Photos and text by Robert Kokenyesi, Ceramic Artist, Beachfront Pottery, Godfrey, IL 62035, USA.

The Gallery of Art at Fontbonne University, Clayton, Missouri,  housed the exhibit titled “Remembering an Artist: Ceramics of Catherine Connor-Talasek” from January 13 through February 10, 2017 .  Catherine was a long standing ceramics professor and teacher at Fontbonne University.  The memorial exhibit was organized after Catherine’s death in 2016.   All photos in this blog are showing the works of Catherine Talasek.

Bowls in Native American style

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These two large bowls (more than foot in diameter) and the one below (about 7 inches in diameter) were all created in the native American style.  Connie’s motivation was that in Native American cultures the women were the pottery makers.

 

In addition to the Native American style bowl there are two small sculptures in the Native American style. These are titled: “Cow” and “Seal”.

 

 

 

Native American style vessels:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top left is a set of horsehair vases, one with a sculpted lid. On the right is a black glazed vase.

Below there is a terra cotta vase with terra sigillata decoration in the Native American style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picasso style pieces

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connie also made pieces with decorations that misplaced body parts of animals or humans, very similar to how Picasso created some of his pieces.  The bowl on the left is titled “Lovebirds”.

Salt-fired pieces

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other bowls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bowl on the right has a title “Shadows”, while the one on the left is untitled.

 

These three bowls are more than a foot in diameter. Impressive size, and level of decoration.

 

 

 

 

 

Other vessels

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This piece commemorates Connie’s love of dogs.  The piece is title “Jack Russel Terrier Planter”.

 

 

 

 

 

This another beautiful piece in the exhibit; untitled as most pieces.  The technique is saggar fire, but it looks like that a rope was strapped around the vessel, and the burning rope left those black marks on the side of the vessel.