Martye Allen
Wisconsin
Studio Artist
Active since 1974
Working with clay, I am fascinated by certain forms, movement, and pattern, fusing all three into both the shape of the piece and its decoration. Imagery and the relationship of images on the surface of the piece are my main focus.
The greatest source of inspiration for my drawings are the exquisite, funny animals, both real and imagined, on Mimbres pots from the American Southwest. Cave painting of France and Spain as well as stone carvings of the Inuit people in Canada are also strong influences. My hope is to incorporate the life and spirit of all these elements into my own work.
My functional pots are porcelain or stoneware, wheel-thrown or handbuilt. Designs are created with glazes and a wax resist technique similar to batik or a scrafitto technique in which the image is etched through black slip to the white clay beneath. The sculptures are handbuilt earthenware, brushed with terra sigillata and fired in sawdust.
Education
Wittenberg University, BFA, Springfield, OH, 1974
Schiller College, Berlin, Germany, semester abroad, 1972-1973
University of Texas, San Antonio, TX 1975-1976
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 1984
Collections
Minnesota Historical Society St. Paul, MN Tweed Museum of Art Duluth, MN
The White House Washington, DC
Selected Exhibitions
Warren MacKenzie and the Midwest Five, Gallery Gen, New York City, NY
The American Hand, Minnesota Museum of American Art, St. Paul, MN
The Hormone Show, University of Wisconsin, River Falls, WI
Minnesota/Wisconsin Potters Exhibition, Western Village, Tokyo, Japan
Allen and Pearson, Iowa Artisans Gallery Iowa City, lA
Ceramics Invitational, Lill Street Gallery Chicago, IL
Steeped in Tradition, Ariana Gallery Royal Oak, MI
Keepers of the Water, Duluth Art Institute Duluth, MN
On the Wing, Artworks, Seattle, WA
Solo Exhibition, Pine Tree Gallery Ironwood, MI
Tweed on Ice, Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth, MN
Celebrate the Earth, University of Wisconsin La Crosse, WI
Midwest Claywork, Northern Iowa University Cedar Rapids, lA
Utility Plus, Minneapolis Institute ofArt Minneapolis, MN
Exchanging Views, The Clay Studio Philadelphia, PA
Summer Exhibition Artisan’s Gallery Great Neck, NY
Fine Crafts Exhibition Contemporary Craft Gallery Louisville, KY
Show Me ALL The Pottery
ALL pottery currently offered for purchase
