Linnis Blanton (b. 1950)

Linnis Blanton was born and raised in Port Arthur, Texas. He completed his undergraduate studies at Lamar University with an All Level Art Education degree, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Blanton also counts his studies at Texas Tech University with James Watkins and Sarah Water as being influential on his practice.

Blanton taught for thirty years in the public school system and only recently retired from Lamar University where he was an adjunct instructor for 20 years. A beloved teacher, Blanton is known in Southeast Texas for his artistic integrity, his generosity in teaching, and his deep knowledge of clay. Blanton’s work has been published in Ceramic Monthlymagazine, and the book entitled 500 Plates and Chargers. He has exhibited allover Southeast Texas including at The Art Museum of Southeast Texas (Beaumont, TX), the Dishman Art Museum (Beaumont, TX) and Galveston College (Galveston, TX).

Blanton continues his ongoing discourse with the ceramic vessel, exploring its formal and symbolic potential.

EDUCATION

1976 B.F.A. Studio Art, Lamar University Beaumont, Texas
1972 B.S. Art Education, Lamar University Beaumont, Texas

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

2002-2022 Adjunct Instructor, Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas
1973-2003 Art Teacher, Port Arthur Independent School District, Port Arthur, Texas

AWARDS/HONORS

2014    Teacher of the Year, Southeast Texas Arts Council, Beaumont, Texas
2013     Judge, 6th International Texas Teapot Tournament, 18 Hands Gallery, Houston, Texas
1990     2nd Place Award, Artist/Teacher Show, Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2021 Sacred Silence, Beaumont Art League, Beaumont, Texas

2021 Connecting Heaven and Earth, Dishman Art Museum, Beaumont, Texas

2020     Mindscapes, Beaumont Art League, Beaumont, Texas
2018     Ceramics Exhibition, Galveston College, Galveston, Texas
2015     Journey From Within: Ceramics by Linnis Blanton, Art Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont, Texas
2011     Earth Song II, Museum of the Gulf Coast, Port Arthur, Texas
2010     Earth Song I, Ice House Museum, Silsbee, Texas
2000    Out of the Blue, Beaumont Art League, Beaumont, Texas
1994    Journey Within, Gulf Coast Museum, Port Arthur, Texas

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITONS

2015   Lamar Faculty Exhibition, Beaumont, Texas
2014   Sacred Art Show, Beaumont Art League, Beaumont, Texas
2014   Sculpture Invitational, The Art Studio, Beaumont, Texas
2014    Lamar Faculty Exhibition, Beaumont, Texas
2013    Lamar Faculty Exhibition, Beaumont, Texas
2012    5th International Texas Teapot Tournament, Houston, Texas
2007    Regional Ceramic Competition, University of Dallas, Irving Texas
            (Juror: Val Cushing)
2006    Fire and Ice, Ice House Museum, Silsbee, Texas
            Invitational Exhibition, Texas Artists Museum, Port Arthur, Texas
            Captured Intentions, Beaumont Art League, Beaumont, Texas
            Lamar University Faculty Exhibition, Dishman Art Gallery, Beaumont, Texas
2005    Lamar University Faculty Exhibition, Dishman Art Gallery, Beaumont, Texas
2004    Lamar University Faculty Exhibition, Dishman Art Gallery, Beaumont, Texas
2003    Three Person Show, Megnet Gallery, Beaumont, Texas
            Lamar University Faculty Exhibition, Dishman Art Gallery, Beaumont, Texas
2002    Lamar University Faculty Exhibition, Dishman Art Gallery, Beaumont, Texas
2001    Two-Person Show, One Allen Center, Houston, Texas
2000    Two-Person Show, One Allen Center, Houston, Texas
            Members Show, Texas Clay Art Association, San Angelo, Texas
1997    Family and Friends, Dishman Art Gallery, Beaumont, Texas
1994    Art Studio Exhibition, The Art Studio, Beaumont, Texas
            (Juror: James Surles)
1992    Between the Mind Thoughts, The Art Studio, Beaumont, Texas
1990    Artist/Teacher Show, Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas
1989    Five State Art Exhibition, Service League, Port Arthur, Texas
            (Juror: Michael Auping)
1987    The Ugly Art Show, The Art Studio, Beaumont, Texas
1986    Yellow Dog Art Exhibition, The Art Studio, Beaumont, Texas
1984    Silent Space, The Art Studio, Beaumont, Texas
1980    Tri-State Exhibition, Beaumont Art League, Beaumont, Texas
  (Juror: Harry Ashysen)
1979    Tri-State Exhibition, Beaumont Art League, Beaumont, Texas
1978    Tri-State Exhibition, Beaumont Art League, Beaumont, Texas
1972    Exhibition, Baytown, Texas

PUBLICATIONS

2008 Tourtillott, Suzanne J.E. 500 Plates & Chargers: Innovative Expressions of Function and Style. New York: Lark Crafts, 2008.
2000 Reed, Harry. “Beneath the Surface.” Ceramic Monthly (June, July, August, 2000): 73.

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Art Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont, TX

Dishman Museum, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX

Museum of the Gulf Coast, Port Arthur, TX

Galveston College, Galveston, TX

PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

David Cargill, Beaumont, TX Pam O’Neal, Beaumont, TX

Rob Clark, Beaumont, TX Sarah Beth Wilson, Houston, TX

Sandy Laurette, Beaumont, TX Robert Madden, Beaumont, TX

Kristi Heid, Sabine Pass, TX Carlo Busceme IV, Beaumont, TX

Carlo Busceme III, Beaumont, TX Kayla Peltier, Port Arthur, TX

Donna Meeks, Beaumont, TX Robert O’Niel, Beaumont, TX

Jerry & Patty Newman, Beaumont, TX

Artist Statement

The plasticity and sensuousness of the clay is the reason I love to make vessels. The clay is constantly recording my touch and thoughts as I express my creativity. A major influence on my work was a trip to New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona to visit sacred sights of the Ancient Indians. My vessels suggest the natural phenomena of the canyon walls that are transformed from my imagination to the pot’s surface. As I work on the vessels that represent the canyon walls, they begin to change into figures. The figures seem to appear as spirits of ancestors. I alter, modify, push, and pull the surface of the clay in an attempt to express a connection of the past and present.

Linnis Blanton

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