A life in clay leads to LeMoyne's Chain of Parks Art Fest, Hollywood blockbuster

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.

Living clay

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.

Maximizing the fire

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.

“I try to choose shapes that make me pay attention to what I’m doing. Because over time, if you are throwing a lot of pots, you can get really lazy in your throwing. It becomes automatic to you, and you just throw stuff,” says Allen. “But then certain shapes, no matter how many times you throw them, you still have to pay attention to them. So I try to choose shapes that make me concentrate on them.”

Once satisfied with the shape, Allen allows the material to stiffen into a leather-hard state that leaves the clay dehydrated yet malleable. Next, he brushes a thick layer of slip over the clay and creates thoughtful and exquisite designs using the sgraffito technique of scratching through the surface to reveal layers of color. A quick bisque in the kiln, glaze, and second round in the kiln culminates into an entire functioning piece of pottery worth admiring.

Renowned and recognized

Allen attributes his start to a simple paint-by-numbers kit given to him by his parents. Allen recounts, “I got that for Christmas. That's all I needed to occupy my time. I enjoyed it.” His love of art grew and evolved and found its way to a pottery studio.

Decades later, that young boy from Birmingham, has become a nationally renowned potter displayed in galleries, museums, and even Hollywood blockbusters.

“The Black Panther 2 movie that just came out, I had work in a gallery in Atlanta, and they were in there shopping for things they wanted to use on the set,” beams Allen. “They saw some of my work and purchased some of it. Local folk found out, and they went crazy about it.”

Recently Allen has been featured in a book on contemporary Black ceramic artists in America. He is honored, humbled, and sincerely acknowledges the dedication to a lifetime of work.

Tallahassee is lucky to welcome back Allen to this year's Chain of Parks. His work is only one of the amazing, original, and one-of-a-kind works you'll be able to witness at the event. The festival brings music, dancing, potters, painters and makers alike, each with their own style and metamorphosis, set to breathe life into the city.

If you go

What: LeMoyne’s Chain of Parks Art Festival

When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, April 15-16

Where: Chain of Parks, Downtown Tallahassee

Contact: 850-222-8800 | chainofparks@lemoyne.org. For more information, visit chainofparks.org

Dr. Christy Rodriguez de Conte is the feature writer for the Council on Culture & Arts. COCA is the capital area’s umbrella agency for arts and culture (tallahasseearts.org)

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: LeMoyne fest artist's way with clay sparks 'Black Panther' attention