CLC ARTcetera NEWS

Highlights from the Members Exhibition Opening

2012-01-18T10:52:00.000-06:00

Over 300 people attended the Opening Reception of our Annual Members Exhibition. A grand time was had by all!

Music was provided by pianist Vladimir Schirfrin

Artists Erick Rowe (for ground) and Jessie Y. Lee (with scarf)
enjoy a bite to eat

Standing room only

Artist Nancy Ward (center) attended with her family

Phil Carrigan and Artist Mary Clare Jakes admire Mary's
Orange Urns Table Runner in clay

Artists Frank Jos. Vioski (center) and L. Skip Wiese (on left)
discuss Frank's charcoal work Reggie Remembered

Artist Marcia Babler (center) and Steve Jones, Wright Gallery
Curator (right) converse

In foreground, Michael Higgins, Double Cross,
metal sculpture, $1500

Patrons enjoying the photography of Artists: Jacob Meudt
(above) and Jude Kaider (below)

Rolland Miller, Dean of Communication Arts, Humanities and
Fine Arts studies Artist Robert L. Booker's Now I Lay Me Down,
photo collage

Artist Apryl Polster (center) and friends

Artist Robert Johnson beside his watercolor, Brooding Man,
which sold at the opening. Congratulations Bob!

Artist Joan E. Robertson (center left) talks with friends about
her colored pencil drawing Japanese Spring

Artist Robert Anderson (right) with from left,
Amy and Rolland Miller and Cheena Wade

The Show continues through Sunday February 19, 2012.

Gallery Hours:

9 am - 9 pm Monday to Thursday

9 am - 4:30 pm Friday and Saturday

1 - 5 pm Sunday

Members Exhibition opens Friday January 13, 2012

2012-01-10T09:30:00.002-06:00

Join us Friday January 13, 2012 from 7 - 9 pm to celebrate the opening of our latest gallery show. Over 100 artworks will be on display at our Annual Members Exhibition. This group show features Lake County artist who are "Artist Members" of the gallery. Works on view include a wide variety of styles and media. Refreshments will be served along with music by pianist Vladimer Schifrin.

Melanie Sherman Konig
woodfired porcelain $500

Paula Palmer Photoscape 009
ultra chrome on archival paper $450

Roger Shule Hiawatha acrylic on masonite $350

L. Skip Wiese Lincoln's Watch
intaglio/drypoint on parchemnt $150 (SOLD)

Toni Wiese Spring in Canada oil $500

Donna Sands Divide; Reality is Born from Dichotomy
encaustic on panel $650

Click on the attachment below to read an interview with Donna Sands about her work Divide; Reality is Born from Dichotomy:
http://libertyville.patch.com/articles/libertyville-artist-showcases-work-at-college-of-lake-county

ARTcetera's Last Minute Sale!

2011-12-13T13:56:00.000-06:00

Still looking for that last minute gift? ARTcetera has 10% off everything today, Tuesday Dec. 13 and tomorrow, Wednesday Dec. 14. Friends of the Gallery Members receive 20% off!

Ornaments, soaps, candles, jewelry, wood, scarves, hats, ceramics, photographs, paintings, prints, pens, fused glass, paper-weights, spoon art, charms, and much more!

Support your local artisans! Sale Hours: 9 am - 10 pm

Paperweights and Compacts

Wine Stoppers and One of a Kind Jewelry

Vases in Blown Glass and Clay

Vessels and Watercolors

Honey Pots and Whisking Bowls

Candles and Storage

Ornaments

Holiday Art Sale 2011

2011-12-13T13:14:00.000-06:00

The Holiday Art Sale 2011 was a great success! We had a fantastic group of juried artists participating - some old, some new and definitely something for everyone! The dates have been set for next year's sale, so mark your 2012 calendars for Saturday December 1 through Tuesday December 4, 2012. It's never too early to plan!

Thank you to all the artists and volunteers, we certainly couldn't run the show without you.

21st Annual Holiday Art Sale is almost here!

2011-11-22T13:02:00.001-06:00

Mark your calendars!

The 21st Annual Holiday Art Sale will be held in the

CLC Library Atrium December 3-6, 2011

With over 40 artists from Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana

you are sure find that perfect gift.

Here's just a sampling of our talented artists:

Lisa Clark - Urban Nostalgia

David Gaura - Spoon Bug

Barb Beckman - Prairie Art Glass

Woodturner Don Leipprandt

Fused Glass by Susan Slack - Farmhouse Creations

All things jean by Erika Tully

Chic Chalk Designs - glassware

Linda Zepere - Claymates Pottery

Holiday Art Sale Hours:

Saturday Dec 3

9 am - 4:30 pm

Sunday Dec 4

1-5 pm

Monday Dec 5

9 am - 9 pm

Tuesday Dec 6

9 am - 6 pm

Surface Tension: Opening Night Highlights

2011-11-22T11:47:00.001-06:00

Collage Artist Doug Stapleton (pointing) with friend Frank Connet

Liliana Ware and daughter Jillian admiring Alice Shaddle's work

Cultural Committee Members Heather June Toser and Judy Haga
with Collage Artists Kathryn Kucera and Alice Shaddle

Collage Artist Joseph Clayton Mills

"Life has all these lovely little pieces.
That's why I enjoy your work so much, it reminds me of that"
Patron Sharon Harrell speaking with Collage Artist Alice Shaddle

Wright Gallery
Preparator, Jane Ellefson
and Curator Steven Jones

Angela Walker Duo performing

New Gallery Show: Surface Tension - A Group Collage Exhibit

2011-11-22T11:30:00.001-06:00

Six Chicago area artists explore different applications of collage.

Doug Stapleton Gothic Painting in Bohemia
collage, foil paper, color pencil on book page
(13" x 191.2") SOLD

Alice Shaddle Bare Tree by the Lake
collage (28" x 19") SOLD

Joseph Clayton Mills Notecard/Dying is Fun (Nabokov)
mixed media/collage (20" x 16") $750

Kathryn Kucera Pelee Premonitory
collage (11" x 8") $500

Jacqueline Moses Legacies: Goblin
photo & oil on paper (14" x 11") $400

Patricia K. Swanson Brain 1
discarded book parts (8 1/2" x 5 1/2") $250

The show continues through December 11, 2011

CLC Ceramic Sale

2011-11-02T13:32:00.000-05:00

It's time for the 6th Annual Fall Ceramic Sale presented by the CLC Community Clay Association.

Sale Dates:

Monday November 7th 10:00 am - 10:00 pm

Tuesday November 8th 7:00 am - 7 pm

Location:

Learning Resource Center Atrium

See you there!

New Work by Loraine H. Stillman

2011-10-27T08:26:00.000-05:00

Loraine H. Stillman Our Many Hats mixed media $300
(24" x 18" matted and framed)

Loraine H. Stillman Jumbo Serving etching $250
(17" x 19 1/2" matted and framed)

ARTcetera is pleased to have new work by Venon Hills, IL artist Loraine H. Stillman. Her etchings always delight!

More from Recent Works 2011

2011-10-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Chi Chi Liu Deep Sea Series #3 oil $400

Dana Cohen Tangled Up In Blue watercolor NFS

Chuck McCann
Creatures Under My Bed acrylic $300

Sallie Gilmore Roniss Untitled oil $1500

Jean Sanno Dragons oil NFS

Toni Wiese Upper River Rapids oil $500

The show continues through November 6, 2011.

The Calm of Purple

2011-10-19T10:59:00.000-05:00

Susan Schneider Consider the Lilies oil $400
(16" x 20 1/2" framed)

Donna Sands Winds off Lake Michigan oil on panel $300
(10" x 21" framed)

Robert Johnson Harvestime watercolor $95
(10 1/2" x 16" framed)

The Honey Bees of Fox Run Studio

2011-10-12T15:00:00.000-05:00

Artists and Beekeepers Pam and Pat Podstawa of Fox Run Studio in Antioch, IL have been providing a nurturing environment for their little bee friends for the past two years. After much trial and tribulation, the hives have produced enough honey for themselves and for us! Now available in ARTcetera in 2 sizes at $4.50 and $8.00 each.

Did you know?

Consuming local honey helps your body build up immunity to local pollens that you may be allergic to.

As a small, local beekeeping operation, the bees fill their hives with pollen and nectar from about a one mile radius.

None of the honey you buy from Fox Run is filtered down by sugar water feedings, additives, or pasteurization. They do filter their honey once to remove wax fragments.

What you get is the most nutritious honey straight from the hives!

Food for thought.

FALL SALE at ARTcetera: October 11 & 12, 2011

2011-10-11T14:53:00.000-05:00

Come and see all the new artwork!

Everything is 10% off during the sale!

20% off for Friends of the Gallery Members!

We are open 9 am - 9 pm during the sale

Recent Works 2011: Opening Night Photos

2011-10-05T14:06:00.000-05:00

Steven Jones, Wright Gallery Curator

A group admiring the work of Jeff Baenen - wood artist
and Yuka Okane Inoue - jewelry artist

Reginald Coleman - artist and guests, beside
Amber Wave II, wood $800 by Robert G. Andrus

Leisa Shannon Corbett - artist, beside her work
Birthday, oil on canvas $850

Beth Emsun - artist beside her work
The Crow and the Pitcher, acrylic

Happy crowds enjoying the food

Others enjoying the music

Joseph and Alice Schank - artist with Edward Popelka

Jazz Beaucoup entertained

The Fabulous Judy Haga with Ali Albakri editor
of the Lake County Arts Magazine

Recent Works 2011 Award Winners

2011-10-05T11:00:00.000-05:00

The opening for Recent Works - A Juried Competition for Lake County Artists - now in its 31st year - was held on Friday September 30, 2011.
The show was juried by David Holmes, Emeritus Professor of Art - University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Didier Nolet - artist and educator. Out of a near record number of entries - 63 were chosen for the show.

The following artists received awards:

Brad Coleman
$300 Award of Excellence

Brad Coleman Sheep VII, charcoal on paper
(one of 12 identical drawings of sheep) $2000

Brad Coleman Sheep VIII, charcoal on paper
(one of 12 identical drawings of sheep) $2000

Josiah Eidmann
$300 Award of Excellence

Josiah Eidmann, Reproach, oil $2500

Kathy Chambers
CLC Purchase Award

Kathy Chambers Venetian Specter, photography

Beth Emsun
CLC Purchase Award

Beth Emsun, The Crow and the Pitcher, acrylic

Arthur R. Noel
CLC Purchase Award

Arthur R. Noel, Untitled, photography

Sarah Mastalerz
$150 Antioch Fine Arts Foundation
Special Award of Merit

Sarah Mastalerz, Internal Calendar
mixed media NFS

Jane Ellefson
$100 Award of Merit

Jane Ellefson, I am overtired of the great harvest I myself desired
oil on linen panel $900

Hans Habeger
$100 Award of Merit

Hans Habeger, Bundled and Stacked
conte crayon on drafting film $3600

Jeff Baenen
$50 Honorable Mention

Jeff Baenen, Ripple, wood $900

Corinne Buckley-Kukulski
$50 Honorable Mention

Corinne Buckley-Kukulski, Ark, stoneware $275

Yuka Okane Inoue
$50 Honorable Mention
In memory of Orva Vaupel
(Ali O'Brien, donor)

Yuka Okane Inoue, Find Me; I'm Here, metal, stone NFS

To see a virtual tour of the show:

http://gallery.clcillinois.edu/exhibitions.cfm

The Show continues through Sunday November 6, 2011.

Thrown Altered: Vessels Out of Round - Opening Night Photos

2011-08-30T15:51:00.000-05:00

David Bolton - Guest Curator

David Bolton, Head of the Ceramics Department at the College of Lake County guest curated Thrown Altered: Vessels Out of Round.

"My intention with this exhibition is to expose students and the public to great ceramic art and to make them aware of more possibilities with clay and the wheel. The artists in this show have transcended the process to create their individual visions in clay"

The 14 invited ceramicists from around the country and one from Canada were selected for the way they explore throwing and altering their work.

Ben Bates - Invited Artist

Two local artists in the show were able to attend the opening: Ben Bates - Libertyville, IL and Doug Jeppesen - Sugar Grove, IL

Doug Jeppesen - Invited Artist

Smooth vibraphone sounds were provided by the Rick Embach and Jim Seidel Duo.

Rick Embach and Jim Seidel Duo

Work by Edward Eberle: White Canyon, 2008 porcelain

Work by Jeff Oestreich: Thrown and Faceted
Triangular and Square Bowl, 2011 soda fired

Jane Brandt and Dean of Libraries Connie Bakker
enjoying the opening

Work by Ben Bates: Lotus Platter, 2009 stoneware
Admired by Shu-Hei Hwang, Feng-Hua Cheng
and Corrine Buckley-Kukulski

David Gaura - Twisted!

2011-08-25T12:16:00.000-05:00

David Gaura, Pen Holders $12 each

In honor of our "Thrown Altered" ceramics show in the Wright Gallery, ARTcetera is featuring the twisted spoons of local artist David Gaura (Franksville, WI). Always looking for your pen? These whimsical holders will keep your pen close at hand.

Thrown Altered: Vessels Out of Round - August 19 - September 25, 2011

2011-08-23T11:11:00.002-05:00

An exciting invitational exhibition is featured in the Wright Gallery. Guest Curated by David Bolton, Head of the Ceramics Department at the College of Lake County, this exhibit features forms that all started on the potter's wheel, but were then altered to suit the artist's aesthetic needs. The 14 invitees represent some of the most respected artists working in clay today:

Daniel Anderson - Edwardsville, IL

Ben Bates - Libertyville, IL

Bruce Cochrane - Mississauga, ON Canada

Edward Eberle - Pittsburgh, PA

Martha H. Grover - Helena, MT

Doug Jeppesen - Sugar Grove, IL

Nicholas Joerling - Penland, NC

Kristen Kieffer - Baldwinville, MA

James Lawton - South Dartmouth, MA

Lorna Meaden - Durango, CO

Ron Meyers - Athens, GA

Jeff Oestreich - Taylors Falls, MN

Jose Sierra - Tucson, AZ

Tara Wilson - Montana City, MT

An opening reception will be held on Friday August 26, 2011 from 7 - 9 pm. Refreshments will be served and music will be provided by Richard Embach on vibes. The event is free and open to the public. To view the show catalogue: http://gallery.clcillinois.edu/publications.cfm

Letterio Calapai & Friends: A Look Back at Opening Night

2011-07-18T14:58:00.000-05:00

Opening Night Guests view the new exhibit

Artists Skip Wiese and Frank Vioski

Discussing the printmaking process

Guests enjoyed the music and refreshments.

Tom Bradfish

Daphne Freund

A video produced by the Highland Park Public Library introduced opening night patrons to Letterio Calapai:

Frank Vioski explains a technique

The Calapai video captured the attention of many

Frank Vioski remembering Letterio Calapai

The Show continues through August 12, 2011.

Summer Gallery Hours:

July 8 - 29

Monday - Thursday 8am - 9pm

Friday 8am - 4:30pm

August 1 - 12

Monday - Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Closed Weekends

Letterio Calapai: A personal narrative written by his former studio assistant Frank Vioski

2011-07-05T15:08:00.002-05:00

Letterio Calapai

I walked into Letterio Calapai's workshop in 1978. I had been working on the North Shore as a tradesman for quite some time and had been interested in the beautiful work displayed in the windows of his workshop/gallery on Tudor Court in Glencoe. I stopped in the gallery one day.

"Would you teach me the art of etching?" I asked.

"Well, I've retired from teaching so that I can devote more time to my work. But, I would like to see what you are doing. Could you bring some of your work by?"

I did bring a portfolio of my work.

"Your work would lend itself very well to etching. I can agree to see you every Wednesday morning from 9:00 to 11:00 if that is ok with you. Please bring $15."

That was how our relationship began. After awhile the $15 was dropped and I began to spend much more time with Mr. Calapai than just Wednesday mornings.

Letterio Calapai

He was the very essence of what I thought (and still think) an artist should be. Diligence and hard work marked Calapai. Every day he was at his shop from 9:00 to 5:00 except Sundays. Then he would work in a small studio he had prepared in the extra bedroom of his Wilmette apartment where he lived with his wife Jean, a retired high school English and French teacher. Jean was also an accomplished pianist and they had squeezed a baby grand piano in the living room of their apartment.

Frank Vioski

Mr. Calapai did teach me much more than etching. All aspects of intaglio printmaking as well as wood block engraving were taught and executed in that little studio. We worked on plates that Mr. Calapai had made while teaching but had never had the time to complete in an edition. We were always preparing for an art show or doing a demonstration for one group or another on the North Shore. One summer, Mr. Calapai went to Africa on a safari with a group of medical professionals as the group artist. We worked very hard on the plates he had prepared on his journey. Another time he went to the Vatican in Italy for a showing of his work and to honor him. Everything was in Italian and he worked hard brushing up on the language.

Tammy Vioski and Letterio Calapai

But with Mr. Calapai, it was not all work. When he learned that I was to get married in 1987, he insisted on talking to my bride-to-be concerning the pros and cons of being married to an artist. He grew to love my wife Tammy very much and would often draw her. He loved to cook and would come to our home and have the best time preparing one of his dishes for us to savor.

Letterio Calapai

Every year Mr. Calapai would close the studio for three months to summer out in Maine. This he had been doing with Jean for 26 years. They had a large old home set atop a hill in Stonington on Deer Isle, a small island accessible by bridge. Below the hill was another building that Mr. Calapai had turned into a studio. "Why don't you and Tammy come and visit us in Maine?" he asked me shortly after we were married.

Letterio Calapai and Frank Vioski

And we did. We ate lobster, went clam and mussel hunting when the tide was out, sat atop the hill and sketched the bay and in the evenings after one of Leo's great dinners, Jean would play the piano or we would just sit and enjoy ourselves with good conversation. "You know Frank, Jean and I never had any children of our own and we feel as if you and Tammy are like our children." What do you say to something like that from someone you love very much?

I was beginning to see what the life on an artist might look like. A true genuine artist....and a true genuine friend.

Letterio Calapai and Frank Vioski

By 1992 we had completed a large body of Mr. Calapai's work, both past and present and we were delighted with our efforts. But Mr. Calapai, now 90 years old, was tiring more easily. When he was honored at the Glencoe Public Library for his life's work Tammy and I would be on either side of him to steady him. Our days in the studio would be shortened. Some days he just had to sit while I did most of the plate preparation. Then came the time when he could not work in the studio at all.

Letterio Calapai in his studio

By 1993 Mr. Calapai was forced to close the studio. He could not come to work anymore as his health had deteriorated due to bone cancer. He was forced to spend his time in bed in his Wilmette apartment while Jean took care of him. We sold the presses, arranged for a reputable gallery out east to handle his work and started to clean out years of accumulated work, plates, boxes of correspondence as well as the tools, inks, and art paper of the trade.

"What do you want me to do with all of this Mr. Calapai?" I had been chosen to pack up the shop.

"If you can use any of this, I would like you to take it home."

By March of 1993 we knew that Mr. Calapai's time was growing short. "Frank, I don't have time for this. I have too much work to do." And he did. The last project he did was a wood engraving he created while bedridden. He asked me to print it.

Vladimir Leyetchkiss

On March 28, 1993 we celebrated Mr. Calapai's 91st birthday. Jean had lobster flown in from Maine, had the baby grand meticulously tuned and had plenty of champagne on board. Mr. Calapai had done a very beautiful wood engraving from the musical piece "The Erlking" and it had grace the record album cover of the concert pianist Vladimir Leyetchkiss. He was kind enough to fly in from New York to play for Leo's birthday.

Leo was upstairs in his bed as he couldn't walk anymore. He was sitting up in his bed to listen to the music. Downstairs, Jean, Dr. Arthur DeKovits and his wife and Tammy and I made up the rest of the party. Dr. DeKovits was an avid collector of Mr. Calapai's work and was a close friend often vising us at the studio.

Watching a concert pianist up close is an amazing privilege and after two hours of beautiful music, friends, and excellent food it was over - except for the memory. Everyone left except Tammy and I to help Jean clean up. Then the hospice nurse came to the top of the stairs and asked us to come up as "it was time."

Frank Vioski
Letterio Calapai March 1993
graphite

We did go up - Jean, Tammy and I. Mr. Calapai was laying in his bed very tired and weak. He had enjoyed the concert very much. He told Jean he loved her very much and she told him the same, then he closed his eyes and was gone.

Letterio Calapai and Frank Vioski

Today, Mr. Calapai still lives on - in his work which we celebrate and enjoy and in the harts of those of us who were privileged to know and love him so. My hope is that this will enable you to know the artist better....and the relationship I had with him.

Frank Vioski

Letterio Calapai & Friends: A Look Back will be at the Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art from July 8 through August 12, 2011.

Gallery Summer Hours:

July 8 - 29

Monday - Thursday 8 am - 9 pm

Friday 8 am - 4:30 pm
Closed Weekends

August 1 - 12

Monday - Friday 8 am - 4:30 pm

Closed Weekends

Letterio Calapai & Friends: A Look Back Opening Friday July 8, 2011

2011-06-27T16:19:00.001-05:00

Philip Evergood Portrait of Letterio Calapai
etching/aquatint

Printmaker Letterio Calapai (1902-1993) spent the latter part of his life in a storefront studio in Glencoe, IL. He was friends with many illustrious mid-20th century printers such as Rockwell Kent, Arthur William Heintzelman, Philip Evergood and others.

Letterio Calapai City Canyon
wood engraving

Our latest show takes a look back at this internationally known printmaker and his talented friends. Works in this exhibition are provided by his former studio assistant, Frank Vioski.

Rockwell Kent Greenland Swimmer wood engraving

Arthur William Heintzelman
Portuguese Fisherman's Daughter
drypoint

An opening reception will be held Friday July 8, 2011 from 7-9 pm. This event is free and open to the public. Music by harpist Daphne Freund and Tom Bradfish who will accompany her on the Irish whistle, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, harmonica and bodhran. Not to be missed!

New Works by Mary Custer

2011-06-13T13:41:00.000-05:00

Mary Custer Discovering oil
(14.5" x 11/5" framed) $200

Mary Custer Three Fishing Friends oil
(12.5" x 10.5" framed) $175

Mary Custer Forgotten oil (13.5" x 16.5" framed) $275

Mary Custer of Wauconda, IL has just brought in 3 new works to ARTcetera. I love the sensitivity of her brushwork.

L. Skip Wiese - Fruit and Vegetables

2011-06-08T16:00:00.000-05:00

These charming fruit and vegetable themed oil paintings by L. Skip Wiese of Waukegan, IL measure 6" x 6" and sell for $100 each. Purchased as a grouping or singularly, their neutral tones would compliment any decor.

Roland Miller & Steven J. Mark - Air & Space: Opening Night Snap Shots

2011-05-23T16:07:00.001-05:00

An outstanding performance by
Dan Trudell & Charles Ledvina jazzed up the evening

Roland Miller gave a talk about his work
and the work of Steven Mark

CLC President, Dr. Jerry Weber admiring
Steven Mark's photographs

Artists Frank and Tammy Vioski in studied concentration

This exhibition brings together two very different documentaries. Roland Miller's Constellation Rising, captures the end of the space shuttle program through colorful digital pigment prints that sometimes border on the abstract and Steven Mark's Uncontrolled Airspace, that captures life at Galt Airport in Greenwood, Illinois through 4" x 5" large format black and white photographs printed on equipment from the 40s and 50s. Two very different approaches combine to provide us with a stunning show: Air and Space. Not to be missed!

The show continues through July 1, 2011

AIR & SPACE photographs by Roland Miller & Steven J. Mark - Opening Friday May 20, 2011

2011-05-16T11:42:00.002-05:00

Roland Miller
Atlantis, Rotating Service Structure View,
Complex 39A, KSC, 2008
Digital Pigment Print $1000

Rolland Miller
External Tank and SRB Frustum Detail, STS 125, Atlantis, 2008
Digital Pigment Print $1000

Rolland Miller
Endeavour, Belly View, Vehicle Assembly Building KSC, 2011
Digital Pigment Print $1000

Steven J. Mark Hot-Shot Eastbound 2008-09
B&W Photography NFS

Steven J. Mark Prop Pull-Through, 2008-09
B&W Photography NFS

Steven J. Mark Yak Silhouette, 2008-09
B&W Photography NFS

Join us Friday May 20, 2011 from 7 - 9 pm for the Opening Reception of Roland Miller and Steven J. Mark's New Exhibition: Air & Space. Musical Entertainment will be provided by Jazz Duo: Dan Trudell & Charles Ledvina. This event is free and open to the public. The show continues through July 1, 2011.

Roland Miller, from Grayslake, will have photographs that examine the winding down of the Space Shuttle Program on exhibit. Steven J. Mark, from Antioch, will display photographs from his documentary on Galt Airport in Greenwood, Illinois.

Gallery Summer Hours:

May 20 - June 3

Monday - Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm

Saturday and Sunday: closed

June 6 - July 1

Monday - Thursday 8 am to 9 pm

Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm

Saturday and Sunday: closed

More from the Student Show:

2011-05-04T15:18:00.000-05:00

Perla Lopez Untitled acrylic $250

Elizabeth Napora Autumn Forest watercolor $100

Sharon Rollings Sand and Stone watercolor $165

Alice Stoeberl Sydney Harbor acrylic $425

Nancy Whitmore Smith Larissa technique mixte NFS

Melissa McChesney Trinity
brass, nickel, silver, painted jasper $85 SOLD

Krista DeGraff Eagle's Wings metals $250

The show continues through May 14, 2011.

Oil Paintings from the Student Show

2011-05-04T14:43:00.000-05:00

Alberto Guerra Potassium oil $250

Weidi Ching I want to go home (Bird in BP oil spill #4)
oil on panel $400

Susan Oliver Dahod Barb's Clam oil NFS

Jorge Dante Alarcon Puente de Fierro oil on canvas NFS

Susan Schneider One Cloud oil $300

Chi Chi Liu Deep Sea Series #4 oil $400

Maria De John Cooling Off oil $1200

Virginia M. Geary Photographer's Shadow oil NFS

Sandra Wang Autumn Serenity oil $200

Susan Schneider Tranquil Water oil $300 SOLD

Gerald Laurent Untitled oil on canvas $125

Jessie Y. Lee Lady in Chinese Opera oil on cavnas $800

Judith G. Ledvora French Soldiers WWI 1917
oil on canvas $150

Paula Menary Italian Vineyard oil $200

Stephanie Oller Crabapple Tree oil NFS

Daniel Paulson Forest of Birch - Klimt oil on canvas NFS

The show continues through May 14, 2011

Photographs and Drawings from the Student Show

2011-05-04T13:43:00.000-05:00

Richard Ryndak Panang photography $300

Richard Ryndak Rush photography $300

Apryl Polster Chanute Engine digital photography $100

John C. Meadows Dowling House Galena photography $100

Paul Roupas Little Too Big photography $1200

Steven Yates Africa black & white photography $85

Skye Robinson The Nest charcoal & conte crayon on mylar NFS

Megan Gray Charcoal Value Drawing charcoal NFS

Megan De Meyer Master Study: Robert Longo charcoal NFS

Samantha Vos Baking with Grandma charcoal NFS

Skye Robinson Standing Woman charcoal on mylar NFS

Rachelle Santos The Graceful conte black & white NFS

Douglas Kass Master Study charcoal NFS

The Student Show continues through May 14, 2011.

Ceramics from the Student Show

2011-05-03T14:52:00.000-05:00

Tom Andersen
Pickle Pot Blue
white stoneware NFS

Corinne Buckley-Kukulski
Soy Bottle
stoneware $100

Feng-Hua Cheng

Woodfire Teapot

ceramics NFS

Melanie Sherman (left)
Pitcher
porcelain woodfired NFS
Tomiko Ferdman (right)
Attraction
porcelain NFS

Susan Traynor

Rebel & Yank

porcelain clay NFS

Shu Hwang
Untitled #2
ceramics NFS

Maggie Vnuk

Untitled

white stoneware NFS

Annette Klier (left)
Midnight Noir

glazed stoneare $90

Megumi Kawai (right)
Plate

ceramics NFS

The Student Show continues through May 14, 2011.

Spring Sale at ARTcetera: May 3rd and 4th, 2011

2011-05-02T15:22:00.000-05:00

ARTcetera is back and celebrating with a sale!

10% off everything!
20% off if you are a Friends of the Gallery Member!

We have something for every celebration!

Mother's Day - Father's Day - Graduation Day - Wedding Day

Hours: 9 am - 9 pm

30th Annual CLC Student Art Competition: April 15 - May 14, 2011

2011-04-19T15:22:00.000-05:00

Opening Night was a great success, with 300 people attending.

Musical entertainment was provided by the lively Jazz Spectrum.

Awards were presented by Steven Jones,

Curator of the Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art.

Melanie Sherman recieving the Phoebe Boyd Scholarship Award

Artists were happy to pose by their artwork

Samantha Vos and her family

Katie Keeling

Steven Yates

Guillermo Galindo with
Apryl Polster and her photographs

The show continues through May 14, 2011.

CLC Spring Ceramic Sale!

2011-04-11T15:12:00.000-05:00

It's spring, so that means the much anticipated

Ceramic Sale is here!

Monday April 18th: 10 am - 10 pm

and

Tuesday April 19th: 7 am - 7 pm.

You will find the sale in the Atrium by the Library.

Come early for best selection of pieces by students, instructors, and community members of the Ceramics Club.

Binh Pho Demo Day a great success!

2011-04-11T14:54:00.000-05:00

Join us for a cup of tea Wednesday April 6th 11:00 am to 2:00 pm!

2011-04-04T09:17:00.001-05:00

Enjoy a cup of tea in the ARTcetera Gallery in celebration of our successful show Teapots: An Invitational. Tea will be served Wednesday April 6th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Binh Pho, Woodturner to give DEMO Wednesday April 6!

2011-04-04T08:52:00.000-05:00

Artist Binh Pho will give a wood turning demo from 11 am to 1:30 pm on Wednesday, April 6 in the College of Lake County Atrium. The event is being held in conjunction with Pho's current exhibit in the Robert T. Wright Community Galllery of Art.

"Binh Pho: Woodturner has been one of our most popular exhibitions. People are mystified as to how he can create such delicate and intricate vessels out of wood," explained curator Steven Jones. "Binh has generously proposed to do a demonstration of his techiques, which is free and open to the public."

We all look forward to a facinating demonstration. Copies of Pho's book: River of Destiny The Life and Work of Binh Pho as well as his DVDs: Thin Wall Turning and Surface Design on Thin Wall Turning are available for purchase at ARTcetera. ($35 each)

Teapots: An Invitational - Robert Archambeau Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

2011-03-29T11:18:00.000-05:00

Robert W. Archambeau Tea Kettle $700
stoneware, soda fired (8" x 8" x 6")

Statement:
My aim is not the decorative or didactic or clay as visual entertainment, it is not political. Instead, I hope my work is, in some measure, a distillation of the magic and mystery that surrounds me on this, my part of the Canadian Pre-Cambrian Shield. It is, at its best, pottery that is serene, rich in detail, detached from the mundane and timeless. The teapot in this invitational teapot show is made out of stoneware clay. It has been glazed with a combination of Suzy Lindsey's Yellow Shino glaze under Wayne Higby's Water Blue glaze. Once removed from the cooled soda firing, the teapot was sandblasted and oiled.

Bio:
Robert Archambeau is a Canadian studio potter from Winnipeg and Bissett, Manitoba. He received his MFA from Alfred University and taught at RISD (4 years) and the University of Manitoba (23 years), retiring in 1991. Robert is the recipient of the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts and a Manitoba Arts Council Senior Grant. His pottery is represented by AKAR Gallery (Iowa City, Iowa), David Kaye Gallery (Toronto, Ontario) and Jonathon Bancroft Snell Gallery (London, Ontario).

Teapots: An Invitational - David Bolton Grayslake, IL

2011-03-29T11:04:00.000-05:00

David Bolton Entrapped Ewer with Paisleys $600
wood-fired porcelain (8" x 8" x 8")

Statement:

My forms are made with the clay process and other forming processes in mind. Often the intent is to give a feeling of other mediums with the appearance of overlapped material visually reinforced with patterns, giving a non-clay reference to the forming process and surface decoration while staying true to the functional form.

Bio:

David Bolton is the Head of Ceramics at the College of Lake County Grayslake, IL.

Website: http://web.me.com/dwbqmp/ceramics/

Teapots: An Invitational - Ben Bates Libertyville, IL

2011-03-29T10:53:00.000-05:00

Ben Bates Teapot $175
soda fired porcelain (8" x 8" x 7")

Statement:

I am interested in the functional format as a realm of exploration, but I strive for my pieces to transcend their utilitarian boundaries and function as sculptural elements. I use the ideals of the vessel to clarify design and explore form as it relates to space. To me working in clay is more about composition, proportion and surface than it is about efficiency of use.

The dualities of this medium continually fascinate me. In my process I play with the plasticity of the material and its ability to capture spontaneous movement in form and surface. I then contrast it by introducing hard edges and lines that interrupt and accentuate the flow of that softness. I also want to skin of my pieces to heighten the viewer's awareness of the interior volume and function as a canvas for color and decoration.

My hope is to make pieces that are able to communicate feelings and ideas without recalling specific objects. I intend for these compositions to be mysterious and open-ended enough to evoke multiple interpretations.

Bio:

Ben Bates, a resident of Libertyville, IL, was born and raised in Southern California, earned his BFA at Kansas City Art Institute (1995) and his MFA at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (2000). After graduate school Ben established himself as the head Resident Ceramic Artist at Crabtree Farm - a living museum in Lake Bluff Illinois (1998 - 2003). He was also the Lead Consultant for the construction of the Sterling Hall Ceramics Center (1999-2001) and Art Department Chair at Woodlands Academy (2003 - 2005) both in Lake Forest, IL. His work has been featured in Feats of Clay, NCECA Clay National, Strictly Functional, 30 x 5 Akar Gallery, History in the Making II and III, Lilllstreet International, American Studio Ceramics, George Ohr Challenge, Platters and Pourers, Linearity and a solo show Featured Artist at AKAR gallery. Ben was Personal Studio Assistant to Ken Ferguson (1993 - 1995) and to Ruth Duckworth (2004). He is currently a Ceramics Studio Artist, Ceramics Instructor and Ceramics Studio Technician at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, IL.

Teapots: An Invitational - Sam Chung Tempe, AZ

2011-03-23T16:39:00.001-05:00

Sam Chung Teapot $650
porcelain, glaze, China paint (6.5" x 8.5" x 5)

Statement:
A consistent point of departure for my work has been the ceramic vessel and grappling with the balance between form and function. I am interested in the way that pots have the unique ability to serve a multitude of roles and functions. They can be decorative, they can create nostalgia, they can reference history or places, they can bring attention to more tactile or ergonomic concerns, and of course, they can be used. I am also interested in the accessibility and familiarity of the pottery format with regard to my audience, and how the perception of pots can be exploited in the context of the domestic landscape.

My most recent work explores more graphic line drawings that are inspired by various forms of script - Islamic calligraphy, graffiti, and Korean cloud motifs. While these references originate from different cultures, my attraction to this imagery is more formal. There is something lyrical about these marks that I find curiously similar to the way I conceive, originate, and develop my forms, much of which occurs through the act of drawing. I am intrigued by the way that drawing can be re-introduced at the end of my process to create another voice in the conversation between form and function.

Bio:

Sam Chung received his MFA from Arizona State University and his BA from St. Olaf College. he has participated in residencies at Anderson Ranch Arts Center, The Pottery Workshop (China) and Guldagergaard (Denmark). Sam has exhibited, lectured, and presented workshops both nationally and internationally. His works are included in the collections of the Crocker Art Museum, Guldagergaard, and Incheon World Ceramic Center (Korea). he taught at Northern Michigan University in Marquette for 9 1/2 years and is now an assistant professor of ceramics at Arizona State University in Tempe.

Website: http://www.samchungceramics.com/

Teapots: An Invitational - Charity Davis-Woodard Edwardsville, IL

2011-03-23T16:18:00.000-05:00

Charity Davis-Woodard Untitled $230
soda fired porcelain, slip, multiple glazes (7" x 9.5" x 6)

Statement:
The teapot is one of the most challenging and satisfying forms to make. As a functional potter I want the pot to serve its purpose well at the same time that it brings visual interest and pleasure to the user. Bearing in mind the satisfaction of pausing to pour a cup of tea from a well-balanced, free-flowing, drip and dribble-free teapot I pay attention to the design issues that contribute to this end. Once those parameters have been established they move to the periphery while I lose myself in the more personal and engaging decisions about form and surface. In the end I hope for the finished piece that will add pleasure to someone's life whether in the activity of making and drinking tea or from a momentary glance now and then in its direction.

Bio:
Charity Davis-Woodard moved to Illinois in 1994 to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. As a full-time studio potter for the past 10 years her focus has been limited-production and one-of-a kind porcelain wood-fired pottery. Charity has taught ceramics workshops for universities and other learning centers such as Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Wichita Center for the Arts, and Appalachian Center for Crafts, and her work is widely exhibited in galleries and invitational exhibitions. With numerous awards to her credit such as the NCECA Clay National, Clayfest 2003, and the Utilitarian Ceramics National, Charity's work can be found in professional publications, private and public collections, and cupholders nationwide.

Website: http://charitydaviswoodard.com/

Teapots: An Invitational - Mariko A. Brown Gurnee, IL

2011-03-23T16:03:00.000-05:00

Mariko A. Brown Green Teapot NFS
wheel thrown, Cone 6, underglaze inlay, glazes (8.5" x 11.5" 7")

Statement:
My fascination with pottery comes from my desire to make art and to produce something that is mot only functional but visually appealing. Porcelain allows me stretch and shape the clay in any way I chose and offers a blank canvas for my floral imagery and luscious glazes to blend. The forms I create are tight and precise with a sense of restricted volume. I use bands around the form to constrict specific areas of each piece, while at the same time creating space for the volume and fullness to escape. The bands create registers to frame my drawings and paintings of floral imagery. Blossoms, leaves and flourishes move around my pots in colors of green and blue.

The way I combine surface and form is inspire by Ming Dynasty porcelain wares and Iznik ceramics. I am drawn to the all-encompassing motifs depicted on these wares and to the compositions created by their colors and patterns, similar to those seen in Middle Eastern textiles. I also look to nature, especially the textures and contours of leaves and flowers, for inspiration. I use color combinations and floral imagery as a reminder of the beauty that nature has to offer.

My aim is that my pots will be used for eating, drinking and service. I believe that my art should be able to make a connection between the viewer and creator, even if only for a moment. I intend to create this relationship through the experience of beauty, design, tactility and comfort.

Bio:
Mariko A. Brown is a recent graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute where she received her BFA in ceramics. Mariko's continued fascination with creating pottery comes from her desire to create objects that are not only functional but visually appealing. She is currently living in Northeastern Illinois where she is continuing to make work and maintain her studio practice.

Teapots: An Invitational - Kevin Foy Glenview, IL

2011-03-23T15:45:00.000-05:00

Kevin Foy Gold and Black Teapot $300
stoneware (11.5" x 9" x 5")

Statement:
I start by making various forms and manipulating them in different ways. This exercise allows me to explore various shapes and lines and find a composition that sparks my interest. I playfully build a body of work and then study the pieces to try and understand what is happening. My concept evolves out of this study.

Much of my recent work reflects the voluptuous curves of the human body. I try to capture the tension between the soft bulging form and the lines and angles impressed in the vessels. Here I explore the relationship between the form and how straight lines and angles manipulate the form. This tension references how the skin of the human body reacts to movement of joints and muscles. I use the repetition of line to form pattern that relates to the movement of the surface and helps balance the vessel. Adding additional elements of the human form to the vessels, such as finger-like appendages, develops a more comfortable relationship between the vessel and the user. I make functional vessels because the idea of someone actually using the pot completes the process for me. I take great pleasure in using my hands to create, form and fire the material so that it will be put into service and enjoyed by someone. When I look at my work, I learn more and more about the person making the vessels.

Bio:
Kevin started working with clay at Oakton Community College and he earned a BA in studio art concentrated in ceramics at Northeastern Illinois University in 1997. He received his MFA in ceramics from Northern Illinois University in 2010. Kevin has taught ceramics classes at Lill Street Art Center, Terra Incognito, College of Lake County, Evanston Art Center, Fine Line Art Center and Northeastern Illinois University. His current body of work is wheel thrown altered vessels. Kevin uses a white stoneware clay body and generally uses high fire reduction glazes. He has also shown work nationally in juried exhibitions and is currently ceramics studio coordinator at Evanston Art Center.

Website: http://kevinmfoy.com/

Teapots: An Invitational - Peter Hessemer Lake Forest, IL

2011-03-23T15:27:00.000-05:00

Peter Hessemer Teapot NFS
slip glaze, stained overglaze and red luster, Cone 6

Statement:
I only occasionally make teapots or explicitly functional objects. However we know a teapot is also a form like a rectangular canvas, or a building that can also be almost anything. Ben was kind enough to let me select any teapot I wished to exhibit. I made this one 25 years ago, 1986 and have valued it for the dynamic form and pattern. At the time I was firing to cone 6 in an electric kiln. The electric firing provided none of the "sudden beauty" inherent from high fire reduction. I felt particularly responsible for creating the surface unaided by the firing. Materials used include slip, glaze, stained overglaze, and red luster. I have a predilection for pieces that are dynamic, directly formed, and unfussy, whether they are refined or rough.

Enjoy,
Peter Hessemer

Website: http://www.chicagoclayartist.com/

Teapots: Nick Joerling Penland, NC

2011-03-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

Nick Joerling Teapot $175
wheel thrown/altered, high temperature stoneware
(7.5" x 4" x 5.5")

Statement:

My dictionary says a teapot is "a covered pot with a spout." I smile at the judiciousness of that definition, like characterizing a human being as an upright body with a face. Buried in both succinct summations is the rich unending variety of mechanics, spirit, aesthetics, emotion, intellect.

I like the blue-collar aspect of pots, that they do the everyday work of carrying, containing, delivering, but can also "step out" and stimulate the mind and imagination. I like the pots that make good use of the constraints of utility, and I like the pots that push against those boundaries: pots that entertain some dicey possibilities. In my own studio I hope for pots that have qualities of sensuality, empathy, humor and risk.

Website: http://penlandpottery.com/

Teapots: An Invitational - Warren MacKenzie Stillwater, MN

2011-03-23T14:24:00.000-05:00

Warren MacKenzie Teapot $150
stoneware, Shaner clear glaze over white crackle slip
with bamboo handle (8.5" x 7" x 6")

Statement:

Working with clay gives me the permission to be myself in a culture regulated by uniformity. It becomes my Declaration of Independence against the assembly line and the factory-produced, and it seeks to bring the world a response to these static indoctrinations.

Pottery brings me joy when I explore it with my senses; I love running my fingertips over the marks a potter made when creating a vessel. I learn a significant amount by simply touching a pot. My pottery is meant to be touched, held and used.

It offers a harmony of simplicity and warm intimacy. I try to make pots that are friendly, that beckon people to pick them up and experience their character. Earlier styles I meddled in began with machined perfectionism and moved swiftly away to off-kilter wonkiness.

Presently, I am at the in-between, finding beauty in the subtle and simple. I liken my pots to people and aim for honest personality in every piece. My pots are made of a high-fired stoneware or porcelain clay body. I have chosen these clay bodies for their wheel throwing properties and coloring, as ell as their glazing and firing personalities. I fire my pots in a high-temperature reduction atmosphere; this produces both desirable depth in the glaze and structural integrity in the finished work.

Bio:

Warren was born in Kansas City, MO in 1924. He studied art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He apprenticed, along with his wife, Alix, with Bernard Leach in England for two years, 1950-52. Warren began his long a illustrious teaching career at the University of Minnesota in 1953, retiring as Professor Emeritus in 1990. He has been a studio potter at his rural Stillwater, Minnesota home and studio since 1953. Numerous awards, including Honorary Fellow of both the American Crafts Council and NCECA, Minnesota Governor's Award, Gold Medal from the American Crafts Council and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Minnesota Crafts Council. Warren MacKenzie is regarded as a true master of 20th Century ceramic art, as one of America's greatest living potters and continues to be an inspiration to thousands of clay artists, collectors and ceramic aficionados.

Teapots: An Invitational - Lorna Meaden Durango, CO

2011-03-23T13:52:00.001-05:00

Lorna Meaden Teaset $255
soda fired porcelain (8.5" x 7" x 6")

Statement:
I am interested in having my work display both practical and extravagant attributes. I am drawn to work that is rich in ornamentation, with lavish use of materials - both scarce in a culture of mass production.

Bio:
Lorna grew up in the western suburb of Chicago, La Grange. After receiving a BA from Fort Lewis College in 1994, She established a studio in Durango, Colorado. She worked as a studio potter for the next eight years. She received an MFA in ceramics from Ohio University 2005. She has recently been a resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana, and at Anderson Ranch Arts Canter in Snowmass Village, Colorado. She is currently a studio potter in Durango, Colorado.

Website: http://www.lornameaden.com/

Teapots: An Invitational - Ron Meyers Athens, GA

2011-03-23T13:39:00.000-05:00

Ron Meyers Teapot $250
earthenware (7.5" x 8" x 6.5")

Statement:
Working with red earthenware, Ron's functional pots are made in a casual and spontaneous manner reflecting the juiciness of the material as well as the pleasure of the process. His narrative, colored slip paintings that float on the surface in a gestural expressionistic style can be both provocative and confrontational.

Bio:
Ron Meyers holds a 1967 MFA degree in ceramics from the School of American Craftsmen, Rochester Institute of Technology, a BS (1956) and MS (1961) degrees in art education from State University of New York College at Buffalo. He taught at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC from 1967-1972. He then spent the next 20 years teaching at the University of Georgia in Athens where he retired as Professor Emeritus.

Ron has an extensive history of professional activities within the ceramics community and his work is shown both nationally and internationally.

Teapots: An Invitational - Gertrude Graham Smith Bakersville, NC

2011-03-22T16:23:00.002-05:00

Gertrude Graham Smith Fluted Teapot $175
porcelain clay (7" x 9" x 6")

Statement:

The movement and soft responsive feel of porcelain clay thrown on a potter's wheel is celebrated in the vessels I make. My pots are animated by thoughtful and spontaneous manipulation of their forms, surfaces, and attachments. Handles sweep up and out from bellies and shoulders. Jars raised on feet dance in space. Scale and surfaces appeal to the human hand. In the kiln, flames filled with sodium decorate anticipated edges. I'm looking for my vessels to bring joy with their use and presence, to be good companions for daily living. They will truly come alive when they fond a home with you. Imbued in these objects with the making are intended qualities; perhaps, when a hand embraces a cup, a heart fills with compassion.

Bio:

Gay Smith, aka Gertrude Graham Smith, is a studio potter and teaching artist. her porcelain ware is single fired in a soda kiln near Penland, NC. Recent grant awards include a North Carolina Arts Council Visual Artist Fellowship in 2008/9, and an RAPG in 2009/10. She held artist-in-residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation and at Penland School. Teaching credits include workshops at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Penland School, the Harvard Ceramics Studio, and the Findhorn Foundation in Northern Scotland. her work is represented internationally, is in collections including the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC and Yingge Ceramics Museum in Taiwan, was featured on the cover of Ceramics Monthly, and can be view in publications including Making Marks and Functional Pottery by Robin Hopper and Working with Clay by Susan Peterson.

Website: www.gertrudegrahamsmith.com

Teapots: An Invitational - Tom Turner Mars Hill, NC

2011-03-22T16:04:00.002-05:00

Tom Turner Spouted Vessel with three hand cups $600
wheel thrown porcelain paddled, stamped, multiple Oilspot glazes
(7.75" x 11" x 8")

Bio:
Tom received his undergraduate degree in Art from Illinois State University in 1968. He taught crafts while in the Army and then was asked to establish a ceramic art program for the College of Architecture at Clemson University. He did so in 1971 and taught there until 1976 when he resigned to work full time in his studio. He received his MFA at Clemson in 1973, moved to Florida in 1979, moved to 1982 to Medina, Ohio, moved to Delaware, Ohio in 1986 and moved to Mars Hill, North Carolina in 2005.

He has worked with high fired porcelain for over 35 years.

Tom has taught at the leading craft schools in the country such as Penland, Arrowmont, The Archie Bray Foundation and has conducted over 125 workshops throughout the United States and has been a visiting artist at Illinois State University and The Ohio State University.

Major shows include Young Americans 1969; The Marietta Crafts National 1974, 1977, 1981; The 33rd Scripps College Invitational; Functional Ceramics at Wooster, Ohio 1978, 1981, 1983; 35 Artists of the Southeast, New Directions: Fiber and Clay; 20 American Potter, which toured the world and became collections of American Embassies; The Emergence of a New Tradition: American Porcelain, at The Hand and Spirit Gallery; and American Porcelain: New Expressions in an Ancient Art, shown at the Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution which later tours the United States and the world. He has also exhibited in over 150 invitationals and over 50 juried shows.

His work has appeared in Craft Horizons, American Craft, Ceramics Monthly, Studio Potter, The Washingtonian, House Beautiful, Southern Living, Ceramica - Madrid, Spain, Ceramic Review -London, England and numerous books.

Website: http://www.tomturnerporcelain.com/

Teapots: An Invitational - Tara Wilson Montana City, MT

2011-03-22T15:40:00.000-05:00

Tara Wilson Teapot $160
wood-fired stoneware (7" x 9" x 4.5")

Statement:
Quiet pots initially speak softly yet reveal complexity in both form and surface through continued investigation and use. Embodied in my wood fired vessels is the serenity that I experience by surrounding myself on a daily bases with a rich natural environment.

The rich surfaces of the vessels represent the natural world. nature also inspires form, in some cases quite literally, as river rocks become saucers. Other pieces speak of this passion more subtly. Bases reference the landscape, evoking a sense of space and awareness of the land. Parallels can be drawn between geological processes and the atmospheric firing process. Pots physically capture and record their firing process similar to the way sedimentary and metamorphic rock speak of their history.

Pottery's inherent relationship to the figure is accentuated in my gestural forms. The dialog between the forms changes as the pieces are used. The simple things in life are often the most important. My pots speak of my passions, while at the same time allowing the user to recognize the important things in their own lives.

Bio:
Tara Wilson is a studio potter living in Montana City, Montana. Wilson received a BFA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and an MFA degree from the University of Florida. She has been a resident artist at The Archie Bray Foundation and The Red Lodge Clay Center. Wilson was selected as an emerging artist for the 2006 NCECA conference and was a presenter at the 2006 International Woodfire Conference in Flagstaff. She has given lectures and workshops throughout the United States; and her work has been exhibited internationally.

Website: http://tarawilsonpottery.com

Teapots: An Invitational - Matt Wilt Edwardsville, IL

2011-03-22T15:16:00.000-05:00

Matt Wilt Server $1200
stoneware, concrete, steel (12.5" x 14" x 11")

Statement:
In recent years my work has become less vessel-oriented, though research into historical ceramics has continued to feed my ideas. Often my forms will seem to suggest a specific function or use, but the use is ambiguous; a hybrid on the known worked with a less concrete reality. This newer work also draws from a catalogue of forms that are suggestive in nature. In Philip Rawson's book Ceramics, he refers to memory traces, and the power of forms to evoke thoughts and memories. This is similar to the way we associate colors with emotional states or meanings. By incorporating forms that are symbolic and suggestive, I attempt to engage the viewer in a process of decoding.

Bio:
Matt Wilt is currently Associate Professor of Art at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He received his Bachelor's degree in Ceramics and Art Education at Pennsylvania State University and his Master of Fine Arts degree at Ohio University, Athens. Wilt worked for two years at Boston Valley Terra Cotta, an architectural terra cotta restoration firm in Buffalo, New York, where he began to work more extensively with plaster molds and imitative glaze surfaces. He also traveled extensively in Nepal and Thailand prior to pursuing graduate study.

Wilt has been the recipient of numerous awards. He has received two Pennsylvania Council on the Arts grants, an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship, as well as the Evelyn Shapiro Foundation Fellowship through The Clay Studio in Philadelphia. he has been active s a Visiting Artist at schools such as Syracuse University, Tyler School of Art, Indiana University and Herron School of Art.

Teapots: An Invitational - Russell Wrankle Toquerville, UT

2011-03-22T15:02:00.000-05:00

Russell Wrankle Teapot $195
soda fired porcelain (6" x 7" x 5")

Statement:
My cupboards are full of pottery made by other artists and with repeated use, the ones that have attained the subtle and indefinable quality of a good handmade pot migrate to the front and the others seem to languish in the back. I want to pottery that I make to be the ones that are reached for and as they gather coffee stains, chips and cracks that come with frequent use, they become more valued by the user. When not in use, I want my pottery to continue to improve the aesthetic life of the user in a quiet and subtle way through its visual strengths and integrity. Some days in the studio are filled with struggle and anxiety, nothing seems to work, on other days my efforts are rewarded with what will hopefully be the pot that captures that essence that we all know but find difficulty in defining. After 20 years of pottery making, every effort is made to put my mind and body in such a place so that my time in the studio is filled with the pleasure of work, and that there's an increased possibility of producing pots that migrate to the front of the cupboard.

Bio:
I have lived in Toquerville, Utah since 2001. In that time I have established a studio and loyal customer base. My wife, Lori and I enjoy living in a rural environment and raising our children in a natural, healthy setting. My studio is a barn on the back of my property which has been converted to a working space. Most of my days are spent toiling away in the studio with occasional visits and critiques from my kids.

Website: www.toquervilleclay.com

Teapots: An Invitational - Linda Sikora Alfred Station, NY

2011-03-22T14:26:00.000-05:00

Linda Sikora Teapot $250
porcelain, polychrome glaze, wood/oil/salt firing (7" x 10" x 7")

Statement:
Jars and teapots are at the front edge of my recent inquiry. The teapot, more demanding of specific engineering particular to its function, and the jar, a generous canvas, its criteria of containment more permissive. How I imagine, and make, and reflect on each piece shapes the atmosphere it generates and influences how it becomes positioned in cultural space. I am interested in pottery form for its familiarity and congeniality; its ability to disappear into private/personal activities and places. But, this is only one aspect of the work which, through its intelligence of color, form and stance can also excite/awaken attention and thereby reflect back to the viewer their own imagination. Invisible or visible, or oscillating back and forth between these states, the pots foster both attention and inattention. They are insistently existent, and continuously stir.

Linda Sikora (b. 1960) is a ceramic artist who hails from Canada and currently lives in Alfred Station, NY, where she teaches at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Her porcelain jars and teapots are known for their incredible form and polychrome surfaces.

Bio:
Sikora received her diploma of Fine Arts from David Thompson University Center, Nelson Brutish Columbia and holds a BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia. She received her MFA from the University of Minnesota. Sikora's work can be found in numerous collections, among them the Arkansas Arts Center, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Northern Clay Center.

Teapots: An Invitational - Jane Shellenbarger Hale, MI

2011-03-22T13:47:00.000-05:00

Jane Shellenbarger Teapot $450
soda fired black stoneware (11" x 9" x 6")

Statement:
I am interested in the connection between hand and eye and memory. My work focuses on a vessel aesthetic, incorporating historical references with domestic objects. The pieces are thrown and altered with highly personal surface treatments. While function continues to be an essential concern, I am most intrigues with the ability of pots to transcend themselves as objects and convey information. Form, and surface treatment and the ability for the work to draw relationships to history through imagery, content, and pattern hold my fascination.

I work in porcelain and stoneware clays, firing with atmospheric kilns. Often the pieces undergo multiple post firings to achieve a depth of surface.
Pots are intimate by nature. They have the ability to choreograph domestic experience affecting people in a deep and interactive way. This is unparalleled by other objects. There is a need to keep these interactions vital. The rhythm of making pots is, for me, an endless pursuit to express ideas and define interactions through form.

Bio:

Jane Shellenbarger was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1964. She was a CORE student at Penland School of Crafts in Penland, North Carolina from 1987-1989. Jane received her BFA degree from the Kansas City Art Institute, and her MFA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Following graduate school, she was a resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Helena, MT 1996-97. She established her pottery studio, Mill Station Pottery, in rural Hale, Michigan in 1997. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor at Northern Michigan University. She has taught at Kansas City Art Institute, Penland School of Crafts, Haystack Mountain Shcool of Crafts and the University of Northern Iowa. Jane has exhibited he rwork in several galleries around the country and her work is in the permanent collections of the Renwick Gallery of the national Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, The Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts,and The University Museum, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Teapots: An Invitational - Peter Pinnell Lincoln, NE

2011-03-22T12:39:00.000-05:00

Peter Pinnell Teapot $400
brown stoneware, wheel thrown and hand built (9" x 6"x 6")

Statement:
My work is intended to be both utilitarian and decorative, with both aspects being equally considered. The surfaces are embellished with textures and ornament of a regular, rhythmic nature. The forms, colors, and textures are derived from and inspired by various aspects of nature, especially botanical forms, and the winter landscape of the American Midwest.
My careful treatment of the object is intended to convey the sense that this is in some way a special object and with a sense of detail I hope to entice the viewer to give the work closer scrutiny. I strive to give a sense of precision in my work, but not of a cold, mechanical nature. I prefer a more casual, fluid precision - a sense of care, really - that reminds the viewer that the object was made by hand.

Bio:
Peter Pinnell is a Professor of Art at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He has shown his work throughout the United States and at a variety of venues abroad. His column, "As Far As I Know" appears regularly in Clay Times magazine.

Teapots: An Invitational - Lou Pierozzi Lindenhurst, IL

2011-03-22T11:51:00.002-05:00

Lou Pierozzi Teapot $400
stoneware, wheel thrown, handbuilt and sandblasted (8.5" x 12" x 8")

Statement:

I am primarily interested in functional ceramic art that is more than just a utilitarian object. My vessels, although functional, draw upon a unique time in history when machines first became mainstream. The rise of the Industrial Revolution brought trains, boilers, steamships, iron clad warships and other heavy steel machinery. I am particularly interested in the smoke stacks, rivets, gears, and steel plates that made up this early machinery. My ceramic pieces look to emulate the visual weight, and mechanical parts that were present in these historical objects. I want my viewers to be able to make a slight connection to this time period, but also be able to see the stylization that make my pieces unique.

The process I use to create these industrially inspired objects involves throwing all of the pieces on the potter's wheel. I first throw the main body of the piece on the potter's wheel and alter the shape considerably. Once I have created the main body, I then decide what shapes will work best for the extruding parts. I then throw the extruding parts, cut them and reassemble them into various mechanical forms. Once the vessel is fully assembled I carefully handcraft each rivet and meticulously place them onto the piece. Finally, I carve in the lines to make the piece look metal plated. After each piece is completely assembled and bisqued, glaze is applied and fired to cone 10. This long and evolved process combines to make an industrially inspired vessel that is not only functional, but also sculptural.

Bio:
Lou Pierozzi is an adjunct art professor at Oakton Community College. He has been working in ceramics for over 19 years and his artwork has been exhibited at numerous galleries and exhibitions throughout the country. Lou Pierozzi received his MFA at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 2001.

Website: www.loupierozzi.com

Teapots: An Invitational - Ted Neal Yorktown, IN

2011-03-22T11:23:00.000-05:00

Ted Neal Teapot $500
wood-fired, reduction cooled, high iron stoneware (8" x 8" x 6")

Statement:
My work represents recent explorations of both utility and sculpture within the realm of the clay vessel. The themes that dominate my sculptural vessels are the proliferation of mass produced industrial objects, consumer culture, and the veneration of the common place. Of particular interest to me are objects that are often discarded or have simply become part of the background of our daily life; forms that have traveled a road from useful object to garbage and in many instance back again.

I choose the ceramic vessel to marry industrial form, contemporary iconographic symbols with my thoughts about our consumer culture. I enjoy the interplay of roles between the utilitarian form as an object for eating and that of a conceptual vehicle for expression about consumption. The object serves as a subtle reminder of the true cost of the things that we use.

Bio:
Born and raised in rural upstate New York, Ted has received degrees from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (MFA 1998), Utah State University (BFA 1995), and Brigham Young University Idaho (AAS 1991). After graduate school Ted taught as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He moved back to Logan, Utah in 2001 to take the position of technology instructor and studio coordinator for the ceramics area at Utah State University (2001- 2006). His work has been featured in numerous national exhibitions. Ted is currently a studio artist and Assistant Professor of Ceramics in the Art Department of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

Teapots: An Invitational - Jim Lawton South Dartmouth, MA

2011-03-21T16:28:00.000-05:00

Jim Lawton Bulbous Bow Teapot $1200
Saggar fired Terra Sigillata with Cone 6 glaze script (8" x 12" x 3")

Statement:
In regard to pot making, I've always aspired to work from the basis of use towards the conceptual; and, in order to get this job done - employ all formal tools necessary.
Some years ago I decided to start from a different shaping premise for my work, one that I called the "Vowel and Consonant Project:". I've long had a fascination with penmanship, particularly found in personal letters, handwritten documents (think the Declaration of Independence) and the power of self that comes not only through the word's meaning but in the force and nature of the script itself.

I look at my own writing, how it exists on the page & moves across it. I am fascinated by the possibility of challenging the static nature traditionally granted to pot - wanting them to move, or have the implication of movement or unsettledness. This dis-interest in stability has informed my work since the 1980's with painted imagery on the work of falling objects, pots, garments, and furniture.

Therefore script, at times coalescing into word, has been an organizing theme both on the surface and the form which the vessel takes. This has spurred new principals in the way I approach constructing the vessel. Just as the letter/word has periodically "fallen off" the side of the pot & become form itself (Is 2006), so have the methods these letter-pots been made become more solitary & direct. At one time my work was made up from multiple formed parts brought together in a fluid gesture - many parts aspiring to be whole.

The manner which I make vessels continues the use of a variety of garment techniques, moving toward more complex shapes (Cantilever Vase 2009) cut out of a single cylindrical form. I am recalling a show of Issey Miyake, the Japanese fashion designer at ACE Gallery NY in 1999. One piece had particular resonance, "A-POC (A Piece of Cloth)", a machine-knotted tube of stretchable cotton polyester fabric he displayed that the wearer tailors to her desired shape with scissors. This sort of reductive volumetric approach appealed to my interest in the geometry of the figure - how to side step the table up architectonic method of vessel-making.

The pots' utilitarian archetypes: the pitcher - bowl - cup, for example, come to what we think is their conventional shape through millennia of reductive cutting & nipping so as to correspond to the peculiar verities of functional choreography - embodying the act of pitching fluid, the circular motion of mixing or tipping tea into one's mouth. This said, pottery has enjoyed a long history of quite idiosyncratic formal directions, and this has been the gist of my teapot, vase & pitcher explorations while keeping to the basis of utility. I once said, many years ago, that the most radical challenge I could present myself was to make the interior of my pots relevant, meaning that the enterprise of pot-making is not merely a formal activity, but is linked to our relationship to food, the delivery & presentation of human sustenance.

The approach I take in making pots is to configure enclosures - to contain as well as to reveal within their walls the eccentric shape of human life. It is my view that meaning is held on both sides of these fabrics: an inner life of use and the outer one of appearance. It is not incongruent to me that clay and carnal bodies share certain elemental connections: pottery possessing the ability to describe the human condition while simultaneously being a part of it.

Website: http://www.oysterstreetpottery.com/

Teapots: An Invitational - Ben Krupka Great Barrington, MA

2011-03-21T15:24:00.000-05:00

Ben Krupka Teapot $180
wood-fired stoneware (5" x 8" x 5")

Statement:
My pots are part of an ongoing investigation rooted in aesthetic functionalism. My goal is to build pots that are a collaborative balance between my aesthetic ideals and the beauty of food while being both utilitarian and rich in content. I often use my pots as a canvas for drawings of objects and scenes to be the focus of contemplation as metaphors. The objects depicted in the drawings are chosen based on their simultaneous physical strength and potential fragility. They are an amalgamation of dreams, travel and daily life that explore the ideas of self, both conscious and unconscious, protection and voyeurism.

Bio:
A Ceramic Artist and Assistant Professor at Bard College at Simon's Rock, Mr. Krupka' work has been shown in over 100 national and international exhibitions and many public art centers throughout the United States. His awards include fellowships and visiting faculty positions at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, Utah State University, and a residency at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Helena, Montana. Krupka has led workshops and been a guest speaker throughout the United States and in Bangkok, Thailand. He builds and designs kilns including wood burning, gas soda and salt. His work has been featured in many publications and books, including Ceramics Monthly, Clay Times and the Thai Ceramic Journal.

Website: http://benkrupka.com/

Teapots: An Invitational - Matt Kelleher Marshall, NC

2011-03-21T12:21:00.000-05:00

Matt Kelleher Teapot $145
soda-fired stoneware (4.5" x 7.5" x 5")

Statement:
Utilitarian objects are accessible and universal. Their forms are recognizable and their utility makes them inclusive. I choose to make utilitarian objects in order to use these characteristics as a foundation for my ideas. This decision invites the viewer to discover my visual and tactile interests.

I develop my form by considering the requirements of utility. I challenge these assumptions by altering design to communicate gentle and self-confident shapes. I ofen explore specific design by playing with compositional elements. Volume, line, center of gravity, edges, spouts, handles, feet, or lids may all be altered in subtle degrees. I also fine-tune tactile elements such as weight distribution, balance, and thickness to explore the composition of a pot. I search for a poised form that captures the essence of utility.

Surface is created for contemplation. Moods are suggested with warmth, fluidity, and translucency. Atmospheres are veiled with fog and cool mist. The vessels are covered with slip. Pouring and layering, I repond intuitvely to the qualities of liquid. Glaze is applied over the slip to achieve two different results. On some forms, I choose to pour glaze to mimic the gesture of the slip. On other forms, I arrange glaze with controlled marks to punctuate the composition. The majority of my work is fired in a soda kiln; a small number is fired in a wood kiln. The firing atmosphere dampens the surface, the slip warms up and layering is revealed. The relationship between the form, the firing, and my hand is complete.

My work is built on consideration. I combine a subtle balance of geometry in form, a comparison of symmetry and asymmetry in in decoration, and a serene surface. Softly, the work asks thr the viewers' attention. Each piece is ready for a conversation and willing to be part of a greater surrounding.

Bio:

Matt Kelleher is currently a working potter in Madison County, found in the mountians of western North Carolina. In 2005, he made the decision to leave teaching and pursue a career in making through a residency at Penland School of Crafts. Matt has also been artist in residence at Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT (1999-2001) and Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in Shigaraki, Japan (2003). As Matt continues a 15-year investigation of soda-fired tableware, he has broadened his interests to include scuptural vessels, bird inspired forms, and collaborative work with Shoko Teruyama.

Website: http://mattkelleher.com/

Teapots: An Invitational - Doug Jeppesen Sugar Grove, IL

2011-03-21T11:23:00.000-05:00

Doug Jeppesen Teapot $175
wood-fired B-Mix wood/salt fired
with Elvis Yellow Flashing Slip and Albany Slip Glaze (5" x 8.5" x 5")

Statement:
Today, we live in a world of convenience rather than one of necessity, and to make functional pottery is a reaction against this convenience. I'm interested in the personal relationships between handmade pottery and the industrialized objects used daily in our society. From a solitary morning cup of coffee, a noisy family dinner or sipping a cup of whiskey with a friend, pots are used every day by millions of people as they record and discuss their ideas, activities and experiences.

Bio:

Doug Jeppesen holds a BA in Art History and a BFA in Art with an emphases in ceramics from the University of Tulsa, and a MFA from Northern Illinois University. Doug is an Assistant Professor of Art/Ceramics at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Illinois where he has taught full time since 1998.

He specializes in wood firing and has built a number of different styled wood fired kilns at the college. The latest was an Anagama completed during the fall of 2006, which is one of only three in the state of Illinois. His work has appeared in numerous national juried and invitational exhibitions across the United States. Doug has also presented throwing demonstrations at area colleges and participated as a panel member at the International Wood Firing Conference at Northern Arizona University in 2006.

Website: http://www.dougjeppesen.com/

Teapots: An Invitational - Michael Hunt and Naomi Dalglish Spruce Pine, NC

2011-03-21T10:52:00.000-05:00

Michael Hunt and Naomi Dalglish Teapot $115
wood-fired local clay (8" x 8" 7")

Statement:

We make our pots using primarily coarse, impure local materials. Our pots are thrown on a slow turning Korean-style kick wheel, and the large jars are made using a traditional Korean paddle and anvil technique. We then fire the pots in a large, Thai-shaped wood kiln. Through this collaboration with powerful materials and processes, we hope to create an environment in which pots can be born with a beauty beyond what is possible with our own hands. Beginning with the geologic processes that form the coarse red clay, passing through our hands and kiln, the life of these pots is continued through years of daily use.

Bio:

Michael Hunt was born in Cleavland, OH. He began making pots in high school in Orlando, FL, was a core student at the Penland School of Crafts, and studied in Korea with Traditional Onggi potters.

Naomi Dalglish grew up in Bloomington, IN and received her BA from Earlham College.

Michael and Naomi live and work in the small town of Bandana in the mountains of western North Carolina. Their work is shown nationally and internationally.

Website: http://www.michaelhuntpottery.com/

Teapots: An Invitational - Chris Gustin Dartmouth, MA

2011-03-21T10:28:00.000-05:00

Chris Gustin Teapot with Dimple $850
porcelain, anagama wood-fired (6" x 9" x 5.5")

Statement:
When looking over statements from previous years, I came across something I wrote in the mid-1980's that said "I want to get a line to come off of the paper and put it into the air." In effect, that's what I've been doing for the past twenty five years. I've been taking a line and exploring how it might be used to define form, edge, transition, shape, and volume, and in turn, how that line might reveal context, analogy or metaphor in an object. I use the vessel as a vehicle for abstraction. The skin of the clay holds the invisible interior of the pot. How I manipulate my forms "around" that air, constraining it, enclosing it, or letting it expand and swell, can allow analogy and metaphor to enter into the work. I've always been much more intrigued by the cognitive than the rational. My work explores the visceral, hoping to provoke memory to the viewer, to suggest something that is just on the other side of consciousness. My forms and surfaces purposely encourage touch, and by inviting the hand to explore the forms as well as the eye, I hope to provoke a connection that goes past the intellectual to the innate.

Bio:
Chris is a studo artist and Emeritus Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, where he taught in the Program in Artisanry since its inception at Boston University. He received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1975, and his MFA from Alfred University in 1977. Chris' work is published extensively, and is represented in numerous public and private collections, including the Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Aart, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, The World Ceramic Exposition Foundation in Icheon, Korea, the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, the Syracuse Art Museum, the Shigaraki Cultural Park in Japan, the Yingge Ceramics Museum in Taipei, and the Mint Museum of Craft.

With over forty solo exhibitions, he has exhibited, lectured and taught workshops in the United States, Caribbean, Europe and Asia. He has recieved two National Endowment for the Arts Artist Fellowships and two Massachusetts Crafts Fellowships, the most recent in 2005. Chris is the cofounder of the Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Maine, and currently serves on its board. Chris is represented by Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art in Kansas City, the Snyderman-Works Gallery in Philadelphia, and the Sherrie Gallerie in Columbus, Ohio.

Teapots: An Invitational - Julia Galloway Missoula, MT

2011-03-16T17:40:00.000-05:00

Julia Galloway Teapot $220
porcelain, Cone 6 (8" x 6.5" x 4.5")

Statement:
I am interested in pottery that is joyous; objects that weave into our daily lives through use. Pottery decorates our living spaces with character and elegance. Teapots celebrate our drinking tea; a pitcher decorates a mantel when not in use; a mug with slight texture inside the handle allows our fingers to discover uniqueness. Pottery is a reflection of us. In making cream and sugar sets I am curious about their own inherent dialogue; the set itself is reminiscent of close conversations and their ritual celebratory use. An exhibition and gallery location is a brief but very important place for pottery. It is through the act of "show" that the public first comes to see and understand the work. Specific displays of pottery can bridge the viewer with the content in work. Displaying square tumblers on library-type shelves supports the ideas of all kinds of nourishment. Exhibiting cups at eye level decorated with the skyline of Rochester gives the viewer the sense of being inside looking outside.
I make pottery out of porcelain clay. It is extremely sensitive and responsive to the human touch when it's soft; when fired it becomes dense and strong. It is this responsive nature of clay that continues to interest me. It responds to your touch, and then you respond to it. The same happens in the firing process with glaze materials and the atmosphere of the kiln. Clay is a supportive and demanding medium for the creative journey of making.
I am insistent about making things with my hands. A need for beautiful domestic objects and an instinctual drive to create things are tremendous dance partners for idea and desire. Utilitarian pottery supports and represents our intimate rituals of nourishment and celebration.

Bio:
Julia Galloway was born and raised in New England. Her utilitarian pottery has been exhibited across the United States and Canada and she has demonstrated at the NCECA and the Utilitarina Clay Conferences.

Her work can be found in the collections of: The Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA - Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Museum, Washington, DC - The Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV - Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT - The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - The Woodman Collection: The University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado.

She earned her undergraduate degree from New York State School of Ceramics at Alfred University and Graduate Degree at the University of Colorado in Boulder. For nine years Galloway taought at the School for American Crafts at RIT and recently she moved to Missoula where she is a Professor of Ceramics and Chair of the School of Art at the University of Montana.

Website: http://www.juliagalloway.com/

Teapots: An Invitational - Bede Clarke Columbia, MO

2011-03-16T16:47:00.000-05:00

Bede Clarke Teapot $360
wood-fired stoneware (8" x 10.5" x 5.5")

Statement:
My goal in making this work has been to create quiet, simple pots, which like a good meal, leave a healthy, full feeling. Pots like these have been my constant companions for forty years. They are forms and surfaces that I never grow tired of. They are rooted in ceramic history; yet, I hope they reflect a personal and individual quality of feeling. Above all, these pots are intended to be good to live with and interact with on a daily bases. They are made with others in mind.

For me, good pots spring from compassion. My "technique" amounts to wishing the work well as it moves through the process of forming, articulation of the surface and firing. I try to find ways of working that respond to the only ability I have ever had, wishing the work well and silently encouraging it to "be good, be good." I keep returning to the studio simply trying to bring as much sincerity as I can muster to bear upon the work.

Bio:
Bede Clarke has been a Professor of Art at the University of Missouri since 1992. He received his MFA from The University of Iowa (1990) and a BFA from Eckerd College (1982). He has been working in ceramics for 40 years and maintains a studio in Columbia, Missouri where he produces his ceramic art work and continues to exhibit workdwide.

Bede's work is found in collections in the U.S. and abroad.

Website: http://www.bedeclarkestudio.com/

Teapots: An Invitational - Chris Campbell Austin, TX

2011-03-16T16:45:00.000-05:00

Chris Campbell Teapot $200
wood-fired stoneware (4.5" x 7" x 5")

Statement:
My choice to make functional pottery is a way to engage individuals through all their senses, something that sets this art form apart from others. Referencing the vast history of ceramics I focus on those cultures that place a deep significance on functional objects and at times have elevated a mundane pot to sublime status. Forms developed from these sources tend toward the understated and the familiar.

I typically use unglazed clay fired in a wood-burning kiln as the finish on a piece. Occasionally an austere glaze may be used to cover the form. In either case these pots will probably challenge the definition of beauty. These surface choices help to hold the users attention and perhaps discover something new and unexpected about the pot in particular and the experience of using a functional object. My pots contain ideas lying somewhere between comfortable and uncomfortable, familiar and unfamiliar, ugly and beautiful. This middle ground has the potential to interact with the individual on levels more closely associated with fine art such as feelings of spirituality or of personal reflection.

Bio:
Chris Campbell is a potter living in Austin, Texas. Since earning his MFA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2000, Campbell has focused on unglazed, wood fired pottery. Currently Campbell is the ceramics lab technician at the University of Texas at Austin.

His work is exhibited nationally.

Website: http://www.chriscampbellpotter.com/

Teapots: An Invitational - Neil Estrick Grayslake, IL

2011-03-15T16:25:00.000-05:00

Neil Estrick Teapot $120
porcelain, Cone 8 oxidation (8.5" x 10" x 7")

Statement:
There is a cupboard full of handmade mugs in my kitchen. Over the years my wife and I have decided which of the mugs our favorites are, and those pieces have migrated to the front of the cupboard. The rest of the mugs rarely see the light of day, unless we have a large party. All of the mugs in our cupboard have some level of visual appeal, but what sets our favorites apart from the rest is that they are a pleasure to use. There is something about the quality of their construction that makes us want them to be apart of our daily lives. I want every pot I make to have that same appeal.

While visual appeal and quality of design is very important to me, I put just as much of my energy into making sure my pots are well made. I demand from myself a high level of craftsmanship. My pots must be light enough to be handled comfortably, but not so thin as to make them too fragile for daily use. The walls must be of consistent thickness for good balance, and the glaze application must be clean and even. This attention to detail helps to ensure that my pots will be used for their intended purpose. Functional pieces that hare aesthetically pleasing but do not successfully perform their intended function will not be used, and will be destined to sit in the back of the cupboard.

Bio:
Neil Estrick holds a BFA in Visual Art with an emphasis in ceramics and photography, and a MFA in Ceramics. He has been making pottery for more than 18 years, and specializes in wheel thrown porcelain. Neil was born and raised in Colorado, but currently resides in Grayslake, Illinois with his wife Sara, a veterinarian, and his two young sons, Jack and Henry.

For the past 6 years he has been the owner of Neil Estrick Gallery, LLC, in Grayslake, Illinois. In addition to being a working studio and gallery, the business has a large classroom studio space where Neil holds pottery classes for kids and adults. Neil also offers workshops for teachers, sells kilns and other pottery equipment, and repairs kilns and wheels in the Chicago-Milwaukee area.

Website: http://www.neilestrickgallery.com/

Teapots: An Invitational - Josh DeWeese Bozeman, MT

2011-03-15T11:50:00.001-05:00

Josh DeWeese Teapot $150
wood-fired salt/soda glazed stoneware (4" x 6" x 4")

Statement:

I am interested in how pots can be used to bring art into our lives, enhancing our experience with food, adorning our homes, and providing a necessary ritual to nourish our soul and mind as well as our bodies.

I enjoy the intimacy of this small-scale teapot, and its association with our notion of comfort, reminding us to take a moment for a cup of tea, on our own or with a friend.

Bio:
Josh DeWeese is a ceramic artist and educator. He is an Assistant Professor of Art teaching ceramics at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, where he and his wife Rosalie Wynkoop have recently built a home and studio. DeWeese served as Resident Director of the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Helena, Montana from 1992-2006. He holds an MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred, and A BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute. DeWeese has exhibited and taught workshops internationally and his work is included in numerous public and private collections.

Website: http://www.deweeseart.com/

Teapots: An Invitational - Dan Anderson Edwardsville, IL

2011-03-15T09:21:00.000-05:00

Dan Anderson Little Red Book Man $300
From the Despot Series
porcelain, wood-fired & decal fired (10" x 6" x 6")

Statement:

With instant access to information 24/7 on the Internet and on cable news networks, I have been researching and creating ceramic decals of despots to bring an awareness of all the evil that has transpired and continues to exist on this earth at the hands of a select group of "bad seeds." A case in point, nearly everyone is aware of the millions of Jews that were exterminated by Adolph Hitler. But, how many people know who is responsible for the atrocities in Darfur, in the Sudan or the brutality currently going on in Myanmar? I have been creating what I refer to as my 'despot series' for about five years and in that timeframe the vocabulary of images of despots continue to grow.

The teapot I created for this show has Mao Tse Tung fired on the porcelain surface. I specifically chose this cherubic face of Mao to illustrate how looks can be deceiving. Mao was single handedly responsible for the execution of hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of Chinese! Some viewers inform me that my despot series work reminds them of souvenir "kitsch" pieces one would find while traveling in the despots country of origin.

Bio:

Dan Anderson is currently a full-time studio artist following 32 years of teaching ceramics (1970-2002) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). An avid wood firing enthusiast, he has his own anagama kiln at his Old Poag Road Clay and Glass studio/home, where he now spends 100% of his time.

BS Art Education, University of Wisconsin-River Falls

MFA Ceramics, Cranbrook Academy of Art

Dan's work is in numerous private and public collections throughhout the United States.

Teapots: An Invitational - John Glick Farmington Hills, MI

2011-03-14T16:01:00.000-05:00

John Glick Teapot $160
reduction fired in soda firing kiln stoneware (9" x 9" x 7")

Meet John Glick:

"I am an artist in my 47th year in my studio and I am having as much fun as I ever have had playing with ideas. Did you ever know that having fun could be a given in the arts? Well, I think it can be that way. My career is a blend of activities that includes making many things some of which are pots. Wait a minute, did he say some of which are pots?

I make lots of pots and I make sculpture and I make tools and studio equipment to help me make my work. I am a big advocate of learning to make things that make my ideas flow from my fingers more readily. I call this kind of integration of idea and making the 'flow'. I like being in the flow as much as I can be."

Bio:
Wayne State University B.F.A. 1960
Cranbrook Academy M.F.A. 1962
United States Army 1962 - 1964
Started Plum Tree Pottery in 1964 continuing to present time

Selected Collections:
The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Michigan - Cranbrook Art Academy Museum, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan - The Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York - Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, California - Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC - Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California - American Craft Museum, New York City, New York - The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art Toronto, Ontario Canada.

Website: http://www.plumtreepottery.com/

Teapots: An Invitational curated by Ben Bates

2011-02-24T10:42:00.000-06:00

36 diverse interpretations of the teapot form from some of the country's finest contemporary ceramic artists will be on display in the Artcetera Gallery. The show opens in conjunction with Binh Pho: Woodturner on Friday February 25, 2011. An online catalogue will be available to view on our Gallery Website: http://gallery.clcillinois.edu/ starting Monday February 28, 2011.

Artists participating in the show:

Dan Anderson - Edwardsville, IL

Robert W. Archambeau -Winnipeg, MB

David Bolton - Grayslake, IL

Mariko Brown - Gurnee, IL

Chris Campbell - Austin, TX

Sam Chung - Tempe, AZ

Bede Clarke - Columbia, MO

Charity Davis-Woodard - Edwardsville, IL

Josh DeWeese - Bozeman, MT

Neal Estrick - Grayslake, IL

Kevin Foy - Glenview, IL

Julia Galloway - Missoula, MT

John Glick - Farmington Hills, MI

Chris Gustin - Dartmouth, MA

Peter Hessemer - Lake Forest, IL

Michael Hunt and Naomi Dalglish - Spruce Pine, NC

Doug Jeppesen - Sugar Grove, IL

Nick Joerling - Penland, NC

Matt Kelleher - Marshall, NC

Ben Krupka - Great Barrington, MA

Jim Lawton - Dartmouth, MA

Warren MacKenzie - Stillwater, MN

Lorna Meaden - Durango, CO

Ron Meyers - Athens, GA

John Neely - Logan, UT

Ted Neal - Yorktown, IN

Lou Pierozzi - Lindenhurst, IL

Peter Pinnell - Lincoln, NE

Jane Shellenbarger - Hale, MI

Linda Sikora - Alfred Station, NY

Gertrude Graham Smith - Bakersville, NC

Tom Turner - Mars Hill, NC

Tara Wilson - Montana City - MT

Matt Wilt - Edwardsville, IL

Russell Wrankle - Toquerville, UT

The show continues until April 19, 2011.