Ceramic artist Kenneth Barnes will be the Featured Artist during the month of February at the Village Gallery of Local Artists. The public is invited to a reception on Friday, February 7th from 5-8PM, where he will demonstrate throwing clay pots on a wheel.
Barnes has always been fascinated with the production of something functional and beautiful using a piece of raw clay and a few chemicals. His main interest lies in wheelwork, although he continues to explore all aspects of ceramics which maintains his keen enthusiasm for the art form.
Barnes’ pottery strikes a harmonious balance of function and form; a consequence of his innate artistic talent, coupled with decades spent patiently honing his craft. His work shows distinct personality and elegance as he captures the local flavor of the Sedona area with wild javelina marching across a baking dish, or the image of Bell Rock embellishing a mug. His glazes range from commercially available base glazes to those produced from complex recipes which he developed and refined over time. Barnes uses high-fired stoneware clays and food safe glazes, making his pieces safe for food, dishwasher and microwave.
Born in Yorkshire, England, Barnes’ first introduction to clay was in a local evening pottery class. Living in a small mining village, he was surprised to find quite a number of talented artists, who all used the local art classes as a form of artistic release and an excuse to congregate at the local pub after class. Barnes says “Anyone who is an artist knows that you can feed off one another and generate camaraderie, which is priceless.”
After immigrating to Michigan in 1981, Barnes continued to study ceramics and foster his addiction to clay, which was a nice balance for his day job as an engineer. He explains “One can become completely absorbed in throwing a complex form on the wheel and forget the rigors of daily life.” Barnes retired from engineering in 2017 which left him more time to focus on his artwork and travel the world with his wife Linda.
Several years ago, Barnes became a working member of the Reitz Ranch Center for Ceramic Arts in Clarkdale, where he often glazes his pottery in a cone 10 gas kiln, and enjoys comradery with his fellow clay addicts. He also has a small studio in his home in Sedona which he built at the end of 2020, where he produces the majority of his pieces.
The reception on February 7th from 5-8PM offers guests the opportunity to meet Kenneth Barnes, watch his demonstration, and ask him to explain what a Baconator is, and how it works. The Village Gallery is located at 6512 State Route 179 in the Village of Oak Creek. Applications for new membership are available. For more information, stop by the gallery, call (928) 284-1416, or visit the website at https://sedonalocalartists.com.

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