Runningrabbitpottery's Profile

Bio

Patti Petit - Running Rabbit

Patti will be demonstrating in regional galleries in November during the North Georgia Arts Tour.
Her work is always available at the Georgia Heritage Center for the Arts at Tallulah Falls, the Soque Art Works in Clarkesville, GA; the Turning Creek Artisans in Clayton, the Helen Art and Heritage Center in Helen, Inside Out Sautee Gallery and the Burton Gallery near Batesville.

She wasn’t always known as “Patti Petit”. Her family always did and still does call her “Bunny.” So when Patti was assigned a clay project that would represent her, she chose to sculpt rabbits running all over a coiled vase. “I’m always running somewhere, so Running Rabbit Pottery just seemed to be me.” She explains.

Rabbits aren’t the only critters inhabiting Petit’s work. The clay artist populates her decorative and functional pieces with birds nesting in every likely and unlikely place. Rabbits peer into berry bowls, and a menagerie of swamp denizens support or cavort around flower holders. Recently Leaf People began popping up in Patti's work. "they sort of hold together my philosophy and theology."

“The very first piece I ever did was a turtle nibbling a cucumber.” That was over twenty years ago when Petit took up clay during a long period of unemployment. “I was desperate; I thought I might lose my mind.” She bought 50 pounds of clay and set up shop in a corner of her kitchen. “I loved it instantly and vowed to learn clay from the ground up when I did retire.” The opportunity came when Jeannie Daves offered classes at the Artful Barn.

Petit quickly moved on to sharing her love for clay with adults from the Georgia Resources Program. After five years and some health problems she left what had become Dirt Bag Pottery to become a demonstrating artist at the Georgia Heritage Center for the Arts. She still takes private students in her own studio. She belongs to several local and regional clay groups and has work represented throughout the Northeast Georgia mountain region. Her website RunningRabbitPottery.com features a sampling of her work in its many facets. Besides rabbits there may be a crab or even fish decorating or doubling as a dish.

Female, Born on April 30

Favorite Materials

Clay