Gina Lawson Egan is a ceramic artist whose work in clay figures evokes ancient American art. Using the human head and female figure, Gina communicates inspirational themes – love and companionship; growth and death; balance and the passage of time.
By incorporating the dramatic acts of nature such as cyclone, hurricane and tsunami, Gina’s figures balance a placid countenance on one side and elements of life behind. Her palette is largely based on soothing earth tones and is often meant to teach a lesson or tell a story. Her sculptures can include a bit of playfulness to surprise and delight the observer.
Gina is a hand builder who prefers the slow and steady process of coil and slab building. Her pieces begin with a face and become more expressive and narrative with the addition of figures, animals and other components. To build a surface patina, she uses a combination of slips, washes and glazes.
Gina earned a BFA from the University of Michigan and an MFA from the Claremont Graduate University (studying with Paul Soldner). She teaches ceramics at Cal Poly Pomona and lives in Ontario with her husband John, who is a painter. In 2013 Gina was a CCMA purchase prize winner for her sculpture Cyclone, currently on exhibit in CCMA’s lobby.
