About the Artist
The Act of Becoming
Painter, Ceramic Artist, Musician
Description of the Painting Process:
My preferred painting medium is acrylic which can mimic the thick, lushness of oil paint, as well as the fluid transparency of watercolor. Utilizing both of these characteristics is visible in my work. I don't feel constricted by the use of any technique as long as it allows me to express the meaning that I wish to convey. My paintings speak of energy, the life force, and my search for understanding the ultimate mystery. Energetic, spontaneous marks eventually construct images reflecting significant personal meaning. This "meaning" is made tangible through the use of abstract pattern suggested by the ritual of creation expressed in the placement of color, shape and texture. The blank canvas becomes "life" by impulse and intuition. I allow these forces to guide me into a unity of mind, space and time.
Description of the Ceramic Process:
My ceramic work is done exclusively in porcelain. These pieces may be used to enliven decorative spaces or for domestic utility. They are a tangible extension between my heart, hand and the touch of the user. My forms are classic in proportion with accentuated additions. Many are distorted after coming off the pottery wheel. Additional tactile interest may be created by fluting and carving the clay while it is moist. The surface decoration is created with glaze, and/or hand-made colored slip that is manipulated in a variety of ways to suggest themes by the use of abstract pattern. No two pieces are identical. It is my hope that the viewer experiences the joy that I had in the creation of each form.
About the artist: I was an Art Professor in the Marshall University School of Art and Design for 41 years, where I led the ceramics program at both the undergraduate and graduate level. I have a BA in Art Education, an MA in Art, and an MFA in Ceramics with a minor in painting. I continue to follow my artistic passion as both a potter and a painter. I participate in painting exhibitions and belong to several galleries. My ceramic work is published in 500 Teapots volume 2, The Best of Pottery, and the Contemporary Potter. My ceramic work has notably been displayed at the Kutani International Decorative Ceramics Fair, in Kumatsu, Japan. Additionally, a four-page article concerning my work was published in "Ceramic Art" International Edition Spring issue in Taipei, Taiwan.
Interesting Facts about the Artist: I have been in love with the arts since childhood. Art was the only thing that made elementary school bearable. Dancing, singing, playing musical instruments, and of course drawing, painting, and modeling with clay were my interests; each holding equal merit, all giving me equal happiness, with endless avenues for self-expression. Naturally I studied art in college. While there I studied visual art as well as classical voice. This training enabled me to perform as a solist in youth, university opera and oratorio. Life should be happy. It is, if you find something that you love.
Selective Exhibitions:
1970 Utopia Award in ART Achievement: Special Honorable Mention in Oil, Chemical city Summer Art Exhibition 11: South Charleston, WV
1974 Craft Award, “Allied Artists Exhibition” Sunrise Gallery, Charleston, WV
1974 Exhibitor “West Virginia Arts and Crafts Fair” Cedar Lakes, Ripley, WV
1974 Exhibitor “Three WV Potters” Morris Harvey College, Charleston, WV
1977 “Fiber and Clay” West Virginia State College Institute, WV
1978 “Graduate Exhibition” Siegfried Gallery Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
1979 Purchase Award, “Exhibition 280” Huntington Galleries, Huntington, WV.
1980 Exhibitor “Winterfair” Columbus, Ohio
1980 “One Person Show”, Parkersburg Art Center, Parkersburg, WV.
1980 “Ceramics Southeast” Juried Exhibitor, Visual Art Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
1981 “One Person Show” Zanesville Art Museum, Zanesville, OH.
1981 “SECAC Ceramic Invitational” the University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi
1982 “Trends in Porcelain” Juried Exhibition, ART Studio Clay Co., Elk Grove Village, IL.
1984 “Faculty, Student Exhibition” Paramount Art Center, Ashland, KY
1984 Ceramic workshop presenting artist, "Porcelain” West Virginia Wesleyan College Buchannan, WV
1985 “Crafts Naturally” Juried group traveling show featuring West Virginia and Ohio artists.
1985 “Marshall University Faculty Exhibition” West Virginia State Cultural Center, Charleston, WV.
1986 “Marshall University Faculty Exhibition” West Virginia State Cultural Center, Charleston, WV.
1986 “Earth and Fire”, Featured Artist, Museum in the Community, Hurricane, WV
1988 “The Ashland 120” Juried Exhibition, Paramount Arts Center Ashland Area Gallery, Ashland KY.
1989 “Exhibition 280” Juried Exhibition, Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV.
1990 “Earline Allen, Vessels One Person Show”, Gallery West, Cuyahoga Community College, Parma, OH.
1991 “Practical Pottery” West Virginia Invitational Exhibition, West Virginia Cultural Center.
1991 “Functional Ceramics” Invitational Exhibition, Wayne Arts Center, Wooster, OH.
1992 “Ceramics” Esther Allen Greer Museum, Invitational Exhibition, University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande, OH.
1993 “Crosscurrents” Juried Exhibition, Stiffel Art Center, Wheeling, WV
1994 “Tabletop Concepts ’94” Invitational, Indiana University, 96th Annual Meeting of the American Ceramic Society, Indianapolis Convention Center.
1995 “The Next Generation: Kilgore Alumni” Invitational, West Virginia Cultural Center, Charleston, WV.
1995 “College Art Association of West Virginia Faculty Art Exhibition” West Virginia State College, Institute, WV.
1996 “Fourth Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National”, National Juried Exhibition, at Market House Craft Center, Ephrata, PA and the Internet.
1996 “College Art Association of West Virginia “Faculty Art Exhibition”, Birke' Art Gallery Huntington, WV.
1997 “Kutani International Decorative Ceramics Fair ’97: Ceramics from Around the World” Invitational Komatsu, Ishikawa, Japan.
1997 “West Virginia Juried Show” West Virginia Cultural Center, Charleston, WV.
1998 “West Virginia Juried Traveling Show” Travels through WV & Ohio.
2000 “The Cream of the Crop” Juried regional exhibition, the Southern Ohio Museum, Portsmouth, Ohio.
2000 “The Best of WV” Invitation Exhibition, Robert C. Bird Federal Building Charleston, WV.
2000 “Exhibition” Invitational, collection of works in The Tamarack, Dirkson Fine Art Gallery, Caperton Center, Beckley, WV.
2001 “Porcelain 2001” National Competition, Esmay Fine Art Gallery, Rochester, NY.
2001 “West Virginia Ceramics, NCECA Ceramics Exhibition” Dirkson Fine Art Gallery, at the Caperton Center, Beckley, WV.
2001 “Main Street Studio and Friends” Invitational: Main Street studio, Hurricane, WV.
2001 “Marshall University Faculty Show” Birke Art Gallery, Marshall University, Huntington, WV.
2003 “Earthereal Concepts” Invitational, six works displayed at David Dirkson Gallery, Caperton Center, Beckley, WV.
2004 “Marshall University Alumni Exhibition” John Drinko Library, Marshall University, Huntington, WV
2004 “The Cream of the Crop” three works accepted, Second Prize, and Overall Merit Award, Southern Ohio Museum, Portsmouth, Ohio.
2004 “Masters of Craft” invitational, Callen McJunkin Gallery, Charleston, WV.
2006 “Women’s Work” Invitational Show, six ceramic works, David Dirkson Gallery, Caperton Center, Beckley, WV.
2006 “Faculty Exchange Exhibition” Bradley University Peoria, IL
2006 “WV Juried Show” Competition WV Cultural Center, Charleston, WV
2007 “Keramos and Friends” Spring Show, The Renaissance Gallery, Huntington, WV
2007 “WV SECAC Exhibition: Artists Who Teach” Southeast College Art Association Conference, Charleston, WV
2007 “Keramos and Friends” Gallery Robert C. Byrd Gallery, US Federal Courthouse, Charleston, WV
2007 “Keramos and Friends” Renaissance Gallery, Huntington, WV
2008 “Keramos and Friends” Concurrent Members Show, Ellis Armory, NCECA 1008, Pittsburgh, PA
2008 “Color the Halls” David Dirkson Gallery, Caperton Center, Beckley, WV
2009 “Keramos and Friends”, French Art colony, group show, Gallipolis, Ohio
2009 “Keramos and Friends” Renaissance Gallery, Huntington, WV
2009 “From Head to Hand the Feminist Art project” Good News Garage Gallery “Festivall”, Charleston, WV
2009-10-11-12 “Vasefinder National”, online national ceramic competition, at www.vasefinder.org
2010 “Keramos and Friend’s” Renaissance Gallery, Huntington, WV
2010 “Keramos and Friends” WV Art Education Association Conference, Huntington, WV
2010 “Marshall University Faculty Show” Gallery 842, Huntington, WV
2010 “Pattern: The Repetition in Design”, David L. Dickerson Gallery, Caperton Center, Beckley WV
2010 “Mavins 9, The Feminist Art Project” Gallery 842, Huntington, WV
2010 “Mavins 12” Regional Feminist Art Project, Ohio University, Art Gallery D111, Ironton, Ohio
2011 “Becoming”: One person Retrospective” Gallery 842 Huntington, WV
2012 “Craft Hilton Head 2012”, Second Prize, the Walter Greer Gallery, Coastal Carolina Art Center, Hilton Head, SC
2013 Hilton Head Art League “Members, Juried Exhibition” Walter Greer Gallery, Coastal Carolina Art Center, Hilton Head, SC
2014 “We Are Marshall Exhibition”, Inaugural Exhibition, Visual Arts Center, Huntington, WV
2014 “Hands Across the Bridge”, the artists of Maye River Gallery, The Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn Drive, Hilton Head Island, SC
2014 “Big and Small”, Featured (painting) “Portal” Walter Greer Gallery, Coastal Carolina Art Center, Hilton Head SC
2015-16-17-18 “Anything Goes” (painting)Walter Greer Gallery, Coastal Carolina Art Center, Hilton Head SC
2016 “Craft Hilton Head 2016”, the Walter Greer Gallery, Coastal Carolina Art Center, Hilton Head, SC
2017 “Escape Artists” Art, Beyond Tradition, (paintings) Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn, Hilton Head Island, SC
2018 "Craft Hilton Head 2018" Walter Greer Gallery, Coastal Carolina Art Center, Hilton Head, SC
2019 "Summer through Lowcounty Artists Eyes" (painting)Center for the Arts, University of SC Beaufort, SC
2019 "One Person Show (Journey)" Lipchitz Gallery, Beaufort, SC
2019-20 "Exhibition and Program" Hilton Head Symphony Program & Exhibition (painting)Symphony Orchestra " HH, SC
2019/20 ABT) Group “Above and Beyond " (painting)Coastal Discovery Museum Hilton Head. SC
2020 "Some Like it Hot" (painting)a virtual juried exhibit representing women artists in SC, FL, and MA curated by The National Association of Women Artists
2020 "Earth to Sky" (painting)a curated exhibit sponsored by The National Association of Women Artists Inc at The Walter Greer Gallery, HH Art Center, HH, SC
2020 Ceramics "7th Annual Hilton Head National Juried Craft Show" Walter Greer Gallery, Arts Center HH, SC
2020 "Inspirational Journey" (painting) A curated and juried exhibit of women's art presented by The National Association of Women Artists, Inc, 19 Vendue Range Gallery: The Vendue Art Hotel Charleston SC
2020 "131st Annual Members Exhibition" (painting) presented by The National Association of Women Artists, Virtual Museum
2021 "Treasures of the Coastal State" (painting) a juried exhibit curated by the National Association of Women Artists, Inc. at the Coastal Discovery Museum, 70 Honey Horn Drive, Hilton Head Island, SC
2021 “Some Like It Hot 11”: painting “Celadon Garden” virtual exhibition featuring artists from Mass Fl, SC.
2021/22 “Base Camp Gallery “One Person Exhibition, (paintings) Beaufort Digital Corridor, Beaufort, SC
2022 “Interpretations” (ABT) ART BEYOND TRADITION GROUP SHOW, (painting) Coastal Discovery Museum. HH SC. featuring
2022 “Spring Fusion: Renew and Reinvent”, Aiken Art Center: (paintings) National Association of Women Artists, SC Chapter Aiken, SC
2022 “Strictly Abstract” online international exhibition: sponsored by O’Hanlon Center for the Arts https://www.ohanloncenter.org/exhibits/current
2023 "We See: Creating From Verse, online exhibition (two Paintings), sponsored by the National Association of Women Artists South Carolina Chapter
2023 "Summer 2023 Small Works" online exhibition painting, sponsored by the National Association of Women Artists
Collections:
Ross C. Purdy Museum of Ceramics of the American Ceramic Society, Westerville, Ohio
The Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV.
Zanesville Art Museum, Zanesville, Ohio.
“Vasefinder, on-line Museum of American Ceramic Art”, www.vasefinder.com
Numerous Private Collections
Publications:
2019 Acrylic Painting: "Intrusion" page 57 "Hilton Head Symphony Program"
2017 “Local Life Magazine” November Issue page. 116 short bio. and Example of ceramic work
2017 Acrylic Painting: “Tempest” page 97. "Hilton Head Symphony Program"
2016 Acrylic Painting: “Summer Ballet” page 65, "Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Program"
2015 December image Potters Council Calendar: "Porcelain Collection" Café Press
2014 Acrylic Painting “Mysterious Eddy: Life Force” published in the "Hilton Head Symphony Program" Page 45
2013 Porcelain teapot included in 500 Teapots Volume 2, Lark Craft Books, page 148, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 67 Broadway, Ashville, NC 28801
2004 “Spotlight: An Interesting Woman” volume 2/27 "The Marshall Magazine" Huntington, WV
2003 Four page biographical magazine article published in “Ceramic Art”, International Edition, spring, issue 39, pages 52-55, in Taipei, Taiwan, by Hwang Jeng-daw
2000 Work included in the book, The Contemporary Potter, selected by Jonathan Fairbanks, Angela Fina, and Christopher Gustin, Quarry Books, Rockport Publishers, Inc., Gloucester, MA.
1997 Work published in catalog, "Ceramics from Around the World", in conjunction with the Kutani International Decorative Ceramics Fair, Kumatsu, Ishikawa, Japan.
1996 Ceramic work included in the book The Best of Pottery, selected by Angela Fina and Jonathon Fairbanks, published by Rockport Publishers, Rockport, Publishers, MA.
Workshop Presentations:
1981 Visiting Artist Ohio University Branch Zanesville, Ohio
1983 Featured Artist “Ceramic Workshop, Neriage ” West Virginia Wesleyan College, Buckhannon, WV.
1990 Featured Artist “Drum Firing Workshop,” for West Virginia Art Education Association, Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV
1995 Featured artist “Ceramic Workshop”, Fine Arts Center West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV.
1997 “Kaleidoscopes” presentation Crayola “Dreammakers” Conference Marshall University, Huntington, WV
2010 Workshop presentation and leader “Primitive Firing Process, WV Art Education Association Marshall University, Huntington, WV
2014 “Porcelain Carving” Hilton Head Art League”, Walter Greer Gallery, Coastal Carolina Art Center, Hilton Head SC
Consultations
1984 JMI Inc. Ceramic Consultation: the creation of ceramic master molds, Huntington, WV.
1996 Marshall University Center for Regional Progress, consultant: the viability of ceramic businesses in the Huntington area.
1996 Commack Children’s Center, Inc., consultant, ceramic equipment, Huntington, WV.
1996 Huntington High School, consultant concerning the purchase of ventilation and ceramic equipment
2001 Harmony House Pottery, consultant: Kiln Construction and Burner Systems, Huntington, WV
2002 Harmony House Pottery, Glaze and Firing Consultations, Huntington, WV
2002 Mildred Bateman Hospital, consultant: purchase of an electric kiln
2003 Covenant School, consultant: Art Appreciation materials for Cindi Counts.
2004 “Appalachian Women’s Leadership Project” consultant: developing a ceramics program for at risk young women, ordered equipment, glaze and assisted in hiring in hiring a ceramics teacher, Hamlin, WV
2005 Art Advisory Committee for the “Creative Art Academy” Bates Memorial Presbyterian Church
2000 Paid consultant for reviewing Teaching Children Art by Hobbs & Rush. Prentice Hall Publisher
I am available for teaching workshops and ceramic consultations, and exhibition curator and judge.
