| Cross Creek Pottery |
| Terry and Vivian spent two years constructing their pottery shop on land that's been in Terry's family since the 1700s. In 1992 they opened Cross Creek Pottery next to their home in Seagrove, NC. Terry sold their bass boat to start building the shop and there have been four additions over the past 16 years. Terry and Vivian married right out of high school and started a family. They both worked in local factories to support their families. "Vivian occasionally bought pottery, and then in 1990 came home one day and told Terry she was going to take some pottery classes. They didn't stay long in the Montgomery County Community College's program, opting instead to work on their own. Terry spent about six months working with their friends, Mitchell and Sherrie Shelton at the their studio" 'Most potters work with somebody for four or five years before going on their own,' Terry explains, 'but we're pretty much self taught, first generation potters'". "Vivian and Terry have their own special talents that add to Cross Creek's traditional utilitarian and decorative wares. Turning out vases, dishes, cups, and bowls on the wheel came ease for Terry, so thats his main job." At their first pottery class Terry proved a fast learner when he centered a piece of clay on the wheel and turned out a bowl. "It was wild, I think his mind must turn in circles," Vivian says. Vivian found turning difficult at first, but "learned to let go of her nervousness and found how calming the work could be. Now she turns out miniatures so small they serve as jewelry pendants. 'You just have to let everything else go except what you're doing and get lost in your work,' Terry explains". As Terry proved a quick learner on the pottery wheel, Vivian soon showed that she was born to make face jugs. "'I could do faces day and night and they're all different.' She focuses on making her faces funny. 'You cannot laugh enough', she says. 'Its good for you and I like doing something that makes people laugh'". Every face is different and you'll find that some resemble family members and political dignitaries, in addition to numerous unique faces that materialize out of Vivian's creative inspiration. Terry and Vivian Hunt have a wood, gas, and two electric kilns at their pottery shop. If you stop by their shop on a day when they are firing their wood kiln you will find family, friends, and other local potters who have come by to help out. They have employed a few young potters on a part time basis over the past few years to help them keep up with demand. Terry and Vivian enjoy being a part of the Seagrove Pottery community, which has continued to grow and flourish over the past 200 years. In addition to selling pots at their shop in Seagrove, Terry and Vivian pack up ten to twelve times a year for shows located all over North Carolina and surrounding states. -"Sell the boat we're starting a pottery" by Linda Beaulieu |
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