Tyson Graham, one of Tryon Arts and Crafts School’s esteemed artisans, has been named the school’s artist of the month. His artwork will be featured, for the month of February, in the TACS gallery at 373 Harmon Field Rd. in Tryon, which is open from Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Graham is best known for his colorful redware pottery depicting the seasonal variations of life and nature in the Foothills. Working primarily with red earthenware and slip decoration, he creates beautiful, yet functional pottery adorned with regional flowers, birds, leaves, trees and musical instruments. Graham says the philosophy in his artwork is “to capture the natural world around me, in all its seasonal glory.”

Graham has pursued his love of art since childhood. He received a BFA from the University of South Carolina in 2007, at that time working in oil painting, drawing and graphic design. He came to the medium of pottery through music. Graham also has a passion for Appalachian string music, playing fiddle, banjo, guitar and bass instruments, which led to him coming up to Saluda for Claude Graves’ Little Mountain Pottery studio’s open house events for several years to participate in the music making.

Through his friendship with Claude and love of Claude’s work, he started taking pottery classes and workshops at Southern Pottery in Columbia, S.C., eventually apprenticing under Claude for a year until Claude retired.

Besides exhibiting and recently teaching a workshop at Tryon Arts and Crafts School, Graham has also taught and exhibited at Southern Pottery Studio and Gallery in Columbia, S.C., and exhibited at Upstairs Artspace in Tryon and at the Seagrove Pottery Festival.

Outside of the studio in Tryon, he enjoys playing old time music and backpacking the trails of Appalachia. 

For more information about Tryon Arts and Crafts School, contact the office at 828-859-8323 or visit TryonArtsandCrafts.org.

– article submitted by Cathy Fischer