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Dorothy Arthur

Dot's Pots

www.dots-pots.com

 

Member profile details

Membership level
Artist (Senior)
First Name
Dorothy
Last name
Arthur
Business/Organization Name
Dot's Pots
 

Personal information

Directory listing text
artist, educator, home potter, traveler, enjoying more time for creative endeavors.
 

Artist Info

Medium / Media
  • Painting / Drawing
  • Clay
Artist Bio or Résumé
Salem artist Dorothy Arthur taught visual arts in the Salem Public Schools for 26 years before retiring in 2009 to focus more on her lifelong interest in working with clay. She received several awards during her teaching career including 1998 Salem Rotary Educator of the Year, 2004 Massachusetts Elementary Art Educator of the Year and 2009 Massachusetts Art Educator of the Year from the Massachusetts Art Education Association.

In 2000, Dorothy started her home based business Dot’s Pots and began working on a series of lanterns that combined her interests in ceramics and architecture. The ideas for the motifs of the lantern cutouts were inspired by the various window styles of historic Salem buildings including Old Town Hall, Hamilton Hall, the Peabody Essex Museum, St. Peter’s Church as well as many homes on Federal and Chestnut Streets.
Artist Statement
When I work with clay I am reminded that the tradition of pottery is as old as time itself. Historically, making vessels and utilitarian objects from clay has evolved over time from useful and practical applications to more of an art form where clay is chosen for its expressive and fanciful qualities. I like to think that my ceramic work honors the past while exploring new ideas and variations for today.

My wheel thrown earthenware ceramic lanterns are inspired by the natural and manmade built environment in which we live. I begin a lantern piece long before I sit at the potter’s wheel by photographing things that interest me; a dragonfly on a leaf, starfish on the beach, various Salem and Marblehead historic landmark windows lit from within on a winter evening walk. I am intrigued with the idea of transforming these motifs into useful objects of beauty while “thinking outside the pot.”

The creative process involves the development of an idea from the first spark through the finished product. All of my pots are created in my home studio and are one of a kind. Each pot is thrown on the wheel, a window or nature design cutout template is made from heavy paper and traced onto the surface of the leather hard pots, then all cuts are made by me with an exacto knife. Architectural and textural details are added using various tools, the pots are dried and bisque fired, then glazed and glaze fired to complete the lantern.

When people see my work, I’d like them to be able to appreciate the craftsmanship, the thought and the care involved in making fine crafts. I try to honor the tradition of making useful ceramic objects while pushing the boundaries into new and unexpected variations.
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Salem Arts Association
159 Derby Street 
Salem, MA 01970  
Phone: 978-745-4850 
Email: info@SalemArts.org


Hours 
Weekends 12-6pm

Closed: Christmas, Thanksgiving
and New Years Day 
Parking: on street when available

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159 Derby Street, Salem MA 01970