Using his backyard botanical sanctuary for inspiration, ceramic artist Joseph Sand purposefully crafts sculptural forms and functional pottery utilizing elements from the natural world including wood, stone, and seashells. He is focused on keeping the final function in mind, such as the fluted vase made to showcase a single stem of iris.  Growing up in rural Minnesota, attending college on the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota, and eventually moving to rural North Carolina, it’s no surprise that Joseph finds inspiration in his surroundings.  Joseph moved to North Carolina in 2006 for a full-time apprenticeship with master potter Mark Hewitt.  It is there he learned that wood-fired pottery allowed for a deeper connection between him and the final piece, using his hands to form, guide, and finish each creation.  Joseph wood fires his 40-foot-long, 8-foot-wide kiln only three times per year.  His work has been featured in Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated and in several permanent collections, including at the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, NC and the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, NM.  Most recently, his 36-piece large-scale work “Resurgence” was selected for permanent installation at the Benton Convention Center in Winston Salem, NC. Joseph’s creations can be purchased locally at his rural home and gallery space in Randleman, North Carolina, as well as at many galleries nationwide.