LaGrange, Georgia

 

 

 

 

 

Genna Grushovenko

 

~"To bring the enjoyment of art to daily life is one of my main goals.  In a time when people are becoming more and more separated from one another and from nature, to use handmade pots in the home is to invite warmth into every day."

 

 

Biography     Artist Statement 

 

W  h  a  t  '  s   N  e  w  ?

 

We've finally gotten around to shooting pictures of some new work!  Below is a sampling of what is currently on display at Artists in Residence.  Mouse over for details & pricing.  Call (706)885-9900 or email admin@galleryair.com to purchase.

 

 

 

 

 

Shown below are the 18 pieces that were featured at the Annex at the Touchstone Gallery in Washington DC in 2006, mouse over works for details on each piece.  While most of these works are sold, commissions for similar pieces are possible.

 

 

 

 

Biography

Gennadiy Petrovich Grushovenko was born in the small city of Uman outside of Kiev, Ukraine in 1968. The son of a military musician, Genna traveled with his family from Germany to a small soviet island near Japan, settling finally in Kiev at the age of 7. After high school, he spent four years of compulsory military service playing trombone in the Soviet military band. When his service was completed, Genna began an apprenticeship with a master potter which eventually led to a partnership in Gonchary, a potter’s cooperative and one of the first privatized businesses after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Genna came to the United States in 1997. He makes his home in LaGrange, Georgia, with his wife, painter Signe Grushovenko and is currently a partner and instructor at Artists in Residence gallery. He has shown work with the Signature Shop in Atlanta, and currently is represented by A Gallery of Southern Artistry in Stone Mountain, Opus One in Atlanta, and the Raiford Gallery in Roswell.

           

Artist Statement

To make pots is to participate in one of the purest forms of creation, making something of beauty out of literally almost nothing.  To work with clay is a very visceral, chaotic process, which at the same time requires a high level of concentration and control.  The dual primitive/sophisticated nature of ceramics appeals to me. 

While some of my work is purely sculptural, the majority is sculptural and functional.  To bring the enjoyment of art to daily life is one of my main goals.  In a time when people are becoming more and more separated from one another and from nature, to use handmade pots in the home is to invite warmth into every day. 

Although I enjoy all parts of the ceramic process, from the wedging and throwing of the clay to the final glazing and firing of the bisqued pieces, my favorite stage is the design stage.  My love lies in the engineering of new forms.  Production potting would have little appeal to me!  For this reason, my vocabulary of shapes is constantly changing and truly each piece is unique.  This constant pursuit of newness in my work is what has held my interest for the past dozen years and what will hopefully continue to hold it for the next several dozen.

 

 

Artists in Residence

300 South Greenwood Street, LaGrange GA 30240

(706)885-9900 phone and fax

email admin@galleryair.com

Hours of operation:  Tuesday-Friday 10am-5:30pm  Saturday 10am-1pm