Phil Morgan Pottery
Phil Morgan Pottery, since being established in 1973, has "turned" some of the Located in Seagrove, "the birthplace of North Carolina traditional pottery," Phil Morgan Pottery has been making gorgeous works of art for more than 30 years. His works range from beautiful utilitarian cookware to his specialty, the rare crystalline. Phil's cystalline jewels are in museums across the globe, from the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. (USA) to Europe's Wedgwood Museum. Phil and his crystalline pottery have been featured in a variety of publications including The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Orlando Sentinel; and on ABC TV's Good Morning America and CTV's Good Morning Canada.
The crystalline glazing technique is very rare. The earliest known American potter to master the process was Adelaide Alsop Robineau (1865-1929) from Syracuse, New York. Phil began exploring the technique and teaching himself how to produce crystalline on his pottery in 1973. After extensive research and four years of trial and error development, his masterful pieces were born. Phil Morgan is arguably one of the most well known crystalline potters in the United States. His perseverance in his early years as a potter has helped to not only perfect his art, but has also helped make Seagrove, North Carolina a household name in the pottery and fine art world. Phil invites everyone to come and visit him at Phil Morgan Pottery. He is joined in the business by his wife, Julia; son Phil Morgan II; and daughter-in-law, Dawn Tagawa Morgan. The Morgans love to meet and greet visitors and always stop to chat with anyone interested in their work. Phil specializes in a hand-thrown modern interpretation of crystalline glazed porcelain in which each piece is a unique individual work of art. Crystalline glazes are produced through specific glaze formulation and carefully controlled firing procedures. When firing, the cooling cycle is slowed to allow portions of the glaze to separate from the batch to form crystals.
Accurate firing is as important in this process as glaze compounding. The glaze batch
contains
The glazes must be extremely fluid to work properly, which adds the problem of separating the piece from the glaze puddle at the base. The method used on these pieces are separately thrown foot trays which are glued to the base of the piece after the two have been fired unglazed to 1800 degrees F. Then the glaze is brushed onto the piece to an approximate thickness of 3/16 of an inch. After the glaze firing of 2350 degrees Fahrenheit and the cooling process is complete, it is separated from the foot tray with a chisel and wooden mallet. Then the bottom of the pottery is ground to a smooth surface.
Phil Morgan Pottery and their unique pieces have grown to legendary status amongst the potter and arts community, not only in Seagrove but around the world. With Julia, Phil Morgan II and Dawn turning and collaborating on new and exciting pieces, this legacy seems poised for a long and happy future. If you have a chance to see this family's work, this is one opportunity that you don't want to miss. Phil Morgan Pottery 966 NC Hwy 705, Seagrove NC 27341 Map It Phone: 336-873-7304 Back to Seagrove Area Potteries Phil Morgan Pottery Online
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rarest and
most beautiful pottery in the world. Phil Morgan, a world master crystalline
potter, is legendary in the art world circles all around the globe.
particles from which crystals may grow. Much as the manner a dust
particle acts as a seed for a snowflake. A combination of high temperature and
time is used to dissolve all but a few particles. The temperature is then
dropped and held to allow the zinc silicate to crystallize out of the molten
glaze. In general, the longer the holding time the larger the crystals, up to
six hours or longer.
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