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P R E S S I N G D O W N O N A R O T A T I N G
lump o f clay, Shanna W heelock
exhales and says, “letting go.”
A s the vessel takes shape, she
says, “opening to love.”
T his is not how m ost potters
work. But W heelock’s approach
to centering clay reflects how
she lives. In a remote home stu-
dio by the M aine coast, the self-
described “easternm ost potter
in the U nited States” uses her
art to express grief, vent politi-
cal outrage, engage her com m u-
nity, and find peace.
She came to this place in
2001 in a leap o f faith. For years,
W heelock had dreamed o f a
hom e in the w oods w here she
could create art, teach, and
“help others grow along their
ow n journeys.” W hen her hus-
band’s grandfather m entioned
his vacant house - “perfect for
an artist and a w riter” such as
W heelock and her husband - the
couple took just 24 hours to decide
to leave jobs, friends, and life in
T ennessee. T hree w eeks later,
they arrived in Lubec, M aine,
at a dilapidated old farm house,
inhabited by raccoons and
w ithout running water.
T ransitioning to life in the
fishing tow n w as difficult. A
one-tim e capital o f sardine can-
ning, Lubec lost its last plant that
year. Then September 11 arrived.
United States troops entered
Afghanistan and later Iraq.
W h eelock , a long-tim e
social activist, felt isolated and
frustrated - but she soon found
a solution in her art. In addition
to m aking more conventional
cups, bow ls, and vases, W h ee-
lock pours her political passion
into ceramic sculpture. She
creates chalices adorned w ith
large spikes, totem s that echo
m issiles. She sculpts grenades
melded w ith pom egranates, the
fertility sym bol after w hich the
w eapon is named.
T he sculptures are techni-
cally challenging. W heelock,
w hose BFA is in ceram ics, has
struggled to find w ays to attach
delicate carved clay fuses to
her grenades. Som etim es, rather
than risk losing an intricate piece
in a glaze firing, she works the
surface w ith acrylic paint or
encaustics. T he violence-tinged
work leaves her disquieted. “I
don’t want to stay in that space
for too long,” she says. “But
after I make the sculpture,
I feel great. It’s cathartic.”
W heelock also w eaves, and
her tapestries are more peaceful.
A fter her grandm other’s death
in 2007, she created one using
strips o f her grandm other’s
favorite clothing as her w eft.
N ow , through her business
C obscook P ottery and Fiber
A rts, she helps others create
sim ilar “transform ation tapes-
tries,” coaching clients through
the healing process and assist-
ing w ith the weaving.
“[M y husband and I] have
flourished more as artists here,
in this hidden little corner o f
the w orld,” W heelock says.
“W e get a lot o f still tim e. W e
really need this as artists.”
O utside the studio, W h ee-
lock teaches art to children and
young adults at the tow n ’s pub-
lic school, and is pursuing an
M FA at H eartw ood College
o f A rt in K ennebunk, M aine.
In both teaching and m aking
art, she hopes “to prompt p eo-
ple to think, to question, to do
better.” She doesn’t mind w hen
people are troubled by her war
pieces, for exam ple, but is m ost
satisfied w hen they take time
to reflect, to find shades o f gray.
In 2 0 0 9 , W heelock and
Natasha M ayers, another M aine
artist, founded Lubec Arts Alive
to help revitalize the tow n. The
first event drew 13 artists; in the
now-annual summer affair, as
many as 75 artists paint murals,
draw locals’ portraits, and create
public sculpture - encouraging
the community to join in.
“I f everyone held a little
clay in their hands, there w ould
be no war,” W heelock says.
“It’s a material that is soothing,
forgiving. A s soon as you hold
it in your hands, you begin to
feel relaxed.”
+
shannawheelock.blogspot.com
J a n e t W a lla ce is a w riter
;
p a rt-tim e
w ea ver a n d potter, a n d editor o f
The Canadian Organic Grower.
