Kansas Fantastica: Ceramic Pieces and Pastels of Eric Abraham
FAYETTE, Mo. – "Kansas Fantastica," the ceramic figures and pastel
drawings of Kansas artist Eric Abraham will be featured in an exhibition
opening Oct. 21 in the Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art at Central
Methodist College.
Abraham, a native of New York City, has been self-employed as a ceramic
artist for the past 30 years. Currently living in Wamego, Kan., Abraham
has a studio in nearby Wabaunsee, Kan. He has exhibited his work
nationally and has been featured on the Lynette Jennings design program
on the Discovery Channel several times during the past three years and
previously on the NBC Today Show "Art in Your Neighborhood" special.
Abraham's primary medium is clay, although he has had extensive
experience with other media, sometimes in combination with clay. "Due to
the self-sufficient nature of an artist's lifestyle," Abraham says, "I
tend to be very adaptable with materials and aesthetics which are
heavily influenced by a combination of images derived from the essence
of the Baroque and Rococo periods as well as other highly decorative
eras, including 'primitive' cultures, naive art and nostalgia."
Abraham also notes that he attempts to interpret "the lighter, more
imaginative and amusing aspects of the human experience" into art forms
that uplift and bring pleasure to the viewer.
Abraham holds a bachelor's degree in fine arts from the Kansas City Art
Institute and a master's degree in fine arts from the University of
Nebraska. He has taught art at Kansas State University, Pittsburg State
University, Summer Vail (Colo.) Art Workshop and in the Wichita, Kan.,
public school system. Recent exhibitions of his work have been in the
Kansas City Art Institute, Colorado Art Museum in Denver, and the
Columbian Theatre and Gallery in Wamego, Kan. Abraham's works are on
permanent display at the Anderton Gallery in Crested Butte, Colo.; Jayne
Gallery in Kansas City, Mo.; Strecker-Nelson Gallery in Manhattan, Kan.;
and Sunrise Art Works in Aurora, Colo.
