February 2012: Todd Shanafelt

As It Happens by Todd Shanafelt
Exhibition dates:
February 3-27
First Friday: February 3
Second Saturday: February 11

Todd Shanafeltʼs ceramic sculptures chronicle his process of the “deconstruction or devolution” of the vessel form. Using mixed media as well as clay, Shanafelt creates highly personal narratives that that question relationships, whether it be between the human component and the natural world or other. His pieces speak of his reaction to “the profound disconnect throughout the world”.  He adds that "our world has obviously become rapidly connected, which has its wonderful advantages", he states, "however, we have also become less and less sensitive to the subtleties of our relationships and the reverence of them, this idea is very personal to me and I feel increasingly prompted to create work that somehow address this".

His wheel-thrown vessel forms started on this path to where they are now about 15 years ago.  The notion of utility immediately sparked his interest, but over the years, his works became increasingly sculptural and were definitely not intended to store food or other traditional dining practices.  Instead, Shanafelt found fertile ground to play with the idea of utility and has constructed works that look more like odd industrial/appliance-like receptacles than anything one would want to actually 'use'.  He still feels he is still connected to the vessel form, but newer works reveal that he has been engaging in peeling away those ceramic walls to reveal topsy-turvy, abstract imagery that continue to challenge the audiences imagination and interpretations. 


March 2012: Elizabeth Robinson

Exhibition dates:
March 2-24
First Friday: March 2
Second Saturday: March 10

Elizabeth RobinsonElizabeth Robinson is inspired by the myriad of forms and processes she encounter through experience and research: from traditional crafts to industrial ceramics to contemporary paintings. These influences combine to narrate a cultural identity that is revealed within the details of each piece. She uses imagery in a manner that is both nostalgic and iconic. Fragments of domestic patterns and textbook diagrams converse and instruct: Incised and drawn lines intersect and underlie the patterns. The seemingly casual manner in which she works with clay and glaze intersects with molded forms, stamps and decals; juxtaposing soft and hard edges, loose and formal lines. This contrast creates a tension between mass and delicacy, refinement and physicality, all associated with elements of her personality.

April 2012: Jason Hess

Exhibition dates:
April 6-29
First Friday: April 6
Second Saturday: April 14

Jason HessJason Hess is an “avid wood firer". For over 15 years his research has focused on the alchemy of the process—how the clay color, wood type, kiln design, and ash dispersion work together to “render a surface that is unattainable in other ways” at high temperature. His work is either utilitarian or refers to utility in form while the presentation is more like characters relating to one another. A desire to have objects that fulfill specific purposes inspires him to make functional pots. The infinite and elusive variety of texture and color attainable through the various making and firing processes has generated an interest in the notion of presentation. Some of his work is presented so that a viewer might notice and appreciate subtle diversities in form and surface. By grouping similar forms of differing size and color the compositions create a visually dynamic display, which invites the viewer to enjoy the tactile nature of each individual piece and how they relate to one another.


May 2012: Farraday Newsome & Jeff Reich

Compatible Visions: Farraday Newsome and Jeff Reich
Exhibition dates:
May 4-26
First Friday: May 4
Second Saturday: May 12

Ceramic Workshop: May 5 - Email gallery@plinthgallery.com to sign up!

Farraday Newsome will present a hands on workshop at the gallery Saturday and Sunday May 5-6. Farraday and Jeff will present an artist's talk and image presentation Saturday Morning May 6

Farraday NewsomeFarraday Newsome has worked with the vessel format for over twenty years. She explores ideas of lushness, sadness, time, and grace with surfaces that are very painterly. She is interested in the relationship between the “painterly space” and the “actual space of the three-dimensional object.” Her most recent work incorporates glazing color fields of both natural and artificial objects that have personal symbolic meaning .  Her imagery consists of y familiar objects, such as watches, fruit, dice, shells, seedpods, eyeglasses, bones and insects.

Jeff ReichJeff Reich’s ceramic sculptures integrate abstract expressionist influences with contemporary desert landscapes. The Sonoran desert where he lives with his wife Farraday Newsome profoundly inspires him. Angled, sectioned and recombined forms of teapots, jars, wall tiles, and sculptural vessels are influenced by the growth patterns found in desert plants, rocks and mountains. His compositions often consist of two-dimensional glaze windows or fields superimposed on the three-dimensional surface of the clay.  Windows of glaze drawings bring glimpses of repetitive plant forms.  

Please call the gallery for more information and to register for this highly instructive workshop. Graduate college credit is available through Adams State College.



June & July 2012: Sandi Pierantozzi and Neil Patterson

Exhibition dates: Sandi Pierantozzi
June 1 – July 28
First Friday June 1          
Second Saturday June 9

Ceramic Workshop with Sandi Pierantozzi: June 2-3
Email gallery@plinthgallery.com to sign up!

Pierantozzi’s functional work comes from a deep appreciation of food, celebration, and setting a beautiful table. She feels that “pots help me connect with people on a very basic human level” by communicating some creative life into the daily rituals of eating and drinking Sandi believes that a hand made ceramics contains ”the soul and energy of the maker” and that with use, a real human connection is made. These connections between people are essential to keeping alive the soul in all of us.

Neil PattersonNeil Patterson ceramic constructions honor the handmade object and the simple daily rituals of use. He makes pots that are designed to be used and enjoyed. Through their carefully considered volume, weight, surface and textures he hopes to provide a slow, savory experience for the user. There is always an evidence of the soft material, clay, often bolstered by a formal or architectural structure.

Sandi Pierantozzi will teach a 2 day participatory workshop at the gallery presenting her innovative approach to form and surface at the gallery June 2-3. This weekend workshop will focus on using slabs, texturing the surface, and then by altering them through techniques such as darting, creating interesting and innovative forms. Please call the gallery for more information and to register for this highly instructive workshop. Graduate college credit is available through Adams State College.