Charlotte Munning Art

Spring Schedule

2012-02-07T07:12:00.000-08:00

March 2,3,4 Columbia, SC - Craftsmen Classic, Fairgrounds. . . . March 23,24,25 Chantilly VA - Craftsmen Classic, Dulles Expo Center. . . .March 30,31, April 1 Greensboro, NC - Craftsmen Classic, Coliseum. . . .April 14,15 Seagrove, NC - NC Pottery Museum. . . .April 21,22 Davidson, NC - Art on the Green. . . April 29 Williamsburg, VA - Art on the Square. . . .

2012-01-04T13:29:00.001-08:00

2012-01-04T07:02:00.001-08:00

Ebony and Ice

2012-01-03T17:18:00.000-08:00

Ebony and Ice

2012-01-03T17:09:00.000-08:00

These three pieces of Naked Raku will be in a show during the month of Jan. 2012. I made these especially for a show at THE STUDIO & GALLERY in Greensboro. They are intitled "ebony and ice". If you are in the area, please stop by for the opening on first friday from 6 - 9pm.

Uplifting Raku

2011-12-13T07:37:00.000-08:00

My inspiration for this piece of raku is "uplifting". Uplifting our thoughts, ideas and feelings. It is meant to inspire us for the Christmas Season. I hope that yours is spent with family and friends. Merry Christmas!

2011-11-04T06:40:00.000-07:00

The Dancer

Associated Artists of Winston-Salem, NC has just accepted me as a juried member of the organization. They have a gallery in Winston-Salem at 301 West Fourth Street. I am honored to become part of this group of artists and would like to share the jurors comments about my work.

*Great sense of continuity and wonderful forms

*Use of materials is excellent

*Forms have a great sensitivity

*Very original shapes and design

*Accomplished

I look forward to participating in there gallery shows.

2011-09-28T06:29:00.000-07:00

P.M.S. (Playful. Magical. Sensual) an imaginative art exhibit at the Greensboro School of Creativity Gallery. This unique blend of artist features painting, pottery, hanging sculpture, jewelry and more. Come see some of my new work designed especially for this show. Opening Reception, Friday, October 7, from 5 - 8pm. the show dates are from Oct 7 - Oct. 29.

2011-09-14T06:10:00.000-07:00

Exciting news, I have been commissioned to make 5 pieces for inclusion into the art for the new Cone Cancer Center here in Greensboro, NC. I have worked to make 5 pieces that are related in spirit and composition. They will be placed on floating shelves in the Cancer Center. I hope that these will inspire and reflect the beauty of nature. I will post a picture of the 5 pieces.

2011-07-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

This piece as well as one other is now in a art exhibit at Associated Artist Gallery in Winston-Salem, NC.

The show runs until Aug 27, 2011.

2011-07-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

This is one of my newest design ideas. While in Utah, I found this beautiful crystal piece. The color of the crystals are an amber color and I thought would look perfect with my raku. I built this piece with a window to show case the crystal. I also added a light in the lid to shine down on the crystal to really let it sparkle.

2011-06-23T06:26:00.000-07:00

Summer and Fall Schedule:

July 15 - 17 : Banner Elk, NC
Fine Arts Festival of Banner Elk

July 28 - Aug 2 : Abingdon, VA
VA Highlands Festival

August 27 : Cary, NC
Lazy Dazy

September 10, 11 : Alexander, VA
Old Town Arts Festival

October 1,2 : Williamsburg, VA
An Occasion for the Arts

Octover 8,9 : Waynesboro, VA
Fall Foliage Festival

October 15,16: Bethesda, MD
Bethesda Row Art Festival

October 21 - 23 : Chantilly, VA
Fall Craftsman Classic

November 19, 20: Seagrove, NC
Seagrove Pottery Festival

November 25 - 27 : Greensboro, NC
Fall Craftsman Classic

2011-04-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

May Schedule:

May 1 Williamsburg, Va

May 7,8 Silver Spring, Md

May 14,15 Bethesda, Md

June Schedule:

June 4,5 Roanoke, Va

June 11,12 Annapolis, Md Navy Marine-Corps Stadium

June 18,19 Worthington, OH

2011-03-28T06:50:00.000-07:00

During the months of February thru Aprril, I am having an exhibit of oil painting. This series is called "Have a Seat". I have painted a series of chairs from photographs of my travels. It was a great change of pace thru the cold winter months. They are warm and inviting and beg you to come in and have a seat. They will be in Southwinds Gallery, Kernersville, NC thru April. If you would like to see any painting in a larger format I will be glad to send it to you. They are for sale from $425 - $550.

2011-03-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

May Schedule: May 1, Williamsburg Art Show, Williamsburg, Va . . . . . . May 7,8 Silver Springs Art Show, Silver Springs, MD . . . . . May 14,15 Bethesda Art Show, Bethesda MD

2011-02-16T07:10:00.000-08:00

I have added a new form of raku to my spring collection called naked raku. This technique is unique because after the pot is made, while it is semi-dry (leather hard) I pollished it using old nylon hose and plastic grocery bags, spoons or smooth rocks. Sounds strange but what is accomplished is the clay particles are compressed from the rubbing and as the particles move closer together, the clay begins to take on a shine. The technique is called burnishing and takes patience and time to develop the shine.
After the burnishing is complete, the pot is dried, bisqued and then rakued in a traditional raku kiln. No glaze is added so the pot absorbs the smoke and the result is a pot with the soft black shine of naked raku.

2011-02-10T07:19:00.000-08:00

Spring is the time to start thinking of letting the sunshine in and what could be a better place to reflect that sunshine than a piece of my raku.

Updating a space can be as easy as changing or adding art work.

Schedule for March and April

2011-02-10T07:07:00.000-08:00

Schedule for March and April

March 4,5,6. . . . . Columbia, SC - Craftsmen Classic, State Fairgrounds

March 18,19,20. . Fairhope, Al - Art Festival

March25,26,27 . . Chantilly Va - Craftsmen Classic, Dulles Expo Center

April 8,9,10 . . . . . . Greensboro, NC - Craftsmen Classic, Coliseum

May 1 .. . . . . . . . . . . Williamsburg, Va - Art on the Square

2010-11-15T06:33:00.000-08:00

The weather is changing and I have been trying to fire the raku kiln as much as possible. Once the temperature during the day drops below 50 degrees, the raku results are not as good. Last week was so beautiful that the results were some of the best I have ever had. I am getting ready for my last two shows of the year, Seagrove, NC Nov 20 - 21 and Greensboro, NC Nov 26 - 28. It has been an exciting year with many new ideas for form and structure. I am going to post some pictures of the new form for 2010 and review the direction I have taken with my work next week. Then I guess it is time to look towards the future, 2011,

2010-09-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

2010-09-29T06:13:00.000-07:00

Fall pumpkins are a symbol for the season. At the farmers market, I saw a display of pumpkins and they were all sizes, shapes and colors. Why not copper raku pumpkins, I ask myself. So, here they are, full of those inspired shapes, sizes and colors.

Fall Schedule 2010

2010-09-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

Fall Schedule: 2010

Sept. 25 - 26 Art on the Square - Matthews NC

Oct. 1-3 Art on Main - Hendersonville, NC

Oct. 8 - 10 Fall Foliage Festival, Waynesboro, VA

Oct. 14 - 17 Craftsmen Classic, Chantilly VA

Nov. 20 - 21 Seagrove Pottery Festival, Seagrove, NC

Nov. 26 - 28 Craftsmen Classic, Greensboro, NC

Summer Art Festivals

2010-06-03T06:10:00.001-07:00

June 5 - 6 Taubman Museum of Art
Roanoke, Va

June 9 - 13 Three Rivers Arts Festival
Pittsburgh, Pa

June 19 - 20 Shaker Heights Arts Festival
Cleveland, Ohio

June 26 Southwinds Gallery
Kernersville, NC

July 3 July 4th Downtown Festival
West Jefferson, NC

July 21 - 24 Ann Arbor Arts Festival
Ann Arbor, Michigan

July 29 - Aug 3 Highlands Festival
Abingdon, Va

August 11 - 12 Manteo Arts Festival
Manteo, NC

August 28 Lazy Dazy
Cary, NC

Raku with lid

2010-04-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

This raku piece is 14" high and 10" wide. I love to make containers with lids. Some how them seem complete. The color of the copper raku is rich and the textures move the eye through the piece. I think of my pieces as three dimensional compositions.

2010-03-31T06:23:00.000-07:00

"The Dancer" was rakued fired and then cleaned with SOS. Here is the finished piece. I was excited with the final piece. From the concept and first drawing to the forming of the piece, drying time, bisque firing, glazing and then raku firing, the process took about two weeks. I love the short turn around time from concept to finished piece.

2010-03-31T06:16:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of my newest piece, "the dancer". If you look through the arm, you can see the drawing that I started with. She has been bisqued fired and I have applied the glaze. She is now ready to be rakued.

2010-03-13T08:10:00.000-08:00

After the endless winter, I am able to raku fire once more. The colors of copper are back in my vocabulary!

2010-03-13T07:48:00.000-08:00

Spring Schedule 2010:

March 5-7 Columbia, SC State Fairgrounds

March 26-28 Chantilly, Va Dulles Expo Center

April 9-11 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum

April 10 Greensboro, NC State Street Celebration

April 23-25 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
Seagrove Pottery Festival

May 1-2 Richmond, VA Art in the Park
Byrd Park

May 8-9 Bethesda, Md Bethesda Art Show
Bethesda Arts District

May 15-16 Norfolk VA Stockley Gardens Art Show
Stockley Gardens

May 28-30 Charleston, SC Spoleto Arts Festival

2010-01-23T08:17:00.000-08:00

These pieces have been made and are now drying on my kitchen counter. In the winter, many times I bring my finished work into the kitchen for several day of drying before the first firing (bisque firing). I will glaze these pieces after they are bisque and then raku fire them. It is always a guessing game in the winter for a firing day. I like it to be in the mid 50's and those days are few and far between. I will post pictures of these pieces when they are finally fired. I will also post my spring schedule soon.

2010-01-23T08:05:00.000-08:00

These are two new pieces that are part of a gallery show in Winston-Salem at the Gallery of the Arts. It is a show that features work that is 10" x 10", and under $100.00. The first piece is a Locked Box. If you lift the piece on the front the box will open. The second piece is a new concept, Raku Canyon. I love the southwest landscape and have done many painting from that area. I have never created the love of those rocks and canyons in clay. Why not?

2009-12-06T08:29:00.000-08:00

This is a handbuilt raku piece that is 13" x 11.5" x 4.5". The lid lifts off. It is textured with a design on both sides and on the lid. It reflects all of the beautiful colors of copper

Fall Show Schedule 2009

2009-09-06T08:57:00.000-07:00

Fall 2009 Show Schedule:

Sept. 26 - 27 Gallery on the Green
Matthews, NC ( Town Square)

Oct. 2-3 Art on Main
Henderson, NC (Main Street)

Oct. 10 - 11 Virginia Fall Foliage Festival Art Show
Waynesboro, VA

Oct. 16 - 17 - 18 Craftsmen Classic
Chantilly, VA (Dulles Expo)

Nov 6 - 7 - 8 Craftsmen Classic
Richmond, VA (old state fairgrounds)

Nov 20 - 21 - 22 Craftsmen Classic
Columbia, SC (state fairgrounds)

Nov. 27 - 28 - 29 Craftsmen Classic
Greensboro, NC

Raku Firing Process

2009-09-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

What makes raku such a unique process? After a piece of pottery is placed into a special kiln it is fired up to 1900 degrees. At that temperature, the kiln is opened and the piece is moved to a trash can lined with news print. The piece is so hot that the paper catches on fire and burns up the piece. It is this post firing process that produces that moment of time in the fire that makes each piece unique. The colors of copper come from this fire as the copper is reduced chemically. It is a magical process like none other.

2009-08-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

This raku lantern is 11"x 9"x 9". It is handbuilt with a cut work design. Also, each of the four sides have been textured to enhance the colors of copper.

Summer Schedule

2009-06-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

Summer Schedule

June 12,13,14 . . . . . .Three Rivers Arts Festival
Pittsburg, PA
June 20,21 ... . . . . . . Arts Alive
Ocean City, MD
June 24,25 . . . . . . . . Whalehead Club Arts Festival
Corolla, NC
July 4,5 . . . . . . . . . . . Festival on the Eno
Durham, NC
July 18,19 . . . . . . . . . . Avery Arts Festival
Banner Elk, NC
July 25 - Aug. 4. . . . . . Highlands Festival
Abingdon, VA
Aug. 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lazy Dayz
Cary, NC
Aug 29,30 . . . . . . . . . . .Seawall Arts Festival
Portsmouth, VA

Raku Wall Piece

2009-06-06T07:13:00.001-07:00

2009-05-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

2009-03-22T08:24:00.000-07:00

I have been exploring a new concept for wall hangings. What if these were free of the restraint of frames and moved towards a more flowing expression in clay. What if the clay didn't have hard edges but instead took on the characteristics of cloth. Then, what it the clay was draped over a stick or something similar and appeared to be as fluid as a silk scarf. This was my challenge and inspiration! Here are some results of an idea in progress. Let me know what you think.

2009-03-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

This is an update of my spring and summer schedule:

March 27 - 29 Chantilly, VA

April 3 - 5 Greensboro, NC

April 18 - 19 Alpharetta, Ga

May 2-3 Richmond, VA ( Art in the Park)

May 16 - 17 Norfolk, VA (Stockley Gardens)

May 24 - 25 Rockville, Md

May 29 - 31 Charleston, SC (Spoletto)

June 6 - 7 Frederick, Md

2009-02-23T05:58:00.000-08:00

Passion and vision drive my creative energy. Art brings clarity to our surroundings and color to our dreams, enabling us to communicate on a level of feeling and innate understanding.

2009-02-18T07:08:00.000-08:00

This raku piece includes amythests crystals. I love to include natural elements with raku. The crystals complement the colors of copper and combine to form a statement of earth's natural elements.

Spring Schedule

2009-02-18T06:49:00.000-08:00

My spring schedule is taking shape. I will be participating in the following spring shows and introducing a new theme of summer garden party. Many of my traditionally fired pieces will have this theme. Flower container, park benches, tables with tea being served and a collection of small pots. Also, this year I am introducing garden container art which consists of globes on copper piping. They are inspired from the onion domes of St. Petersburg and are most interesting. I will be posting pictures of these on this site very soon. I will also have new raku forms and wall pieces. Stay tuned.

Schedule:
March 6-8 Columbia SC State Fair Grounds
March 27 - 29 Chantilly Va Dulles Expo Center
April 3-5 Greensboro NC Greensboro Coliseum

What makes my raku unique!

2009-01-08T06:24:00.000-08:00

My focus is on personalizing the raku firing process through experimentation to produce a surface finish that enhances the form of each clay piece. My glaze, which I developed, is unique in respect to the reflections on the surface of the piece. The shine of the glaze combined with the warm colors of copper combine to offer a dynamic surface tension. Most raku has a matte finish and lacks the depth and dimension of my glaze. Often, unglazed areas which smoke a soft black, contrast nicely with the high shine of my glaze. As the light reflects on the piece, the colors of copper give a dynamic effect to the form, thus making a cohesive expression in clay.

2009-01-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

Raku, a unique firing process

2008-12-30T08:25:00.000-08:00

The Japanese word Raku, roughly translated, means contentment, enjoyment and pleasure. It was a process of firing used to produce work of refined simplicity for the Zen Buddhist tea ceremony in the 13th century. The technique was Americanized by Paul soldier, who developed post-firing techniques in the 1960's. This is a very spiritual process because it combines the earth, wind and fire.

Artist statement:

2008-12-30T08:17:00.000-08:00

My work consists of hand built and wheel throuw clay pieces. Some pieces are individualized with texture and augumentation or combined with geodes or crustals, creating unique one of a kind works of art.

Raku lantern

2008-12-26T08:32:00.000-08:00

Raku Pottery

2008-12-26T07:28:00.000-08:00

Raku