Dan Howell’s clay work began when he was a boy, making sculptures on the creek banks near the source of the White River on his father’s farm in central Indiana. With encouragement from his high school art teacher, he continued honing his craft specifically into clay.
Howell
Howell earned a bachelor’s degree in Education from Ball State University, studied abroad in France for a year, then went on to receive a master’s degree in Sculpture and Ceramics from Ball State.
He proceeded to teach art in a wide variety of forms for 45 years in three different Indiana high schools. His work has now come full circle with a ceramic studio at his home on the banks of the White River in Noblesville.
Howell has explored a range of media, including fiber, carved wood and stone, and cast and welded materials. His clay pieces range from functional wheel-thrown porcelain to hand-built stoneware abstract sculpture. His work spans 50 years and has been shown in collections both locally and internationally.
Currently, his work is featured in a collection of platters made of glazed stoneware on display at Meyer Najem in the second-floor gallery space. The series started as a reaction to political and social unrest, and his pieces that contain “Chaos Control Failure” in their title are a reflection of that unrest. Many of the platters are an image of some concrete structure that has been overrun by a more organic non-structured element.
“As I was working on these Chaos Control Failure platters, I got intrigued more and more by the textures and the patterns – so it’s kind of a release to be able to express it and be done with it and then move on to another experience or expression of some sort,” Howell said.
The series evolved into other images dealing with contrast of patterns and textures.
“I feel very good about the finished collection, and I’m glad that I was able to move on in another direction – as I moved onto colors, textures, patterns, and movement – the movement of the chaos and not being able to control it,” Howell said. “I worked it out of my system. I am very pleased with how these turned out.”
See the full exhibit, “Chaos Control Failure,” partnered beautifully with Howell’s hand-carved limestone sculptures, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday on the second floor of Meyer Najem, 11787 Lantern Road, Fishers.
Meet Howell at his free public reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14 at Meyer Najem in the second-floor gallery space. His work will be on display through Dec. 29. All works are available for sale by scanning the QR codes in the gallery or by contacting Nickel Plate Arts directly.
About Nickel Plate Arts
Nickel Plate Arts is an umbrella nonprofit organization that creates and coordinates arts and cultural experiences across communities in eastern Hamilton County and the surrounding areas to improve the quality of life for residents, strengthen local economies and enrich experiences for visitors. Nickel Plate Arts is a project of Hamilton County Tourism, Inc.