by Christy Rodriguez de Conte
Springtime blooms in Tallahassee, and with it, a bouquet of artists and their work grace the downtown streets. Over 100 artists nationwide will gather under the shady canopies of LeMoyne’s Chain of Parks Art Festival April 15-16 in Tallahassee to display their original works of art, from ceramics to paintings, jewelry, and more.
Larry Allen is elated to return as a visiting artist from Alabama to share his absolutely stunning pieces of pottery and his love of the process at this year’s Chain of Park Art Festival downtown. Over the past 35-plus years, Allen has been shaping art with his hands.
A proud Berea College graduate recipient of the distinguished alumnus award, Allen credits the openness of professors there for his knowledge and successful artistic future. The Birmingham Museum of Art commissioned his work to stand in the Wedgwood Gallery, which Allen found inspiring and life-giving as a child.
The liveliness in the building, the grabbing, tugging, and pushing of the clay, fascinates Allen and fuels his passion for pottery.
“The (clay) seemed to be alive to me. It seemed to be alive!” says Allen. “From the beginning, as a lifeless lump of clay. Then you take it and start fashioning and molding it, and it goes through a metamorphosis as you work on it. Then when you actually finish the piece, it’s not finished because you are firing it! Then it goes through another transition.”
Allen considers his work a springboard that provides a jumping-off point from many different cultures. He credits African and Native American designs found in the southwest with shaping his artistic aesthetic.
His interest in gothic art can be seen in the cathedral stained glass window-like shapes in his vessels covered in deep gray and red coloring. Although beauty and authenticity drive Allen’s purpose for making pottery, functionality is still essential.
Throwing clay involves a steadied discipline combined with a whimsical exploration. No matter the artist’s choice of clay, grainy stoneware, red earthenware, or creamy porcelain, every project starts with a large lump of clay filled with minerals, water, and endless possibilities.
For Allen, the process continues by centering the clay on the wheel to begin the transformation of every new vessel he creates.
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