Speckled and spotted, textured and smooth; the beauty of our Earth where the infinite variety of nature’s patterns call from forests and mountains, deserts and crystal waters and are reflected on the surface of paper and clay.

Ceramics, Works on Paper and Collaborative Vessels by

Sue Brezine, Dianne Collinson and Andrea Starkey

and featuring work by emerging artists

Eli Collinson, Brad Husk and Nicki Strouss

Six area artists will be showing their work for this nature inspired exhibit reflecting the Earth’s various patterns and textures and how they call each other across landscape and species.  The variety of nature’s patterns have migrated from the fields and forests to the printmakers plate and the photographers lens and both the owls soft plumage and harsh rock faces are repeated on the ceramic surface. 

Sue Brezine is a watercolor artist with a fresh perspective on wildlife.  Dianne Collinson makes handbuilt ceramics inspired by nature.  Andrea Starkey is a printmaker creating wood block prints and collagraphs.  Eli Collinson’s photography includes images from his rock climbing adventures in our National Parks.  Brad Husk is a potter who specializes in textural wood fired work.  Nicki Strouss is also young ceramic artist and teacher.

Sue Brezine will present her expressive watercolors featuring owls, hawks, fish and other species.  She was a young artist and art teacher when she studied with Frederick Franck in the early 1980’s and was influenced by his teachings. “Once you start drawing an ordinary thing, you realize how extraordinary it is – a sheer miracle.” (from The Zen of Seeing).  For Sue, seeing and drawing is a way of contemplation.  She has received numerous awards for her work including from the Western Ohio Watercolor Society and The Artist magazine and has taught classes and workshops throughout the Miami Valley. Sue creates from her Kettering Studio.

It was a conversation about painting on ceramics between Sue Brezine and Dianne Collinson which led to a collaboration between the two artists that will be part of this exhibit.  Dianne created forms and Sue has used ceramic underglaze watercolors to paint her translucent images to enhance those forms.  Finally, Dianne finished the process by glazing and firing each piece. Both artists had great fun working together in this way.

Dianne Collinson has coordinated the Earth Patterns exhibit inspired by the rich variety of textures and patterns found in the natural world. In addition to the collaborative ceramic pieces, Collinson’s work for this exhibit uses a variety of clay, thick colored slips and the plant impressions that she has become known for.  Much of this new work was influenced by a recent trip to the Pacific Northwest, it’s richly hued rainforests and imposing coastline.  It includes large platters and slab and coil built vessels reflecting both Redwood forests and rocky sea cliffs.  Dianne works from her Yellow Springs backyard studio.

Andrea Starkey is a printmaker residing in Bellbrook, Ohio.  A professional architectural illustrator and graphic designer, Starkey is known for her practice of the technique of traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking, Moku Hanga. Starkey’s desire to explore both the atmospheric conditions of light and the complexity and randomness of a landscape is well represented through her process, as once the matrix of the blocks or plates is in place, the artist is able to explore imagery with color and texture. Inspired by natural textures, these works are representative of the beauty in the details. From the other-worldly landscapes of moss and lichen on tree bark to the fine lines of a leaf, they strive to achieve some of the wonder existing in the smaller things. They were created using a variety of printmaking methods, including woodblock, drypoint and collagraph plates constructed with found objects and carborundum, all techniques that lend themselves well to the randomness found in the natural environment.

Eli Collinson is a sustainability student at OSU,  a rock climber and emerging photographer.  He started taking photography seriously as way to communicate the sense of awe he felt after summiting Half Dome via the cables hike.  He has documented his recent 21 day trip visiting and climbing in eleven National Parks for this exhibit, from the brilliant red sandstone of southern Utah to the imposing white granite cliffs of Yosemite. He hopes that viewers will feel some of the same sense of awe at the beauty of nature and will leave willing to work to protect these places.

Brad Husk has recently pushed his work into a highly textured surface which accentuates his firing process in a Manibigama wood kiln.  The ash and flashing from the flames creating a warm, earthy look and feel.  His wood fired pottery begs to be touched and turned to see the beautiful record of what occurs in the kiln during firing.  Brad is the Kiln and Studio Tech at John Bryan Community Pottery in Yellow Springs.

Nicki Strouss grew up on a horse farm in Lexington, KY and graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design.  She has taught ceramics classes at Columbus Academy, CCAD and John Bryan Community Pottery where she also served as a Studio Tech. This summer Nicki will be teaching ceramics at a New Jersey summer camp. Her functional pottery often references figures.  As containers for thoughts or food, she hopes her work will find a happy place to enliven your home.