Porcelain Exhibition Opens
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Susan Talbot-Stanaway, Director
September 21, 2011 phone 740-452-0741 or susan@zanesvilleart.org.
ZANESVILLE MUSEUM OF ART ANNOUNCES OPENING OF PORCELAIN EXHIBITION SEPTEMBER 24
Gail Russell has operated Peachblow Pottery, a pottery studio in Lewis Center, OH, since 1986. This year is the 25th Anniversary of the opening of the studio. Russell creates functional and decorative art porcelains enhanced by intense glazes, such as copper reds, ash, and pale green celadon. The exhibition includes 104 pieces, including teapots and cups, vases, platters, bowls, and pieces specially made for Japanese ikebana floral arrangements.
A public reception honoring the artist will be held on Saturday, September 24, 2 – 4 p.m.
The artist has worked in porcelain for most of the 37 years she has studied and made pots. She states she “chose porcelain for many reasons; its history, its durability, the light reflective nature of a white body, and even for its sound.” have participated in approximately 95 exhibitions, taught numerous workshops, and executed many commissions
Russell became interested in clay as a child and became fascinated with wheel throwing while in high school. Russell earned her B.F.A. in ceramics at the University of Evansville, Evansville, IN, and then an M.F.A. from the University of Illinois, Urbana. In college and subsequently, she studied in England and visited museums and potteries in Europe. After graduate school, she traveled to the Yucatan peninsula to do construction work and took time to investigate Mayan sites. In 2002, the artist went to Japan to visit museums, potters, temples and shrines, and this trip was very influential in the formation of her personal style. Also significant have been her enthusiasm for gardening and her avocation of beekeeping.
Russell writes, “One of my favorite forms to work in has always been the bowl. The dual concept of openness, as well as containment, has always been fascinating to me. Is the form low, open, inviting, or higher, more enclosed, austere, perhaps less strictly functional? For me, the bowl is the ultimate functional piece. A bowl can be used for preparation, presentation and storage of food, for floral arrangements, to hold special collections, or for simply visual pleasure.”
The exhibition continues through December 3.