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Face Jugs by Various Artists No one is 100% sure of the origination story of southern American face jugs, but two stories in particular seem to capture some of the mystique surrounding these oddly humorous creations. The first is the idea that face jugs originated in the piedmont region of North Carolina and Georgia; these were the original childproof caps- sculpt a scary face on the jug to keep the kids out of the contents. We figure the folks of Appalachia kept their moonshine in face jugs long before mason jars became popular. The second story has to do with devil jugs or face jugs with devil horns. The theory is that these scary jugs originated in slave communities. When someone in the community died, a devil jug was made and placed on the grave for one year. If the jug broke sometime during that year, it meant the deceased's soul was wrestling with the devil. Most of the face jugs in our collection come from the Catawba Valley region of North Carolina and the mountains of North Georgia. Many of the artists we represent continue working in traditional ways with traditional materials—digging their own clay, firing in groundhog kilns and once-glazing their wares with alkaline, or "tobacco spit" glazes made from the ash of their woodstoves. We regularly represent 8-10 potters who create face jugs for us; They are listed below, alphabetically by first name. If you need information on one of these artists, or if you're looking for a particular potter, please do not hesitate contacting us. A.V. Smith has been making pottery for 30 years. He started turning pots in a friend's basement at the age of 16, and realized soon enough that pottery would be his life’s work. After graduating from Wingate College’s (North Carolina) pottery program, he went straight to work, first at Pinehurst Pottery, then in a studio/shop he shared with Catawba Valley potter Charlie Lisk in Pinehurst. CHARLIE Brown (b.1949) comes from seven generations of potters. He runs the Brown Pottery in Arden, NC, which was established in 1923. The Browns have been making face jugs longer than any other pottery in the South, according to a publication of the Southern Folk Pottery Collectors Society. Charlie makes face jugs and buggy jugs and is starting to produce swirl jugs. He says he likes making face jugs: "each face is different and interesting to do and I try for a certain look- mean, stupid or whatever." The Browns use clay dug around Arden and turn functional items as well as face jugs. They use alkaline glazes and fire in both wood-burning and electrical kilns. CHARLIE Lisk's role in carrying on the pottery tradition of the Catawba Valley Region is noteworthy. After graduation from Appalachian State in 1975, Charlie returned home to Moore County where his great, great grandfather had been a potter. He began his career working at Pinehurst Pottery and was soon making tableware finished with the traditional Seagrove glazes. He was the first potter to make a conscious decision to continue in the footsteps of potters like Burlon Craig, whose methods were similar to the 19th century potters of the area. He has taken the art to a new level and introduced his own variations of swirlware, sanke and face jugs, and he also makes an assortment of utilitarian ware in alkaline and cobalt glazes. GRACE Hewell is part of the famous Hewell Family of the rural Georgia Mountains. Her grandfather, Eli D. Hewell, established the pottery about 1890, which has been in continuous operation since. Her distinctive lopsided faces have bulging blue eyes and cheeks that suggest mouths full. The teeth are created in the traditional style, using broken porcelain plates. MICHEL Bayne can be found on his individual artist page MIKE Ball lives and works in Western North Carolina, home to rich traditions in the making of pottery. Many potters including Mike, are still hand digging their clay and wood firing in groundhog kilns, just as potters did in the 19th century. Mike learned his trade both from Kim Ellington and Charlie Lisk who in turn learned directly from local master Burlon Craig, the last potter experienced in the earliest traditions of the region. Mikes face jugs are expressive, each one unique in its facial features and fanciful flair. Following local tradition, he incorporates beautiful glass drips and uses broken plates for teeth. Mike also creates an assortment of utilitarian ware. STACY Lambert studied graphic design and was intrigued by the graphic works of M.C. Escher and the surrealistic works of Salvador Dali. He studied the art of pottery under the guidance of Seagrove potter, Sid Luck. Like any smart apprentice, he learned the technical aspects of firing and glazing from the master, then as the years went by, he added his own unique talents of painting and graphics to his original creations. His rich color pallet and his three-dimensional interpretations of people and animals are as much fun as a potter ought to have. Collectors are having nearly as much fun collecting everything he produces as Stacy is producing it. If you see piece of his art that speaks to you, make plans to take it home quickly before it speaks to someone else, because it will. Since the work is all handpainted and sculpted by Stacy the number of pieces he produces is quite low, thus making his work even more desirable to the serious collector of rare pieces.. STEVE Abee, a Burke County, NC native, is one of the younger, yet talented and popular potters of the Catawba Valley tradition. As with so many of the Catawba potters, Abee became interested in pottery making after attending a Burlon Craig kiln sale. After first turning a pot with Michael Calhoun in Blowing Rock, he eventually made his own potter's wheel. In 1994 Steven was in full production and ready to have his first sale of pottery fired in an electric kiln, but soon after Abee earned his potter's credentials by building his own underground kiln. He now sticks with the traditional methods of the Catawba potter, digging his own clay, mixing his own glazes, and firing in his wood fired kiln. WALTER Flemming, a Presbyterian minister by day, has always been interested in rural tasks and early American craftsmanship. In the seventies Walter began making white oak baskets as a hobby. Later he became intrigued with the process of making pottery. After he had created several pieces, he intentionally went to meet Burlon Craig, the well-known potter from the Catawba Valley and asked Craig to critique his work. Burlon later introduced him to another skilled potter by the name of Charlie Lisk. Over the years, Walter found his relationship with these two folk potters to be invaluable. WAYNE Hewell is a 5th generation potter, and farmer in the mountains of Georgia. He is part of the Hewell family of Georgia, potters for more than a hundred years. The patriarch of this family was Eli D Hewell, who established the pottery in 1890. His aunt is Marie Rodgers-the first woman folk potter to independently operate entirely on her own. Waynes lineage has undoubtedly influenced him. He uses wild clay from Georgia, fires in a wood-fired kiln, and uses Tobacco Spit or Alkaline glazes to create the greenish, runny surfaces on the jugs. Wayne often incorporates humor into the faces by adding grimaces, points to the ears, cigars, etc. Wayne is also known for his swirl ware, a process of combining two different clay bodies which result in an amazing striped effect.

Swirl Face Jug with White Handle Wayne Hewell size:  9" tall $ 180.- (afwh78) view larger image in new window ask me about "Swirl Face Jug with White Handle"

Candelabra Man Jug Wayne Hewell size:  10" $ 275.- (afwh49) view larger image in new window ask me about "Candelabra Man Jug"

Mike Ball, Why so Long in the Face Jug Wood Fired Stoneware size:  9" $ 100.- (ball81) view larger image in new window ask me about "Mike Ball, Why so Long in the Face Jug"

Mike Ball, Whaa Man Jug Wood Fired Stoneware size:  13 1/2" tall $ 175.- (ball85) view larger image in new window ask me about "Mike Ball, Whaa Man Jug"

Big Nosed Green Man Jug Wayne Hewell size:  10" $ 180.- (afwh50) view larger image in new window ask me about "Big Nosed Green Man Jug"

Stacy Lambert, Multi Headed Face Jug Electric Fired, super cool size:  6 1/2" tall $ 225.- (afsl75) view larger image in new window ask me about "Stacy Lambert, Multi Headed Face Jug"

Horned Swirl Face Jug Wayne Hewell size:  6"tall $ 85.- (afwh79) view larger image in new window ask me about "Horned Swirl Face Jug"

Sideways Glancing Swirl Jug Wayne Hewell size:  6" tall $ 85.- (afwh81) view larger image in new window ask me about "Sideways Glancing Swirl Jug"

No Horns Green Jug Wayne Hewell size:  8" tall $ 160.- (afwh48) view larger image in new window ask me about "No Horns Green Jug"