Good Clean Dirt: The Work of Fox Pass Pottery

Presented by Community Creative Center's Arkansas Pottery Festival

EXHIBITION DATES: April 30-May 31

PUBLIC OPENING : Thursday, April 30, 6-8pm

ABOUT:

In the late ‘60s, like many young people of the time, Jim and Barbara Larkin became compelled by the idea of making a living with their hands. Inspired by Bernard Leach’s “A Potter’s Book” and the “Foxfire” series documenting Appalachian traditional skills, they began exploring clay. Jim fashioned a potter’s wheel from a salvaged exhaust fan and learned to throw, and Barbara explored hand-building techniques she studied in books. From these improvised beginnings, a life’s work took shape.

Together, they created Fox Pass Pottery near Hot Springs, which contains their home, a sales shop, studio and kiln sheds. A family of creatives, the work created at Fox Pass and exhibited here is also created by their son Fletcher Larkin and his partner Beth Lambert.

“Watching him work is mesmerizing,” says Fletcher about his father. “Beautiful forms seem to magically spin from his fingertips as he explains the steps of turning soft clay into finished pottery.” The Larkin’s work shows a true love for classic pottery forms, but their own inspirations and setting inform custom glazes, designs and thoughtful subtleties. 

The work in this exhibition reflects nearly five decades of a family commitment to functional beauty. These are pieces made to be used: mugs reached for each morning, bowls lifted from the dishwasher, pitchers passed across a table. Beyond making quality  pottery that brings pleasure to daily rituals, the Larkins’ are highly-skilled artists and craftsman contributing to the rich cultural traditions of this state. Recognized as such, the Arkansas Arts Council named Jim an Arkansas Living Treasure in 2012 and Fletcher was chosen to create the Arkansas Governor’s Arts Award in 2020.