Taking It To The Next Level

Bill Capshaw, Professional Potter, will be the guest artist speaking at our monthly meeting on September 16^th, 2021. The meeting is on the top floor of the Yacht Club; Coffee begins at 9:45 am, Meeting at 10:00 am. You don’t have to be an Art Guild Member to attend; visitors are invited!

Bill will share the story of his contemporary ceramic pieces, discussing their design, texture and color combinations. 

“The works are representative of my life. As an artist, we focus on the piece on which we are working and try not to get to the end until the end reveals itself. At that time, you know it is complete, and the next piece now demands your full attention.”

Bill earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics in 1971 and a Master of Fine Arts in Printing Processes in 1974 from East Tennessee State University. 

In 1977 Bill began teaching painting, drawing and pottery at the Oak Ridge Art Center. For more than 30 years, he has served as Pottery Chair and Instructor and has served as President of Board of Directors of the Oak Ridge Art Center.

Bill volunteered with the Tennessee Arts Commission 1987 to 2001 having served as grants application reviewer for At Risk Youth grants and was named Artist of the Year in 1998 by the Arts Council of Greater Knoxville.

Bill was selected to create the 2017 Tennessee Governor’s Arts Award. Each award was a one-of-a-kind hand-crafted piece of Raku pottery created by Bill. View this brief video here.

Bill lectures, consults, and conducts workshops and private lessons in ceramic processes at all levels. He has conducted workshops at the Appalachian Center for Craft, Arrowmont School, Vanderbilt University, Virginia Intermont College, Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, and various area middle and high schools.

Bill’s professional works are in permanent collections of the Tennessee Arts Commission, Huntsville Museum of Art, and East Tennessee State University’s Slocum Gallery. Works are with many private collectors, including the mayor of Naka Machi, Japan; former Mayor Victor Ashe of Knoxville; former Mayor David Bradshaw of Oak Ridge; Hank Stoner, Dr. & Mrs. R. Campbell, Margaret Young, Robert & Dot Hightower, Dr. Richard & Wendy Ferrin, and David & Pat Coffey, and many more.