From April 14 to Dec. 3, the Gregg Museum of Art & Design will be displaying “Trompe l’Oeil Ceramics,” an exhibition featuring ceramic sculptures by artist Eric Serritella. 

Serritella is on the Orange County Artists Guild Studio Tour in Chapel Hill, but his main gallery is in New York. He shows and sells his unique pieces all over the world. 

“The type of art that I make is considered representational art,” Serritella said. “I describe it as ‘trompe l’oeil,’ trick of the eye or fool of the eye, taking one medium — clay — and making it look like something else, which is wood. Some call it hyperrealism because, in some ways, it’s more detailed than nature.” 

Roger Manley, director and curator at the Gregg Museum, said he hopes people will come to the exhibition to have a new experience. 

“It’s an opportunity to be amazed,” Manley said. “The ceramics mimic trees and wood so accurately that we are going to have to be careful that people don’t reach over and try to make sure it’s not wood. … Everything looks like it grew naturally, but it was all the result of very careful construction.” 

Serritella said inspiration for his work stems from when he studied Yixing teapots during his artist residencies in Taiwan. 

“They’re these little teapots, and in the 1600s, they carved them to look like pumpkins and gourds and tree trunks to integrate nature into the tea ceremony,” Serritella said. “So this is like a 400-year-later interpretation of the tiny teapot. I was very inspired by those because I just fell in love with them when I was there.” 

Serritella grew up in central New York and is inspired by the different places of nature and types of trees. 

“I grew up in the woods,” Serritella said. “I’ve spent my entire life in nature and around nature. I’m not doing a botanical study, I’m trying to channel the voice and the spirit and the energy of trees, so I take a lot of artistic license with the design.”

Serritella uses all different types of clay techniques, including wheel throwing and slab building. 

“I consider my artwork the story of my subconscious as told by my hands,” Serritella said. “I rarely sit and think ‘Oh, I’m going to make a stream there.’ It’s more expressing the voices, or the songs of what I’ve seen in nature my whole life and just letting them come out. Sometimes a cloud pattern shows up when I didn’t intend to make a cloud pattern.” 

The process consists of designing the piece and then carving the details as the clay dries. After the piece is fired in a kiln once, Serritella adds color in layers, using ceramic stains and oxides. Then, the piece is fired a second time to set the color. 

“My favorite part is the design,” Serritella said. “To me, the details create impact, but it’s the design and the story and the emotion in the piece; that’s what makes it art. I don’t have any models in my studio, I just go from my heart. … I want to have my energy, my emotion and my story in it and then have it be something that someone can interpret their own way.”

Serritella said he has two different stages when creating the pieces. 

“Building the design, it’s almost like a dance,” Serritella said. “I’m moving with the piece and I’m a ‘70s kid, so I’m listening to Led Zeppelin and rock and roll … and then as I carve the details it gets very meditative.” 

One reason he is an artist is for the spiritual and natural connections. 

“Me connecting with nature, people connecting with the artwork and through it connecting with nature,” Serritella said. “In fact, the name of the exhibition is ‘Shared Spaces,’ and it’s all about sharing space on this planet.” 

Through these connections with the work, Serritella wants people to see the beauty in decay. 

“I want people to see, that despite what we as humans do to nature, despite the sort of disregard we have for nature, it’s still beautiful,” Serritella said. “Even the decaying log, it still has this gorgeousness to it, and then hopefully people will start to walk with softer steps. That’s the goal, to share spaces and walk with softer steps.”  

An opening reception for the exhibition will be held on May 5, and an artist talk with Serritella will be on April 21 at 6 p.m. Both of the events are free and open to the public. For more information about Serritella and the exhibition, visit his website or the Gregg Museum’s website.