Ed Byers

 Ed Byers uses figural sculpture to represent our human experience: beauty and spirit through texture, color and form. Using earthenware, his inspirations are folk, American-Southern, African and spiritual beings - usually set in a place of joy, peace and hope. His sculptures are hand-built using coils and slabs, natural texture tools, and are multiple-fired with oxide washes, underglazes and slips. He is a graduate of Auburn University and has completed post-graduate studies in ceramic sculpture in Asheville, NC, Penland, NC and Santa Fe, NM. He is a member of the American Craft Council, Southern Highland Craft Guild, and Piedmont Craftsmen Guild and exhibits in galleries around the country. He served as the 2011 president of Ariel Craft Cooperative in Asheville, NC.