Walnut Poetry Series Continues in October

Join us for java and poetry on October 20, starting at 7pm. The popular Walnut Poetry Series continues in October, at the Walnut Gallery, with Roil as the backdrop. David Murdock and friends will read original poetry and lead a discussion afterward. Admission is free, but a $2 donation is suggested.

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Tea in a Flower Garden by Steve Loucks & Lynette Hesser

Tea in a Flower Garden

by Steve Loucks & Lynette Hesser

Feb 25 - Mar 31 Opening

Reception Feb 25 7-9 pm

The Walnut Gallery is proud to present the work of artists Steve Loucks and Lynette Hesser. The exhibition will feature a wide range of ceramic objects including; traditional functional pottery, elaborately carved sculptural pottery, wall hanging sculpture and an interactive happening during the opening. Guests at the opening will be invited to participate in the creation of a work that will be on display in the gallery during the exhibition.

Steve Loucks is a studio potter and Full Professor of Art at JSU. He received his MFA from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred. He was awarded a Fellowship in Crafts from the Alabama State Council in the Arts in 2000 and 2008, and a National Endowment for the Arts in 1995 and 1996. He exhibits his work nationally in invitational and juried competitions. Loucks has led many workshops, which include Penland School of Crafts and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Steve, with the help of his wife, Lynnette Hesser, has hosted the Alabama Clay Conference three times. He has been a Topical Group Discussion Leader several times for the National Council on the Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) and was also a “Glaze Doctor”.

Artist Statement

My work plays upon traditional pottery forms that transcend function while embracing it. Divided between utilitarian pottery and glorified, functional vessels, both intentions share similar sensibilities and handling of the clay. Information and ideas from one intention feeds the other. My utilitarian pottery is elegantly or whimsically designed to perform with ease and delight making the everyday occasion a special, pleasurable experience. The glorified vessels are based upon functional pouring vessels but abandon utilitarian concerns for a sculptural approach to form, surface embellishment, and presentation. They pay homage to utilitarian pottery due to its diminishing use, roll, and importance in our present day society.

Steve and Lynnette often work in symbiotic collaboration. Often Steve makes the forms which he then releases to Lynnette who carves into the forms or embellishes them with geometric and floral designs. Together, they glaze and fire the pieces to complete their collaborative works in clay.

In conjunction with the exhibition Steve and Lynette will teach a demonstration workshop on March 19th. The workshop will include wheel throwing demonstrations and hand carving techniques. You can register online for the workshop at http://www.walnutgallery.org/workshops.php

Walnut Gallery will also host a special fund-raising event, "Walnut Gala", on Saturday, March 26, starting at 6:30 pm. Admission to the event is limited to only 50 tickets. Each ticket will allow the holder (and one guest) admission to Walnut Gala where there will be live music and a meet-and-greet with featured artists Steve Loucks and Lynette Hesser. Wine and heavy hors d' oeuvres will also be served. In addition, each ticket will also be redeemable at the event for an exclusive, one-of-a-kind ceramic bowl, hand-made by artist Steve Loucks specifically for the Walnut Gala. "This is a rare opportunity to not only support the arts, but to take home a piece of functional fine-art made by one of the Southeast's premier ceramicists," said Executive Director Mario Gallardo. Tickets are available for a $50 minimum donation with all proceeds going directly to Walnut Gallery to support future exhibitions, workshops, and events.

To purchase your Walnut Gala ticket online visit http://www.walnutgallery.org/event.php?v=1103gala

Steve Loucks and Lynette Hesser own the Potter's Shed studio in Wellington AL.

Upcoming in 2011 at the Walnut Gallery

The Walnut Gallery will start its 2011 exhibition season with a series of four Alabama Artists and Educators working in four different mediums including; Photography, Sculpture, Ceramics, and Printmaking. Each artist will give gallery talk/lecture and teach public workshops relating to their medium of expertise. This new line up of exhibitions features some of the finest examples of contemporary art in Alabama and the public has the opportunity to meet the artists and participate in engaging hands on workshops.

You can sign up for one or more of our workshops using the paypay link below. Workshops are $25 each. In addition to the workshops the gallery will host a community print project led by Sara Marshall who will be an artist in residence at the Walnut Gallery.

January14 – February 11. Salomon’s House: Photographs by Sara Cusimano Miles.

January 14 - Exhibition opening and gallery talk/lecture. February 5 Workshop - Construction of the image: Refining Your Vision. Participants will gain insight into how conceptual components are integrated into photographs to express a unique artistic vision. Emphasis will be placed on "making photographs" as opposed to "taking photographs".

Sarah Cusimano Miles, Solomon's House (Ursus Arctos), archival print.

February 19- March 31. New Works by Steve Loucks and Lynette Hesser.

February 19 –March Exhibition opening and gallery talk/lecture. Those in attendance for the opening will participate in the production of a mural that will be on display in the Gallery. March 19- Steve Loucks and Lynette Hesser will do an all day Ceramics Throwing and Carving Demonstration. Participants will learn master techniques in throwing vessels along with exquisite relief carving techniques.

Steve Loucks, Teapot

April 8- May 28. Craig Wedderspoon and University of Alabama Art Students.

April 8 - Exhibition opening/Gallery Talk. This exhibition will be a juried selection of undergraduate and graduate art students along with new works by UA Sculpture professor Craig Wedderspoon. April 16 -Life Casting Workshop. May 13 - Lecture: Contemporary Sculpture

Craig Wedderspoon, Foam, Fiberglass and Plaster

April 16 -Life Casting Workshop. Participants will learn techniques in life casting using alginate and plaster. Each participant will create a cast from life that will be on display in the gallery. Below is an example of the kind of cast that participants will make.

Mario Gallardo, Lifecast of Hands, Plaster and Granite.

June - July. Sarah Marshall- Community Print Project

June 11- Exhibition opening and gallery talk/lecture. Sarah Marshall will be an artist in residence at the Walnut Gallery in July during which time she will conduct an ongoing community print project. Members of the community will participate in the creation of original fine art prints that will be exhibited in the gallery.

Sarah Marshall, Backing into the Void, Lithograph.

2011 Walnut Workshops

Sara Cusimano Miles: Refining Your Vision. Feb 5 $25.00 Steve Loucks and Lynette: Wheel Throwing and Carving. March 19 $25.00 Life Casting (includes materials) April 16 $50.00 Sarah Marshall- Print Project $25.00 All four workshops -save $25 $100.00

Raymond Gaddy: “THESE THINGS YOU WILL NOT REMEMBER”

The Walnut Gallery is proud to present the work of artist Raymond Gaddy on display Oct 7 -Nov 28. The exhibition will open with a reception and gallery talk on Oct 7 at 7pm. Admission is free and open to the public.

An Alabama native, Gaddy received his MFA in Painting from the University of Alabama. He is currently an instructor at the University of North Florida where he also serves as Gallery Director of the UNF Gallery of Art and curator for the UNF Gallery at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville. His paintings and drawings have been exhibited in group and solo exhibitions across the United States and the United Kingdom, including the Exit Art Gallery, NY; Wake Forest University, NC; The Tampa Museum of Art, FL; The Attelboro Museum of Art, MA; the Holter Art Museum, MT; and the Art Center of Design in Pasadena, CA.

Raymond was named one of the top 25 emerging artists in Florida by the Tampa Museum of Art in 2007. His work is included in many public and private collections including the College of Notre Dame of Maryland; The Savannah College of Art and Design; and the Library of Congress. Gaddy currently lives in Savannah, Georgia with his wife, artist Ashley Waldvogel and their two children, Fletcher and Lola.

Raymond's work is primarily figurative with a focus on personal narratives.

Artist statement:

“It was a long time before I realized that green lollipops were not made from caterpillars. My father told me this and I believed him. Later he confirmed his story by showing me some live, green caterpillars and bringing home some tequila candies, the ones with the worms in them, home from one of his business trips. This is the environment that I grew up in. Lying was an everyday occurrence. There are many euphemisms that make lying sound like a perfectly reasonable pastime; storytelling, spinning a yarn, “tellin” a tall tale. In fact there is a long tradition of Southern liars, historians of the mundane. Many of the South’s great writers fit into this category. As a result of being immersed in this environment I’ve come to excel at, and enjoy lying too.

Unfortunately I’m not blessed with a gift for words. Don’t get me wrong, I can tell a good story when the mood strikes me. However, my abilities lie in the realm of the visual so I have learned to interpret and tell my stories that way. I feel a responsibility to record the stories of my life. This is not pure vanity. The tapestry of my everyday is threaded with the stories of my friends and family. Every family has its historian or folklorist; I am that person for this extended “family” of mine. All good folk tales have a history, a heart of truth, that’s what makes them believable. With out that truth, the stories, those lies are just mean. The best stories have a history, a provenance, which gives them some gravity. So when I told my son all about green lollipops he ate it up and I completed a cycle that I hope one day he will continue.”

The Walnut Gallery is currently open by appointment. To schedule a visit email Mario Gallardo at mario@walnutgallery.org

Walnut Poetry Series Continues with Popular Music as Poetry

David Murdock at the Walnut Gallery this Summer

The Walnut Gallery presents another night of Poetry and Java on October 21, 7pm. Led by local Poet and English Professor David Murdock, the evening will feature popular music read and examined for its poetic content. Other poets include Tabitha Carlson Wade, Heather Brothers New, Bill Thornton, and Jason Bozeman. $1 donation is suggested.

The Walnut Gallery depends on your support to continue to provide quality cultural events. Thank you for your donations and continued support.

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