Samantha Henneke - Seagrove, North Carolina

I am a full-time studio potter living and working in Seagrove, North Carolina with my husband Bruce Gholson.  Together we work in our art studio and maintain a pottery sales shop open to the public daily. I grew up in Blacksburg, Virginia surrounded by the Allegheny and Blue-Ridge Mountains. I attended my home-town college, Virginia Tech. During my 4 year's of classes at Virginia Tech I searched the halls for my place in life, and I finally found my focus during my junior year while taking a pottery class. During the spring of 1991, in the basement of the dining hall I fell in love with clay. After completing one more year at Virginia Tech I transferred to the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and graduated with a BFA in Ceramics in 1995. My studio art pottery aesthetics are traditional with a flare - a dotted mug, an insect on a plate, or a swirl on a covered jar.  I also enjoy creating fantasy landscapes depicting life in the garden. I compose crystalline glazed paintings on porcelain canvases of scenes such as a lavender dressed girl dancing with a red ant, a portrait of a red-eye fly, or a jewel beetle.  I love my life as a studio art potter and I am grateful for my ability to pursue my passion.

Below is a sampling of my studio work made in our Seagrove pottery studio.

To see a full range of my work please visit Samantha's Gallery of images. 

Creative Inspiration

One of my passions outside of our pottery studio is taking pictures with my camera. I love taking images of nature and the environment on our property, especially macro images of insects. Below are some of the images that I have taken on my excursions around the property.  I draw inspirations from my photos for my art work.