4,000+ porcelain leaves/sculpture commissioned by Craig Hall for an office building in Frisco, TX.
I make clay objects that are influenced by nature. Embedded in the layers of intention and accident are the ideas that inspire my work: the sensuality of form, implied volume, human touch to a natural object, symbols of fragility, healing, and regeneration.
My experience of working with clay cannot be separated from my life experience which includes a passion for research and travel. My eyes, head, and spirit have been filled with the images of a ceramic world that include ancient skills, timeless forms, conceptual and symbolic content. Italian niches, Stonehenge, the Canadian Rockies, my backyard garden and much more reside in my subconscious well that feeds my imagery and symbolism.
I move from throwing to handbuilding seeking the process that best actualizes the ideas that emerge. My surfaces are intended to reveal the form, to feel like the skin of an object, appearing as a natural consequence of its being. I focus on atmospheric firings to achieve the desired effects and often use sandblasting a final step. A medley of other materials is sometimes employed to complete a concept which results in a visually poetic combination.
1981 - MFA, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
1978 - BFA, University of Texas, Austin, TX
Teaching Experience1983-Present - Brookhaven College, Dallas - Chair/Faculty, School of the Arts
1981-1982 - Tarrant Community College - Adjunct Faculty, Fine Arts
1979-1981 - University of North Texas - Teaching Associate, Fine Arts
Teaching Experience - Field Courses & Abroad2017 - La Meridiana, Certaldo, Italy, Thrown and Altered Porcelain
2015 - La Meridiana, Certaldo, Italy, From the Wall to the Table: Terracotta Workshop
2013 - La Meridiana, Certaldo, Italy, Garden Objects: Terracotta Workshop
2002 - Vermont Carving and Sculpture Studio, Rutland, VT: Figurative Clay Sculpture
2001 - Vermont Carving and Sculpture Studio, Rutland, VT: Marble Carving
1996 - New Mexico Field Course, Santa Fe, NM: Ceramics
1988 - British Field Course, London & environs: Drawing
1985 - Italian Field Course, Rome & environs: Drawing
2018
2.2.2 Seoul-Dallas_Seoul, Mary Tomas Gallery, Dallas, TX
2.2.2 Seoul-Dallas_Seoul, Tong-In Gallery, Seoul, Korea
2017
Craig Hall Commission, Installation, Frisco TX
Latino Cultural Center, Dallas, TX
Griffin Street Studios, Maxwell Studio, Dallas, TX
2016
Art of the Pot, Cera-mix Studio, Austin, TX
Griffin Street Studios, Maxwell Studio, Dallas, TX
2015
Clay Invitational, New Bedford Museum of Art, New Bedford, CT
Modartist Gallery, Dallas TX
Couples, Bath House Gallery, Dallas, TX
Griffin Street Studios, Maxwell Studio, Dallas, TX
2014
Woodfired, Crat Guild of Dallas, Addison, TX
20th Anniversary Exhibition, McKinney Avenue Contemporary, Dallas, TX
Texas Jewish Art Association, Jewish Community Center, Dallas, TX
Griffin Street Open Studios, Maxwell Studio, Dallas, TX
2013
Stoked in Texas, NCECA, Houston, TX
Meadows Gallery, University of Texas, Tyler, TX
Griffin Street Studios, Maxwell Studio, Dallas, TX
2011 - Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts - Newcastle, Maine
2008 - University of Texas, Tyler - Ceramics
2003 - SMU, Dallas, TX - Ceramics
2001 - Collin County Community College, Plano, TX - Ceramics
1997 - University of Texas, Tyler, TX - Ceramics
1989 - Paris Junior College, Paris, TX - Ceramics
Ceramics, Mastering the Craft
Richard Zakin, p. 183, 2001
Ceramics Monthly
“Urban Wood Kiln”, p. 35, March 1999
The Best of New Ceramic Art
Hand Books, Inc., p. 18, 1997
Hand Formed Ceramics
Richard Zakin, p. 86, 1995
Ceramics, Art & Perception
“NCECA Clay National”, Dec. 1993