Expertise:
Ms. Allan's expertise is in ceramic art.
Major Product/SVS:
Art and Design Including Ceramics
Hobbies/Sports:
Hiking with Friends and Family for Berry and Mushroom Picking, Admiring Nature, History, Photography
Education Degrees:
Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Design, University of Illinois (1979)
Affiliations Awards:
Northwest Designer Craftsmen; Phi Kappa Phi
Expanded Biography:
Publications that include her work are: Ceramics Monthly Magazine, USA, Jan. 1992; “Sawdust Firing, The Complete Potter Series” Batsford Books, UK, England (in USA, U. of Pennsylvania Press) 1994; “Best of Pottery” Quarry Books, Rockport, Mass. 1996; “Masking and Resists for Ceramics” A.C. Black Pub. Ltd, UK, England, 1996; “Barrel, Pit and Saggar Firing” The American Ceramic Society, 2001; Chinese Potters Newsletter, Winter issue, Beijing, P.R.China, 2002; “Alternative Kilns and Firing Techniques”, by Andrew Wandless, Lark Books Pub. 2004.
Number Of Years In Profession:
29
Number Of Years In Current Position:
29
What Does He/She Attribute Success To:
She attributes her success to her persistence, fortune and the support she receives from her friends.
Why did you become involved in your profession or industry?:
She became involved in her profession because of her love for art.
Extended Bio Profile:
Ruth E. Allan is a visual and ceramic artist whose unique saggar and raku fired work has been, exhibited, published and collected worldwide. A Washington State native, she grew up on a small farm surrounded by the magnificence of the Puget Sound. Her love of nature and devotion to the arts from an early age nourished a passion for drawing, painting, working with clay, and carving. Art has been a source of inspiration for her whether raising children, teaching, creating museum exhibits or working for the arts in the community. Currently, she teaches the ceramics classes at Wenatchee Valley College and manages the studio. Ms. Allan is the immediate past chairman of the city arts commission and the curator and exhibit specialist for the Museum of the Columbia. She creates and markets one-of-a-kind porcelain clay vessels that are wheel thrown, hand polished and/or hand carved then raku or saggar fired (a comparatively new type of firing). Unlike raku, the subtle yet striking saggar color effects are ‘conjured’ onto the pots during the firing by the placement of minerals and combustibles on or near their surfaces, and can also result in austere black, gray, and white patterns without the use of glazes and stains. She has taught many specialty pottery workshops on saggar firing methods for universities, arts festivals, groups of potters, and raku for high schools. In 1997, a Chinese industrialist saw her work and she was asked to come to China. She had created pottery in Beijing, and was one of the industrialist’s first guest artists and residents. Ms. Allan has done some work for the local ballet and the San Diego ballet. She also constructed theater sets for the ballet and painted 35 watercolors on a scrim, proportionate to the front of the stage. When the lighting was right, the dancers materialized with the watercolors. She served as a project director from 1974 to 1977. She created a museum on Rocky Reach Dam that was 490 feet long and 25 feet wide. Her work has been featured in a dozen books, some of which are in the United Kingdom. She has conducted workshops internationally and also taught on Caribbean cruises. She helped create the City Arts Commission, where she and her friends helped create artists co-op gallery. She was honored as an 'Individual Practicing Artist' by the Wenatchee Art Council. She also works part-time at a community college.
Position Responsibilities and Duties:
Teaching Ceramic Classes, Managing the Studio, Ordering Supplies and Equipment, Taking Orders for Equipment Repairs, Teaching Private Classes in her Studio, Marketing Functional Pieces
Awards/Honors:
Local Lifetime Achievement Award (2000)