Unique clay artwork will be on display at the Vigo County Public Library during the month of April. The creator of the wall hangings is Richard Acton, a member of the River City Art Association. The Terre Haute, Indiana, artist’s work is being presented as RCAA’s Artist of the Month.

“Country Cottage” is just one example of Acton’s clay designs.

Country Cottage-clay design by Richard Acton

Acton’s background has been a Master of Science Degree from ISU in Industrial Arts Education, teaching at local high schools plus Maintenance supervisor at a local factory for the majority of his working years. During this time he was married and had three children; a son and two daughters. Although his busy life left very little time for artwork he soon developed a curiosity for creating clay works. He attended several classes to learn about how to manipulate clay into interesting art pieces. Classes were in North Carolina at John Campbell’s Art School, Indiana State University’s clay classes, and Vigo County Clay Classes to name a few of the efforts used to learn about his chosen medium.

The ability to create, imagine, visualize, improvise and manipulate a medium is what describes and person that can be called an artist. It does not always depend on the medium but the artist’s ability to turn it into a pleasing piece of artwork. After several learning years that is what Richard is able to do with his clay works. Not wanting to use the clay to make the typical pots and bowls he developed an unusual way to make new pieces from clay. The clay is used as a background for pictures of different things in our surroundings. There are pictures of tiny houses, lighthouses, leaves, rabbits, birds, etc. and all of them with the medium of clay.

River City Art Association meets on the second Tuesday of each month in the VCPL. Also like its Facebook page.