Clay Worker Brings Functional Art to Port Chester

Of all the pieces Hayne Bayless has on display at the Clay Art Center, admirers flock to his teapots.

With their squared off edges, jagged lines and subdued colors, the functional art pieces are more about "tension" than harmony and balance, the artist says.

Visitors can get a close-up look at those teapots — as well as cups, pitchers, boxes and Asian-inspired sake pieces — for four more days in Port Chester at the artist's solo exhibition.  The collection, "Hayne Bayless: Squaring the Circle," is on display at the Clay Art Center on Beech Street until July 2.

The collection debuted earlier this month to praise from onlookers.

"We had a full house," said Leigh Taylor Mickelson, the Clay Art Center's program director.

That evening, Bayless spoke about his creative process and inspirations as visitors made their way through the gallery. Showing their enthusiasm for the Connecticut artist's practiced talent, admirers purchased several of the pottery pieces at the June 5 opening party, and since then many of the smaller pieces have sold.

A noteworthy aspect of Bayless' work — and one reason it's been praised by fellow artists and art aficionados alike — is the unique nature of his style. Many of the pieces in this collection have squared off edges, in contrast to the traditional rounded look of the average teapot. In viewing one of his delightfully peculiar pieces, one can visualize the conflict between how he would have liked to mold the clay and how the clay decided to naturally mold itself. There's an individual personality among the pieces, with no two examples exactly alike.

Such an individual style is impressive for an artist whose education in ceramics is informal — Bayless took only a smattering of classes and workshops in the past, after receiving lessons from a teacher in his early adult life.

Mickelson believes many of the students at the ceramic facility "identify with him because he is self-taught. His pieces are all hand-built."

The teapots, Mickelson pointed out, are about function as well as form. All of them are functional and user-friendly. For daily use, this is a major selling point to a customer who wants to do more with her beautiful new piece than simply admire it from a shelf in her house. Bayless' platters, mugs and series of small vases have also garnered praise from art admirers. Mickelson fondly describes the hand-crafted pieces as "sweet little things."

The Hayne Bayless exhibit is scheduled through July 2. Coming up next for Clay Art Center is artist Jonathon McMillian's exhibition, "Convergence." The new display is set to premiere Thursday, July 8 with an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m.