The Pottery of Doc Welty is located on a quiet ridge of Chestnut Oak and Sourwood trees in the Leicester community. Doc attended the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis and enjoyed a career as a commercial artist for many years before relocating to North Carolina. He has been working in ceramics since the 1980s but became a full-time potter when he and his wife, Melanie, moved to Leicester in 2004.
Doc’s stoneware pottery has roots in the heritage of the Carolinas as many of the forms are based on traditional and historic pottery of the area. The application of raised slip decoration on many of Doc’s pots is a manifestation of his background in graphic arts. The merging of intricate patterns of raised slip on top of earthy colors and traditional shapes is a hallmark of Doc’s work that sets it apart.
Visitors to The Pottery of Doc Welty will first notice the studio, which is fully clad in Doc’s own terra cotta tilework. This destination is unique in that visitors can see pottery made in a pottery that’s covered by pottery. Doc hand turns and crafts a wide variety of items including tiles, cups, planters, and dinnerware. His stoneware pieces are fired in gas reduction and wood fired kilns creating one-of-a-kind functional pieces of art for the home.
Open by appointment
