Born: 1950, Stockton, CA
EDUCATION
1974 MA San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
1973 BA San Francisco State College, San Francisco, CA
1970 AA San Joaquin Delta College, CA
SOLO SHOWS (Selected)
2013 Rubbings-Drawing on the Past, Fine Arts Gallery, College of Marin, Kentfield, CA
2007 Bill Abright- Drawings and Ceramics, Artworks Downtown, San Rafael, CA
2006 Mask: Drawings and Ceramics, College of Marin Art Gallery, Kentfield, CA
2005 John Natsoulas Gallery, Drawings from Within, Davis, CA
2002 Ceramic Sculpture GR Martin Gallery, San Anselmo, CA
2001 John Natsoulas Gallery, The Nature of Things, Davis CA
1997 Fine Arts Gallery, College of Marin, Kentfield, CA
1988 Esther Saks Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
Susan Cummins Gallery, Mill Valley, CA
1987 Natsoulas/Novelozo Gallery, Davis, CA
1985 Bruce Velick Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Schakelford and Sears Gallery, Davis, CA
1984 Bruce Velick Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1980 Gallery Eight, La Jolla, CA
1979 The Elements Gallery, New York City
Anna Gardner Gallery, Stinson Beach, CA
Falkirk Cultural Center, San Rafael, CA
1978 Meyer, Breier, Weiss Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1977 Elizabeth Fortner Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
1976 Studio 7 Gallery, San Anselmo, CA
1975 Skylight Gallery, Port Angeles, Washington
Clyde Bertram Gallery, Stockton, CA
GROUP SHOWS (Selected)
2013 Animals in Clay, Grand Theater Center for the Arts, Tracy, CA
2012 Bill Abright and Claudia Tarantino, Rosco Gallery, Oakland, CA
Laughing Matters, Healdsburg Center for the Arts, Healdsburg, CA
Ceramic Annual of America, Ft Mason Center, San Francisco, CA
2011 Ceramic Annual of America, Ft Mason Center, San Francisco, Ca
2010 Mastering Raku, Needham, MA
2009 NCECA National Biennial Exhibit, Phoenix, AZ
Community Clay, Kentfield CA. Curated by Bill Abright
2008 30 Ceramic Sculptors, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2007 Ink and Clay 33, UC Pomona, CA
2006 A Show of Heads, Slow Art Production, Limner Gallery, Phoenicia, NY
30 Ceramic Sculptors, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
Art Faculty Exhibition, College of Marin Art Gallery, Kentfield, CA
2005 30 Ceramic Sculptors, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
Art Faculty Exhibition, College of Marin Art Gallery, Kentfield, CA
2004 30 Ceramic Sculptors, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
Art Faculty Exhibition, College of Marin Art Gallery, Kentfield, CA
Northern California Clay, NCECA 37th Annual Conference, San Diego, CA
Ceramic Sculptors, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
Art Faculty Exhibition, College of Marin Art Gallery, Kentfield, CA
Ceramic Sculptors, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
Art Faculty Exhibition, College of Marin Art Gallery, Kentfield, CA
The NCECA 2001 Clay National, Rock Hill, SC
Alumni Exhibit, San Joaquin Delta College, Stockton, CA
2000 Selections From The Allan Chasanoff Ceramic Collection, Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
30 Ceramic Sculptors, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis,CA
1999 Bob Arneson and Friends, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
10th Annual All Creatures Great and Small, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
Wall Work, Ceramic Sculpture, SMUD Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1998 Sculptural Perspectives for the New Millennium, LEF Foundation, St. Helena, CA
30 Ceramics Sculptors, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
The Toki Collection, Pence Gallery, Davis and Richmond Art Center,CA
1997 Teapot Invitational, Dorothy Weiss Gallery, San Francisco,CA
All Creatures Great and Small, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis,CA
Animal Instincts, Marin Civic Center, San Rafael, CA
Marin County Fair, Fine Arts Exhibit, Award, San Rafael, CA
30 Ceramic Sculptors, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
1995 Teapot Invitational, Dorothy Weiss Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1994 Teapot Invitational, Dorothy Weiss Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Marin County Fair, Best of Show, San Rafael, CA
30 Ceramic Sculptors, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
1993 Interbike '93, Amer. Bicycling Museum, Las Vegas, NV
Pacific Rim Ceramic Sculpture, Honolulu Academy of Art, Honolulu, HI
The Bicycle Show, Berkeley Store Gallery, Berkeley ,CA
Bout Bicycles, IDEA Gallery , Sacramento, CA
1992 Holy Night, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
1991 Portraits of the Artist, Artisans Gallery, Mill Valley, CA
30 Ceramic Sculptors, Natsoulas/Novelozo Gallery, Davis, CA
Faith Nightengale Gallery, San Diego, CA
1990 All Creatures Great and Small, Natsoulas/Novelozo Gallery, Davis, CA
Chief Seattle Reply, Hatley/Martin Gallery, San Francisco, CA
RAKU: Transforming the Tradition, Bevier Art Gallery, Rochester Institute of
Technology, Rochester, NY
1989 Ceramic Traditions: Figuration, Palo Alto Cultural Center, Palo Alto, CA
RAKU: Transforming the Tradition, NCECA, Kansas City Contemporary Art Center,
Kansas City, MO
1987 American Ceramics Now, Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY
Clay and More, Wita Gardner Gallery, San Diego, CA
1986 Himovitz/Saloman Gallery, Sacramento, CA
University Art Museum, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
1982 20 Ceramic Artists, Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
1979 Architectural Dimensions, The Elements Gallery, New York, NY
1974 Surfaces in Ceramic Art, Fairtree Gallery, New York, NY
California Clay and Glass, Oakland Museum of Art, Oakland, CA
AWARDS
Hayward Award for Excellence in Education, College of Marin Academic Senate 1996
Marin Mental Health Association, Building Community Award, 1996
Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society, Teacher Appreciation Award,1998, 1994, 1991
Marin County Fair Fine Art Exhibit: Best of Show Sculpture 1997,1994
SELECTED REVIEWS AND PUBLICATIONS
Artists Dialogue, Humor in Art, Interview with Photos, Sept. 1995
American Ceramics, review and photos, Roberta Floden, Sept. 1989
Artweek: review and photo, Beth Goldberg, January 1988
American Ceramics Now, catalog, Everson Museum, June 1987
Ceramics Monthly Magazine, COVER, December 1986
Artweek: review and photos, Joanne Burstein, January 1985
American Ceramics, review and photos, Mark Levy, July 1984
Studio Potter, interview and photos, December 1984
TEXTBOOKS
Mastering Raku, Steven Branfman, Lark Books, 2009
500 Figures in Clay, Lark Books, 2005
Images in Clay Sculpture, Charlotte Speight,1983
Low Fire Ceramics, Susan Wechsler, Watson Guptil, 1982
The Book of Low Fire Ceramics, Harvey Brody, Featured Artist,1980
TEACHING
1975 - present Instructor, College of Marin, Kentfield, CA 1997-99
1997 -1999 Chairman of Fine and Visual Arts, College of Marin, Kentfield, CA
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
1986 - presnet Bay Area Art Conservation Guild
1985 - present Marin Arts Council
1978 - present National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
2010 Lecture/Demonstration "Stretch" Richmond Art Center
2009 CCACA conference, demonstration Large scale masks, Davis Ca.
2003 Marin Master, Featured Artist at the Marin Art Festival, San Rafael, CA
1999 California Conference for The Advancement of Ceramic Art
Demonstration of slab textures and mask making, Davis, CA
1998 Hui No’eau Art Center, guest artist, lecture and demonstration, Maui, HI
1994 Guest Artist, Monumental Sculpture, Butte College, Chico, CA
1993 California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art,
Demonstration, Adhesives in Ceramic Sculpture, Davis
1992 Juror, Artisans Gallery Open Show, Mill Valley, CA
1990 California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art,
Lecturer, Post fired Constructed Ceramic Sculpture, Davis, CA
1989 NCECA Kansas City Kansas, Raku Demo. March 9 and 10
Guest Speaker, Raku Panel: Transforming the Tradition
Chicago Art Institute, Guest Artist, Lecturer, March
1987 Juror, Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival, Mill Valley, CA
1982 Honolulu Academy of Art, Lecturer, Honolulu, HI
1980 University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ Lecture and Demonstration
1978 University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA Lecture and Demonstration
1977 San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, Lecture and Demonstration
Camberwell School of Art, London, England, Lecturer
CONTACT INFORMATION
(415) 497-5082
email: billabright1@comcast.net
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Artists Statement
The twist of an individual’s imagination is one trait that accounts for our different perceptions of reality. As a child I would fall asleep seeing faces in the woodgrain wallpaper of my bedroom. Throughout my education artists who were unique in their approach to creating unusual and somewhat dark work inspired me. From the writings of Edger Allen Poe to early monster movies, I have always been interested in the things of Art and life that are mysterious and unusual. Heironymous Bosch’s and Giuseppi Archemboldo’s bizarre paintings, Leonardo Da Vinci’s grotesque faces and the bold expressions of Francisco Goya make it clear to me that “Art” does not have to be tame stuff. Later, I was attracted to the surrealists for their pulsing atmospheric landscapes and to Francis Bacon, for his gutsy emotionally twisted portraits. I became interested in psychology, the Rorschach inkblot test, caves, and Mauritz Escher’s reversals of space and form. For the last 35 years, I have been teaching Art and producing ceramic sculpture in an abstracted figurative style. I work with graphite on paper for the directness of process while I love working with clay for its skinlike plasticity and pyromanic produced permanence.
Biography
Abright was introduced to clay by Bruce Duke at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton in the late 60's. He completed his graduate degree at San Francisco State in 1974 working with Bud McKee, Stephen De Staebler, Joe Hawley and David Kuraoka. Abright has taught ceramics at the College of Marin in Kentfield, CA since 1975 and has been influential in the lives of many artists. He has exhibited throughout the U.S. and his work is in many private and museum collections.