Geoffrey Lloyd
pottery
Geoffrey Lloyd is a native of North Carolina and currently resides in the north central area of the state, near Roxboro. He is a very seasoned studio potter and instructor whose work is represented in numerous galleries throughout NC, SC, and VA, and has recently established his own Blue Blazes Gallery in Roxboro, featuring his work as well as a number of other local artisans in a variety of media. Even though he had taken several pottery and drawing courses in college for fun, Geoff did not initially set out to become a professional artist. But, as fate would have it, in 1994 he made the leap from a corporate job with Citibank to becoming a full time studio potter and never looked back. Lloyd's work is continuously evolving. These days he is making work exclusively with the finest grade English grolleg porcelain formed into elegantly altered forms. The decorative finishing touches include rim and foot alterations, textured handles, and raised slip trailed floral designs that are reminiscent of art deco ware. His work incorporates a unique combination of colors and textures using glazes such as wood ash, copper red, and strontium crystals. The glazes are applied with exceptional detail in multiple layers that utilize painting, pouring, dipping, and spraying techniques in order to achieve the distinctive finish he is striving for. Finally, the work is fired in a gas reduction kiln using a single- fire process, eliminating the common practice of bisque firing the work prior to glazing, and resulting in an enhanced depth to the finished work. All Geoffrey Lloyd pottery is food safe, dishwasher safe, oven safe**, and has been fired to nearly 2400 degrees fahrenheit, making it very durable. **(as with most ceramics, inserting into a preheated oven is not recommended) Artist Statement: I see my work as a continually evolving process of refinement, developing new ideas from those things that I see and do that really speak to me. With the amazing variety of shape, color, materials, and techniques available to the studio potter, it is inevitable that the potter's handmade work is synthesized down to an expression of one's self and their own unique tastes and experiences. My work is no exception; from the ash glazes inspired by my work with wood fired kiIns, to the use of porcelain as my primary medium, my work is heavily influenced by my interests and environment. I strive to blend elements of the ancient aesthetic roots of pottery with the contemporary ideals of form and finish to produce a line of work that is both uniquely appealing and highly functional. I hope that you are drawn by the functionality as much as the handcrafted beauty of my work, and that you will enjoy incorporating these unique pieces into your daily life.