.