Carole Steele received her MFA from the University of Mississippi and her BA from Louisiana College.  She is currently an adjunct professor of art at Louisiana College and will be one of the featured resident artists in River Oaks’ upcoming exhibit, The Summer Show, running from July 13th through August 31st.  The opening reception, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Friday, July 16th from 5:00pm – 7:00pm.   Other exhibits opening simultaneously will feature Alison Delaney and Jasmine Washington.

In her own words…
“My memories, growing up from childhood to adult in California, were filled with a variety of experiences thanks to my artist mother and father who was a book publisher. I remember seaside excursions to observe life in the tide pools and attending premier exhibits at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.  The vivid colors, diversity of cultures, and endless supply of books to read fueled my imagination and developed my love for all things art in those formative years. A natural clay deposit close to my home provided a good source for some most excellent mud pies, plates, and bowls I made. I was eight years old then.

My recent ceramic work is a reflection upon these past memories, collected objects, and historical passions. I have chosen the teapot form as metaphor to use for my personal narrative interpretation.  Although sculptural in form, my recent teapots still retain their functionality which I feel is important. Various stamped and sprigged patterns figure prominently in my work.  I enjoy the tactile surface these textural elements produce and accent them with a color palette which ranges from monochromatic to a festival of bright colors.”