Ceramic Interpretation Of A Calla Lily:

Ashley Roswell’s Work Accepted Into National Student Exhibition

By Shannon Hicks

The National K–12 Ceramic Exhibition is an annual juried ceramic competition for students from kindergarten through grade 12 in the United States. Designed to showcase the best work made in the country, the exhibition is presented in a different location each year in conjunction with the annual conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA).

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the K–12 Exhibition, which has, organizers say, “become one of the most attended venues at the annual conference.”

The 2012 National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition Foundation will be presented in Seattle, Wash., March 28–30, at the Washington State Convention Center. Of the 150 works that were accepted into the show, the talent of one Newtown High School student has made sure that Newtown is among the cities and towns across the country represented in Seattle this year.

NHS sophomore Ashley Roswell created “Lily Cup” a few months ago, and judges felt it was worthy of inclusion in the national event. Art teacher Carol Pelligra had submitted work by 16 of her students, but only Ashley’s was accepted for next weekend’s exhibition.

“It’s a very demanding show,” Ms Pelligra said. Judges received “an enormous number of entries,” Ms Pelligra was told via e-mail when she was notified of the acceptance of Ashley’s work. There were 1,134 entries submitted by 115 teachers. Ashley’s was one of 152 pieces by high school freshmen and sophomores that were considered; judges accepted just 20 works in that age bracket.

“Lily Cup” is Ashley’s interpretation of a calla lily, in ceramic, that can be used as a mug. The flower is primarily white with a colorful center, and a green leaf serves as the mug’s handle. It is a delicate piece, with soft greens and violets blending as naturally as a real lily’s colors would.

The piece started as a simple idea, said Ashley, but became more challenging when she realized that she needed to look into balance as well as form in order to finish the mug.

“It was always supposed to be a calla lily mug that could hold water,” she said, “but to get it to flow like a lily should took a lot of planning.”

The base of the mug was initially thin, said the young artist. The mug was also going to be just the lily’s flower, but after the bowl of the mug tipped over when left on its own, Ashley decided to add the leaf.

“The leaf as the handle gave the mug better balance, but it also gave it a much better flow, too,” she said.

Ashley used standard white clay for her mug, which began life as a class assignment called Face Mug. She drew the piece several times, “but then bringing it to life was very satisfying,” she said.

“A lot of people did traditional faces, but my mom had gone to a wedding and came home with a beautiful bouquet of white calla lilies,” said Ashley. “I remember looking at them and thinking that they looked like they had their own personality.”

Ashley used her mother’s flowers, as well as additional photos of calla lilies she located, and went to work. She used underglazes for the coloring, which allows for vibrant colors when needed, although Ashley’s finished project also has the soft colors for which lilies can be known.

The high school sophomore spends much of her time drawing and creating sculpture, and admits she has gotten into trouble in classes on occasion when a teacher finds her drawing instead of listening.

“I draw on just about everything, including worksheets in class, and that has gotten me into trouble,” said Ashley.

“But it’s an escape,” she said. “I love art. I sit at home and draw and sculpt things, anything. I love that you can express your feelings through different pieces of art.

“The hours just blend together. What feels like a few minutes, you’ll find has been a few hours because you just become so enveloped in your work.

“Art is very important to me,” she continued. “It’s the best feeling.”

“The art just flows right through her fingers,” said Ms Pelligra. “The airbrushed colors offer such a beautiful balance on this piece. She is such a talent.”

Judging Not Yet Complete

Ms Pelligra had until January 9 to go through the entry process for her students’ works. Due to the fragility of the work being considered, digital photos of each work were sent to organizers, who were led this year by juror Louis Katz, a ceramics professor at Texas A&M. Accepted works were then shipped to Seattle

It took 5½ weeks for the selection committee to finish their work. Ms Pelligra was notified on February 17 of the acceptance of Ashley’s work into the Seattle exhibition.

Her parents actually heard about the acceptance before Ashley did.

“It was a pretty big moment,” she said. “My dad called me after school and said, ‘Come home, I have some good news for you.’ He would tell me what it was until I got home. He was like a kid at Christmas, he was so excited.”

This is the first time one of Ashley’s pieces will be displayed in such a public arena.

“I’ve tried other things — singing, acting, sports — and I always got turned down,” she said. “But now I’ve found something I’m really good at. This is a giant confidence booster.”

All of the student works at The National K–12 Ceramic Exhibition will be judged again next weekend, with winning students presented with awards. High school seniors will also be eligible for scholarships.

Whether she wins an award or not, Ashley knows she already has at least another fan who feels strongly about her work.

“My mom loved it. She had already put it in a special spot” before the mug needed to be carefully packed and shipped out to the West Coast, she said.

Curators have posted photos of all 150 students works that have been accepted into The 2012 National K–12 Ceramic Exhibition. To view the gallery, visit www.k12clay.org and click on See the Virtual Web Exhibit (just below the orange banner and the words Welcome to our site!).