15 Aug Nick DeVries: New Works in Clay

For more than a decade, Nick DeVries has shown his pottery at Ripple River Gallery near Bay Lake. An exhibit of his new works in clay opens at the gallery on Wednesday, Aug. 15 and will continue through Sept. 16. The public is invited to an opening reception from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 18. DeVries will give an artist talk at 3 p.m.

In 2016 DeVries and his family moved from Minneapolis and returned to his hometown of Brainerd. To make the transition to new work reflecting his environment, DeVries applied for and was awarded a 2018 Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative grant. The award has enabled him to retool his studio to explore new clay bodies, glazes and surface decoration to expand his current body of work. It has also given him the financial breathing room to let the influence of moving back to rural, central Minnesota take hold on his pots.

DeVries is exploring a red clay body, an earthier look that contrasts with the more urban, industrial look of the porcelain clay he has used in recent years. The exposed clay of the new work “toasts up” and lends the pieces a “classic pottery feel.” DeVries says that finding a balance between architectural forms and the rural landscape has resulted in pots that function the same, but express themselves differently through the clay.

In his new work, the natural world outside his window takes root: the red barn in his backyard, the red and white pines that tower over his home studio, the oak and maple-filled backyard. It is fitting that his everyday view would make its way onto the pots.

“After many years living in Minneapolis we started to yearn for a quieter and slower pace. While we enjoyed our time in Minneapolis and still love to visit we couldn’t be happier to be in Brainerd,” DeVries said.

Art has always been a passion for DeVries, who was born and raised in Baxter. He filled sketchbooks throughout his childhood and as a student at Brainerd High School, he took almost every available art class. Later he studied ceramics and painting at St. John’s University in St. Joseph.

As a college student, DeVries spent summers in St. Joseph working with the late Jim Loso, potter and high school teacher. Through Loso he gained firsthand experience in a potter’s studio as well as experience traveling and selling pots at art fairs. DeVries says that without that crucial experience, he isn’t sure he would have known how to build his career. Loso proved to be the friend and mentor he needed.

“Jim Loso was easily the most influential person in my career and life for that matter. I miss him and think of him often.”

For many years DeVries worked as a production potter in Minneapolis. Since 2011 he has been a full-time, self-employed potter, building a career with regional and national exposure and exhibiting at some of the top national and regional art festivals. He has been published in and featured on the cover of Ceramics Monthly.

Nick DeVries is a fiscal year 2018 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Nick DeVries: slip cups