Inaugural Gallery Exhibit to Feature Work By Casper

NEW PALTZ — Ceramic sculpture by Long Island artist and State University of New York at New Paltz graduate John C. Casper, Class of 1962, will be presented in the inaugural exhibition at the gallery at Hands on Clay in East Setauket, NY from October 16 through November 16. The gallery is part of the new fully equipped studio which ceramic artist and teacher Randy Blume opened last April.

The opening reception will take place on Friday, October 16 at 5:00 p.m. and will include the presentation of a sculpture Casper is donating to St. Charles Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Port Jefferson, NY. Blume and Casper will also donate a portion of all sales from the show to the Traumatic Brain Injury Unit of the hospital.

The solo exhibition will feature 20 of Casper’s ceramic sculptures including the title installation, Growth of the Soil. Casper’s work has been shown in more than 75 exhibitions nationwide and in the United Kingdom. Works by the artist are in the permanent collections of Delta Airlines and the Kemper Group, among others. Earlier this year, he received an award from the prestigious Yosemite Renaissance Exhibition and was selected for the organization’s touring exhibit.

Helen A. Harrison, writing for The New York Times, referred to the “mysterious, magical quality [of his work], like the talismans and sacred stones that have clearly inspired them.”

Casper will present a gallery talk on Sunday, November 1 at 3:00 p.m. at Hands on Clay. The Gallery at Hands on Clay is located at 128 Old Town Road, East Setauket, NY. For gallery hours, call 516-751-0011.