Gwen Copeland
My name is Gwen Copeland and my studio in Woodbury, TN is called “Bent Earth”. My youngest son came up with the name when I first started making work to sell. Originally it was “Earth Bend” because we live along the path of the Stone River - but “Bent Earth” made so much more sense. My media literally comes from the earth.
I’ve always loved the feel of clay whether it’s being thrown on the wheel into functional pieces or hand-built into figures or faces, flora or fauna. Glaze, the glass coating that covers and protects the surface of the fired clay, starts as raw materials in the earth too. This is a medium that I’m really just now beginning to appreciate and explore although it’s really one of the most important aspects of ceramic work.
The possibilities always seem to be evolving, never boring. And, for me it seems, every kiln load that’s fired is something I look forward to.
