Artist to Know: Ceramist David Allyn - Inside Art With Michael Rose

Artist to Know: Ceramist David Allyn - Inside Art With Michael Rose

 

David Allyn is a maker who creates works inspired by Rhode Island. In his silkscreened ceramics, images of iconic spots like the Superman Building are celebrated. Allyn’s artworks show off his mastery of interdisciplinary craftsmanship and highlight the places that inspire him. An individual who is deeply invested in the Providence cultural scene, Allyn is an artist to know.

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Raised in the Midwest, Allyn completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. He went on to obtain his MFA in Ceramics from RISD in 2003 and made a home for himself in Providence. He has remained active with his alma mater and has recently been teaching introductory ceramics courses to undergraduates.

 

 

Collected by the likes of the late Dr. Joseph Chazan, Allyn was featured in his NetWorks documentary series, and his work has found its way into the holdings of the RISD Museum and the Newport Art Museum, among others. He has been commissioned to create cups for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and earned fellowships from the McKnight Foundation as well as the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. Most recently, he created a new ceramic mural for Farm Fresh Rhode Island.

 

Allyn’s work starts with his love of cycling, which carries him to locations around the state. He takes photographs of architecture, landscapes, places that Rhode Islanders might find familiar and that he finds compelling. He then uses Photoshop to color separate his images and creates multiple silkscreens that he uses to apply the images to his ceramics. This technique ranges from small images or abstract patterns on cups and vases to large-scale explorations that show up on platter-like forms that can be laid flat or installed on a wall.

 

 

Asked what compels him to create his work in clay, Allyn replies, “Clay is direct, responsive, immediate, and forever.  Utility is one of the many things I enjoy most about making ceramic work.  I get to use the things that I make, my friends get to use the things that I make, it's very personal and profound.” Allyn primarily works in porcelain, which has a crisp and light background that lends itself to his colorful and highly patterned images. His practice necessitates that he have skills in photography, printmaking, ceramics, and that he have the spirit and work ethic of a production potter.

 

Allyn splits his studio time between a new space at 50 Sims and another at the Nicholson File complex around the corner. He has been an active artist within The Valley district for years and has helped to shape programs at institutions there. He was integral in the formation of the ceramics program at The Steel Yard and has regularly taught classes at the industrial arts hub over the years. The renewal of Providence’s industrial landscape has inspired and driven his work.

 

 

Asked about his connection to these spaces, the artist is effusive, saying, “I enjoy the vitality of the arts in our little valley community.  Someone is always pushing, making, and inspiring.  It's wonderful to learn and be inspired by the community that surrounds us.”

 

On a recent afternoon visit, Allyn was at work on a new ceramic platter that bears an image of the Pell Bridge lit up with warm, multilayered tones. He had already silkscreened the image onto the wet clay base and in facile movements, he skillfully added a clay rim to the form while discussing his process and passion. With an exacto knife and a steady hand, he then trimmed away excess and prepared to shape the smoothed and damp surface into a refined curl that will frame the image within.

 

 

Looking forward, Allyn aims to balance his artistic and professional responsibilities while creating compelling artwork. He explains, “I wrap up teaching Wintersession at RISD in a couple weeks, and I'm looking to deep dive into a new series of wall work for the spring.  I really have to earn flexible creative studio time in my complex schedule.  I have to balance making work for myself with making work for commissions or other paid opportunities.  I really look forward to the growth independent studio work brings me, and hopefully, I will make a body of work that is interesting to others as well.”

 

A multi-talented artist who has made his career in Providence, David Allyn creates singular and compelling objects that meld form and function, art and craft. He is a photographer, printmaker, and ceramist all at the same time. In overlapping abstracted patterns or images of cars, flowers, mills, and bridges, he shares his vision of the world on usable and beautiful forms.

 

Learn more about David Allyn at his website www.davidallyn.net or follow him on Instagram at @thirstyallyn.