Larry Allen

Biography to Display:

—Born Birmingham, Alabama

EDUCATION

1978 BA Art Berea College, Berea, Kentucky

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

1978—Studio potter, La Pottery, Leeds, Alabama

BIOGRAPHY

Larry Allen makes a wide range of both functional forms meant for everyday use and larger decorative vessel related forms meant for display. His pottery is wheel-thrown using black stoneware clay with decorative techniques including sgraffito, multiple glaze stages and firings.

Each piece is coated with slip. When the slip has stiffened the surface is covered with a wax coating. This allows Sgraffito, the carving of designs into the clay. The vessels are bisque fired; then the interior is glazed and the exterior is given highlights with a low fire red glaze. Each piece gets one more final firing.

The inspiration for Allen’s designs comes largely from Native American and African art.

Public Collections

Public Collections to Display:

Brunnier Art Museum, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Bibliography

Bibliography to Display:

Dean, Chotsani Elaine and donald a clark. Contemporary Black American Ceramic Artists. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2022.