CARNEGIE HALL GALLERIES

Artist Richard Shrewsbury's life has been far different from anything he could have Imagined as a boy growing up in southern West Virginia. When he was not outside enjoying nature and playing cowboys and Indians with his friends, he was inside making drawings of his Imaginary adventures.

With encouragement from his high school art teacher and others, Shrewsbury attended the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Art. After switching from commercial to fine art, he received a bachelor’s of fine arts degree with a major in drawing and minors in illustration and  ceramics. Shrewsbury found ceramics during his last two years of art school when he began drawing on clay slabs. It didn't take long for sculpture to become his primary Interest.

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With a love for clay and a new-found interest in sculpture, Shrewsbury applied and was accepted Into the ceramics program of Arizona State University, where he received his Master’s degree. During his time in the Southwest, Shrewsbury's Interest in Native American culture grew as he experienced ancient places and ceremonies, nature and man's relationship with it.

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After graduation, Shrewsbury began working full-time as a designer and teaching adjunct classes in drawing at South Mountain Community College and ceramic sculpture at the Mesa Art Center. During this time, Shrewsbury's work matured and gallery interest increased, with representation in Scottsdale, Ariz., Santa Fe, N.M., Atlanta, Ga., and New York City.

Today, back in his native West Virginia, his interests and work continue to develop. "My work results from an intuitive reaction to human forms and emotions," said Shrewsbury. "With each piece, I strive to evoke a sense of ritual, ceremony and spirit. My personal experiences and spirituality are subtly impressed into each piece, leaving the viewer to find individual meaning."

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Shrewsbury has recently become the director at Holler Gallery in Princeton, W. Va. Here, he showcases other Appalachian artists and offers an exhibition space for the Interpretation of historical and regional concerns.