OkEq First Thursday: "Escape from FatCityClay (Am I still here?)"

Glendon's Barn, by Joe Staskal. Photo provided.

 

(Tulsa) The March Oklahomans for Equality (OkEq) showcase and exhibit of local features the works of Joe Staskal in a show titled Escape from FatCityClay (Am I still here?

Joe Staskal, with his endearing mock-apologetic style, says “I paint like a potter.” He first touched clay in 1976 in the classroom of Gens (Art) Morrison at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Morrison is a California ceramist who taught him about Japanese and English craft traditions.

Staskal’s work is a self-created genre that contains painting and layering of special glaze techniques. He takes basic forms and combines them to make boldly expressive statements. His ceramic creations of mini-mugs and mini-bowls are popular everywhere he goes. His work branches into small paintings that represent his most recent efforts to study and organize color along with larger paintings and landscapes on plywood board.

He has challenged himself by attempting to exceed the limits of his drafting and painting skills with “box constructions.” For Staskal, the actual product is immediate, important and necessary, keeping him always walking the long road that is the eternal offering of the craft practitioner.

In addition to the regular Opening Night Reception on the 6th, Joe will be in the Gallery on Friday, March 7th, from 6pm to 8:30pm; there will be a select group of pottery available only on Thursday and Friday nights for 1/2 price. These items will all be available to take with you that evening.

The show begins with a reception on Thursday, March 6th from 6-9pm at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center at 621 E. 4th St., in downtown Tulsa. There will be a door prize drawn of the artist’s work; the show continues throughout the month. www.okeq.org.

Founded by a dedicated group of volunteers in 1980, Oklahomans for Equality/OkEq is Oklahoma’s oldest gay rights organization. From testing for HIV/AIDS and hosting the annual Tulsa Pride and Diversity Celebration to operating the Equality Center and documenting the Tulsa LGBT community’s rich history, OkEq works for social justice and full inclusion for Oklahoma’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) citizens and their allies. For more information, see www.okeq.org

The Gayly – March 4, 2014 @ 1:40 pm