Many of Virginia Scotchie’s mixed-media sculptures possess a visual quirkiness, with their fragmented forms, pop colors and worn, crusty surfaces.
The artist: Born in Portsmouth, VA, where her father was in the Navy, Scotchie grew up in Asheville making art of all kinds. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and later earned a master’s degree in ceramic art at Alfred University School in New York.
She been an artist in residence in Taiwan, Italy, Australia and The Netherlands. While continuing her art, Scotchie teaches ceramics and serves as head of the ceramics department at the University of South Carolina.
The studio: When she started teaching at USC, Scotchie had studio space at the university. Now she works out of her backyard studio.
The goods: Hand-built and wheel-thrown ceramic sculpture.
What’s popular: Spheres and objects ($550 to $825).
Other favorites: Larger objects and large outdoor spheres ($1,000 to $ 2,000).
Inspiration: The relationship of whole forms to their parts. She likes the idea of creating a new object by taking parts and pieces from one object and connecting it to another.
Claim to fame:
- Receiving the USC Creative Research Award given to a handful of faculty members at the University of South Carolina where she has taught since 1992 and serves as head of the ceramic art program.
- Having her work purchased for the permanent collections of the South Carolina State Museum, the Asheville Art Museum and the Huntington Museum in West Virginia to name a few.
Honors/awards: Many, including:
- In 2010, she was awarded a huge public art project in the Outdoor Ceramic Sculpture Park at the Yingee Ceramic Museum in Taipei, Taiwan.
- Early in her career while still in graduate school at Alfred University School, she was given the Emerging Talent Award at the National Council for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). “It was confirmation that I had chosen the right path,” said Scotchie.
What’s next: Two-artist exhibition at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, NC, in September 2020.
Where to buy: Hidellbrooks.com
Get social at: Virginia Scotchie on instagram.
