Exhibitions

February 2012: Todd Shanafelt

Plinth Gallery — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:50:16 +0000

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

Plinth Gallery — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:45:36 +0000

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

Plinth Gallery — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:42:19 +0000

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

Plinth Gallery — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:34:33 +0000

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

Plinth Gallery — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:26:09 +0000

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.

August & September 2012: Don Davis

Plinth Gallery — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:17:43 +0000

Exhibition dates:
August 3 – September 29
First Friday: August 3
Second Saturday: August 11

Ceramic Workshop: August 4-5
Email gallery@plinthgallery.com to sign up!

Don Davis’s dedication to clay work is due to an enduring love for the material and the processes of forming and firing it. Most of his work has been wheel thrown porcelain forms although he has pursued many other ceramic techniques. Davis’ early work focused on form, surface treatment and the concepts of duality, indicated by the play between interior and exterior which provided sufficient content. His latest work with terra cotta has become more sculptural and involvea content of a more specific yet complex nature. While the natural world and ancient traditions provide the greatest inspiration for him, he allows his work to take it’s own unique contemporary direction. At it’s best, that direction is a cooperative effort between the clay, the fire and my self.

Don is the author of “Wheel Thrown Ceramics” published by Lark Books.

Don Davis will conduct a 2 day participatory workshop at the Gallery August 4-5.The workshop will demonstrate both wheel thrown and hand built forming methods. Starting with bowl forms and moving on to composite pieces constructed from components formed by various methods. Discussion will focus on clay choices related to form, using wild materials, the importance of improvising, the challenge of throwing thick or thin, relating surface treatments & firing methods to our particular forms, and staying open to new possibilities while exercising personal choices toward your desired results. Ceramic history and cultural influences will be discussed as fundamental inspiration for our own contemporary philosophy and work.

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

October & November 2012: International Wood Fire Exhibition

Plinth Gallery — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:16:50 +0000

Exhibition dates:
October 5 – December 1
First Friday: October 5
Second Saturday: October 13

Please check back soon for more information

December 2012: Marko Fields and Friends “The End Times Exhibition”

Plinth Gallery — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:15:42 +0000

Exhibition dates:
December 7 - January 26 2013
First Friday: December 7
Second Saturday: December 8

Please check back soon for more information.

Jonathan Kaplan: "Prelude"

Plinth Gallery — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 21:40:47 +0000

On December 2^nd, Plinth Gallery will open a two-month exhibition of owner and curator Jonathan Kaplan’s own work. Kaplan’s solo show, “Prelude: New Ceramic Work” incorporates both hand-built and wheel-thrown elements, including a series of large ceramic basins as well as a collection of new teapot designs. These new pieces will feature his signature use of industrial fixtures, mechanical fittings, and vessels on plinths. Kaplan has been experimenting with an updated clay body, interesting surface textures and a palette of new glazes for the work in this show.

Show opens with an artist reception on First Friday, Dec. 2, from 6-9pm.

Jim Kraft: "Ceramic Constructions"

Plinth Gallery — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:14:17 +0000

Jim Kraft’s work is compelling yet deceptive. Kraft builds large container forms by using small pieces of cut or torn clay which is constructed in such a way as to appear as a completely different material. This manipulation of the clay creates a visual deception, of baskets constructed of wood, fiber or cork pieces when in reality, they are ceramic.

Seattle-based Kraft has worked in ceramics for over 30 years, and likes the idea of being a part of the long history of people making things with their hands. He has described his own work as an evolution of ideas, often influenced by the natural world and native cultures. Kraft often works with the idea of smaller parts making up the whole, and this can be seen clearly in pieces such as “White Keep” or “Kala”. These large vessels are made using coil and brick-like pieces, or cut and torn clay parts assembled to create a vessel which appears basket-like. Kraft’s use of texture in the clay is exciting, and this exploitation of texture, combined with his use of natural colors for surface treatment, further trick the eye into seeing a different material.

“Ceramic Constructions” opens at Plinth Gallery on First Friday, November 4^th, from 6-9pm. This exhibition will be on display during Denver Art Week and through November 26th.

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