Jim Connell

Thrown and Altered Vase, c. 2015

7 x 4.47 D

Jim Connell lives and works in South Carolina and has been an active studio artist for over thirty five years. Connell creates ceramic pieces in unusual sizes and shapes but his process is firmly grounded in the traditional techniques of pottery making.

Although his process varies, Connell's vessels are generally wheel-thrown. The thick walls are paddled and carved producing a secondary, three-dimensional surface. He says: "I strive for beauty and elegance in my pieces. On my very best days in the studio I get glimpses of it and it keeps me going. It is all about that eternal elusive quest for beauty. I enjoy interplay and tension in my pieces and continually strive to excite my forms through the use of carving. If pressed into service, my ceramics could hold and pour liquid properly; however, their function is purely decorative."

Connell earned his BA from Loyola University (IL), his BFA degree from Kansas City Art Institute (MO), and his MFA degree from the University of Illinois. His work has been exhibited at The South Carolina State Museum, San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts and Contemporary Clay (TX), Austin Museum of Art (TX), Huntington Museum of Art (WV), Columbus Museum (GA), Huntsville Museum of Art (AL), the Holter Museum of Art (MT), Fine Arts Museum of the South (AL), Downey Museum of Art (CA), Sonoma County Museum (CA), and Roswell Museum (NM). Connell's ceramics are in the collections of the South Carolina State Museum, the Charles Wustum Museum of Fine Arts (WI), the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MN), and the Yixing Ceramic Museum (China).

Donated by Marsha Gold

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