The Jasper Project kicked off our Tiny Gallery Series back in October, 2018 with the express purpose of affording artists an opportunity to show a selection of their smaller pieces of art at affordable price points. With a variety of work priced at $250 or less, our shows have attracted seasoned buyers and budding art collectors alike, featuring top Columbia-based artists like Thomas Washington, Christopher Lane, Michael Krajewski, Olga Yukhno, and Eileen Blyth.
While safety concerns related to COVID-19 may prohibit us from welcoming artists and their patrons in person, Jasper is excited to announce a new component of the Jasper Project – the Virtual Tiny Gallery Series! Upcoming artists include Lucas Sams, Gina Langston Brewer, Lindsay R. Wiggins, and more later as the year progresses.
Today, we’re delighted to announce our first Virtual Tiny Gallery artist – Columbia-based clay artist, Vanessa Hewitt Devore. Devore grew up in Columbia before attending Winthrop University, the place she fell in love with ceramics. After kindling that relationship, she made it concrete with an MFA in Ceramics from GSU in Atlanta.
Devore isn’t the only artist in her family, though. In fact, she is a fourth-generation artist—her great grandmother was a painter; her grandmother was a potter and painter; her father is glass artist, Steve Hewitt; and her mother is renowned artist and educator, Mana Hewitt (one of our featured artists at the Supper Table, whose metal-worked place setting for Eartha Kitt became the cover of the book, Setting the Supper Table).
The work Devore creates is often inspired by her love of nature, plants, and animals. Some of her earliest memories are of her grandmother’s backyard. “Every day, [I] would help her plant and tend her flowers, and she would point out to [me] all the different birds and animals that would visit her garden,” Devore says.
Beyond pottery, Devore has experimented with stained glass and metalsmithing and is drawn to needlework and quilt making. “Colors and simple shapes really appeal to me,” she says. “My ideas center around creating a whimsical, fun object.”
All the work exhibited in the Tiny Gallery show is porcelain, carved using the sgriffitto technique, and made on the same wheel on which her grandmother once threw.
In her collection of 8 pieces, including bowls, vases, and jars, Devore demonstrates her color mastery with hues of terracotta and turquoise traced in black amongst a stark textured white background. According to Devore, “I like that my objects are usable, and I hope the work I make makes people smile.”
You can see Devore’s work on the Jasper Project website until Monday, July 13th. All purchases can be made directly from the site. Upon purchasing, your info will be shared with the artist to arrange delivery of the artwork.
*Are you an artist interested in showing your work for a Virtual Tiny Gallery show? Email Tiny Gallery Manager Christina Xan at JasperProjectColumbia@gmail.com.