Photos and reporting by Robert Kokenyesi, Ceramic Artist, Beachfront Pottery, Godfrey, IL, 62035, USA.  If you enjoyed this post, then give me a “like” on my Facebook page.      There is additional information about Beachfront Pottery on my web site.

The Venue

 

The 2018 Collectors Choice XVIII fundraising event took place on November 3, 2018 in the galleries of the St Louis Artists’ Guild at 12 Jackson Avenue,  Clayton, MO. This is a popular yearly event where artists donate artworks to the fundraiser; the ticket holders at the event get to choose one artwork to take home but only when their ticket number comes up in a lottery-like drawing. Because the pieces were on view for a few weeks prior to the event, I classify this as an exhibit.

I donated an art piece (see below), and I also bought a ticket to pick an art work.

 

 

This is the first part of the St Louis Artists’ Guild gallery.  The entry point is at the far end in this picture’ on the left you see the registration table, and on the walls you already see the beginning of the almost 200 donated art pieces.

 

 

 

These two pictures were taken before the lottery drawing.  ARt lovers just having fun making their lists of potential art pieces of their interests.

 

The Call for Entry

The call for entry had just an explanation what the Collectors Choice fundraiser is about.  The donated pieces went through an evaluation process before being accepted into t he fundraiser.

The Ceramic Art Pieces

 

My recollection is that this was the first ceramic piece picked up.  Steven always make very expressive animal sculptures with a good dose of the whimsical.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was the second ceramic piece chosen in the fundraiser. Lots of color and texture changes and action on the surface of this piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is my donation to the St Louis Guild fundrauser.  This is also a  favorite piece of mine.  It was hard to part with this Ancient Shark.  It has taught me about glaze fusing, about glass slumping onto ceramics, and about highlighting glass with pigments, and about constructing a solid base to raise the sculpture off the pedestal.  It has seen many galleries as part of juried exhibits.

 

 

This was a large (12 inches in diameter) earth tone colored sculpture.  It might have molten glass at the very center cup-like portion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you visit St Louis area galleries then you come across Ryan’s figurative ceramic sculptures.  As expected from Ryan, this piece has several unexpected combinations of shapes and figures.