Teapots and More
June 26 - August 1, 2002
David Griffins teapots go beyond serving tea; they are witty comments on the endless possibilities of the functional form of the teapot. These teapots pay homage to everything from Pop artists Roy Lichtenstein to childhood toys such as Tonka trucks. The current body of work is based on Davids childhood recollections of growing up in the desert Southwest. "The various cactus forms become the teapot body just as a desert cactus is a vessel for containing water."
Paul Dresang is a professor at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. He invited 20 of his former graduate students to participate in this invitational. In the exhibition catalogue Mr. Dresang explains his selection of artists, "I see them as extraordinary talents who allow us to celebrate their personal responses to the need to bring beautiful things into the world, things of utility that enrich their lives in the making and offering, and ours in the having and holding."
Born in El Paso, Texas David Griffin received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas and his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana. Currently he lives in Charleston, Illinois and is an Associate Professor in Jewelry and Metals at Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois.