Storm damages Pittsboro potter's home

PITTSBORO -- It's a good thing potter Mark Hewitt works big.

Hewitt, a nationally known ceramic artist famous for his finely crafted, very large storage jars and vases, had nearly a dozen of his newest pots standing outside his home near Pittsboro on Monday evening when a violent storm slashed through.

The storm, which Hewitt's wife, Carol, described as a tornado, tore down three huge oak trees. One crashed onto the house, destroying three bedrooms and an office. Another landed on the barn in which Hewitt has his studio.

The pots?

"One of them tipped over," Carol Hewitt said. "That was it. It was one of those weird things that you hear about tornadoes doing. It knocked down three beautiful oak trees and yet left all these pots on their pedestals untouched."

The pots were among a new batch that Hewitt is displaying and selling during his annual summer kiln opening, which began last weekend and will continue this weekend.

"These are massive pots," Carol Hewitt said. "I think they're bigger than any Mark has made before. They're about as tall as he is."

Mark Hewitt wasn't home when the storm hit, but Carol and the Hewitts' daughter were in an outbuilding on the property.

"It was raining so hard, and then the rain started blowing horizontally," Carol said. "Then we heard a really loud noise and you had a sensation of sort of being lifted up and put back down. When we came out, we saw the tree on top of the house."

The damage was done to the older part of the 1880s-era house, she said. The family will be able to live in the newer section while the damaged portion is rebuilt.

A few small pieces were broken in Hewitt's studio, but all in all, the pottery fared much better than the house.

The kiln opening will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at 424 Johnny Burke Road, Pittsboro.

For more information, see www.hewittpottery.com.