The Gallery at Penn College

July 9 - August 19

• Opening Reception: Thursday, July 9, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
• Gallery Talk: begins at 5:30 p.m. in The Gallery

Life and motion are captured in figurative images by clay artists Cheryl Tall and Ceil Sturdevant. After meeting in 1992, the two artists discovered a shared affinity for creating large figures in clay that expressed both a spiritual and a narrative aspect. Each begins a sculpture with an idea, but lets the clay dictate the exact expression of that idea. The concept and the clay go through many changes until the final moment when the idea is realized by the heat of the kiln.

Cheryl Tall

Cheryl Tall’s sculptures portray archetypal situations that can be used to explore modern life. Her work uses humor, texture, and color to comment on the human search for meaning and our connection to our homes, environment, and other people. Although primarily working with clay, coil-built into large sculptures, she also works with mixed media, oil and acrylic painting, and printmaking. Her work is inspired by personal experiences, travel to other countries, and the study of mythology and pop art. Tall holds an MFA from the University of Miami. Her studio is in Leucadia, California, where she creates large-scale sculptures and paintings, and teaches art classes. Her work has been published in seven books and has been featured in Studio Potter, Ceramic Monthly, Clay Times, Ceramics Art and Perception, Pottery Making Illustrated, Sculptural Pursuit, and American Craft magazines. She has participated in art residencies in Canada, Japan, Greece, France, Mexico, and England. Most recently, she was awarded an artist’s residency at the International Ceramic Studio in Hungary for her group proposal “From the Embers.” Her award-winning work is shown nationally and internationally, and is in various museum collections.

Ceil Sturdevant

Ceil Sturdevant uses a variety of techniques, methods, clay bodies, and surface treatments to create her sculptures, which focus on the human figure. Her figurative images explore the relationships among people and are inspired by the ancient belief in the spiritual power of icons. Sturdevant holds a Master’s in Art Education from the University of Pittsburgh. She has a studio in Pittsburgh and, since 1981, has taught ceramic art at The Ellis School. Sturdevant’s ceramic sculptures have been featured in Studio Potter, Ceramic Monthly, American Craft, and Clay Times, and have been published in two books. She has exhibited her work throughout the United States and internationally. She has travelled extensively, participating in shows in Japan, creating installation pieces in Italy and Greece, and serving as artist-in-residence in Canada, Japan, Greece, France, Mexico, Hungary, and England. She was recently awarded a Heinz Small Arts Initiative Grant for the exhibition From a Woman’s Hand, and awarded Grand Prize for a clay sculpture exhibited at the Carnegie Museum of Art.