“If you have a dream, trust God and work hard… it can be done”
Alewine Pottery is home to some of the best of the potter’s art that you will find in Gatlinburg’s Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community. The family that owns and runs Alewine has been maing pottery since 1972 and they have been a business in Gatlinburg since 1983. Robert Alewine, the owner and artist in this case has put his stamp on the pottery scene in the Smokies much like his familiar maple leaf is stamped on his pottery. And that familiar maple leaf can be seen all over the Smokies. In galleries on both sides of the mountain, Alewine Pottery is on display. At festivals in towns such as Dillsboro and in Gatlinburg at the Craftsman shows, Alewine Pottery is literally everywhere. Beautiful, functional pieces of art, thrown with love and a devotion to attention and quality.
If you visit the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community, you will not be able to miss Alewine Pottery. Travel down Glades Road and you will pass smallish shops on the right and the left. When you come to the small crafts mall on the left hand side of the road you will find Alewine Pottery directly behind it on the left hand side of the road. Pull into the parking lot and head inside to be amazed, to be astounded to be captivated by the beauty of the pottery that you will find lining the shelves once you get inside.
Alewine Pottery and the potters that work there have been a this for years. There ability to craft a vessel, a piece of art out of a ball of clay is miraculous. The colors that the reproduce in the glazes they use, the textures they get from the clay feel right, somehow in your hand. And though you need to be careful when you do so, pick up a piece of their pottery and feel how right it ‘feels’ in your hand. Look for the mark of excellence where Alewine is carved into the bottom of the vessel. Look for the maple leaf and know that you have something beautiful and wonderful in your hands. Find the right color to go with the decor of your house and if you are having a hard time finding the piece that matches the rest of your everyday-ware then ask someone, they might be able to help. Realize that what you are looking at is art, but it is also usable.
Yup, almost everything you see at Alewine is a usable piece of art. Not just for show or to be put up on a shelf, if you buy a pitcher, you can fill it with lemonade an use it to serve at your next picnic. Take a piece of the Smokies home with you. Take home a piece of art. Take home a piece of Alewine Pottery and know that you have bought a family heirloom in the making.
Alewine Pottery
623 Glades Road
Gatlinburg, TN
865-430-7828
http://alewinepottery.net/