Pictured Above: Pottery by Ricky Malodano

Exhibiting April 18 through June 17, 2017
Kenneth Underwood's Foothills Ceramic Art Museum at ASiF proudly presents its spring exhibition, PATTERNS, an exhibition of works by over forty national and international ceramic artists and three fiber artists' colorful painted, dyed, woven, quilted and sewn two dimensional artworks.

RECEPTION - Friday, April 21, 5 - 8pm:
Clay in its finished form is definitely not supple like fabric, but potters and weavers definitely share a fascination with patterns.

**"Tulips and Chrysanthemums", By Iznik pottery)**

For this exhibit, Underwood has chosen pieces from his collection that incorporate pattern in their surface decoration. As in any media, with ceramics, whether carved or stamped, printed or painted, pattern is created by repetition. Take any shape – a line, a circle, a triangle, a leaf, a blob – shift it left or right, up or down, flip it vertically or horizontally, or rotate it endlessly, and you have created a pattern. Shift it then rotate it and you create a spiral. Think of wallpaper and how it is printed in endless rolls up and down and seam to seam, and you will understand how pattern is created.

Underwood explains... "When I looked over the pieces I selected for this exhibit, it struck me that they are mostly round; wheel thrown, coiled, or altered, they all started by creating a circular form. Potters develop their skills by throwing the same shapes over and over until they master the process. Some potters then create molds to cast copies of those perfect shapes. The potter’s process is one of repetition and refinement. Each pot is the product of a pattern! But each pot is also unique because it is made by hand.

For so many potters to decorate their pots with patterns should be no surprise. It is part of their DNA".

New and rotating FCAM exhibits will open approximately every two months, featuring new selections from the Underwood Permanent Collection, each with a focus on a particular style, region, genre or technique.

A PERSONAL JOURNEY, by Kenneth Underwood...

"FCAM is the first step toward my long-time dream of a ceramics museum in the Sierra Foothills of Northern California. My collecting began in 1981 and reflects my roots in North Carolina, my working years in Southern California, my retirement years in Northern California, and my travels around the world. The collection is very eclectic, but is focused on functional and sculptural, 20th and 21st century studio pottery, i.e., handmade, one of a kind, artist work".

Many friends have visited my home to see the collection and watch it grow. But I have always wanted to make the collection accessible to more people, to share my joy of ceramics and build awareness for ceramic art and artists. I finally found a place to make that happen at ASiF.