Mudfire Studio Gallery Special Event - MudFire Gallery hosts 'Constructed' a national invitational review of handbuilt contemporary clay constructions. The show features ceramic artwork created without a potters wheel, and freed from the aesthetic confines of the round. Stay and Play in GA!
About the Show
MudFire Gallery hosts "Constructed" a national invitational review of handbuilt contemporary clay constructions. The show features ceramic artwork created without a potters wheel, and freed from the aesthetic confines of the round.
The artist reception and exhibit opening will be held Saturday, April 24, from 5-9 pm. A daunting range of techniques and styles will be presented. Starting with coil, slab, and poured forms, the artists proceed to gouge, pound, scratch, pierce, punch, bore holes and otherwise impress their will onto wet clay… resulting in craggy textures, tromp l'oeil tree bark, flowing curves, or magnificently symmetrical patterns. Onto these painstakingly prepared surfaces we'll see detailed pen-and-ink style illustrations, broad brush strokes, whimsical folk art, electric color combinations, and the classic serendipity of natural ash glaze.
MudFire invited over twenty artists from across the United States to contribute their talents to this exhibition. "Constructed" examines the lasting qualities of clay dependent on human impulse, and expresses the importance of a craft that connects viewers to both ancient times and modern methods.
MudFire Gallery is located at 175 Laredo Drive, in Decatur, GA. Regular gallery hours are noon-8pm Thursday through Monday. MudFire can be reached by phone at 404-377-8033 and via email at info@mudfire.com The exhibit and sale will be on display through May 22, 2010.
Details about each participating artist, along with images of works and directions to the gallery can be found at http://www.mudfire.com/constructed.htm
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
Clay, most of all mediums, connects artists and appreciators to serve both the most basic and most poetic needs of humanity. Patting, pinching, squishing, rolling, and a wealth of other hands-on manipulations gives simple clay the ability to transcend its basic, earthen form and achieve finally an inspiring work of artistic expression.
Handbuilding is an ancient pottery making technique, but the range of work and expression being created by contemporary ceramic artists is without compare. Over ten thousand years of materials testing, firing innovation, scientific and aesthetic explorations, and countless acts of human sharing inform today's ceramic artists. Each of them must choose from this endless toolkit the bits and pieces they start with on their journey to extend and improve the field, while delighting the eyes and hands of collectors.
For "Constructed" we identified over 20 ceramists who have made significant contributions to the field in settings ranging from the academic to online market places, with their unique approaches to composing form and gracing surface. The intent was to present a broad review of the range of possibility that modern materials and methods offer. While functional work remains central to this exhibit, the offerings also include sculpture and decorative vessels.
"Constructed", a handbuilt review, features Lana Wilson, Kevin Snipes, Hayne Bayless, Joe Pintz, Dow Redcorn, Tom Spleth, Amy Sanders, Barbara Chadwick-Bland, Margaret & Josh Smith, Eric Knoche, Jay Jensen, Lisa Naples, Lisa Pedolsky, Adrina Richard, Heather Knight, Liz Summerfield, Marc Barr, Sandi Pierantozzi, Sandra Blain, and Vince Pitelka.
About Mudfire Studio Gallery
MudFire Clayworks and Gallery is a unique community art center dedicated to clay arts. Having recently celebrated its 6th anniversary, MudFire Clayworks is home to over 150 artists, and is equipped with pottery wheels, sculpting equipment, communal tools, glazes, kilns and plenty of inspiration. Artists in residence and "free range" instructors make it a perfect place for beginners as well as seasoned ceramicists. MudFire also brings high profile artists from around the world to Atlanta for lectures, slide presentations, demonstration workshops, and intensive hands-on classes.
MudFire Gallery is Atlanta's clay-only gallery, providing representation for some of the nation's finest potters and sculptors. MudFire also celebrates this diverse and accessible medium with monthly exhibits of functional and decorative works including solo, group and themed exhibits.
The gallery is open Thursday through Monday from Noon to 8pm and by appointment.
Contact & Address
Phone: 404-377-8033 - Address: MudFire Clayworks and Gallery, 175 Laredo Dr, Decatur, GA 30030
