Gery Henderson was born in El Paso, Texas. The rich culture and history of that region, where Texas, New Mexico, and Chihuahua all come together, indelibly influenced his artistic sensibilities. When Gery moved to Austin, Texas in 1985, he was primarily designing and producing functional leather items. He started working in clay in 1997 and currently teaches raku and hand building at ClayWays.
In his art, towers are stamped with Mayan deities, bones, and trucks. Rockets launch from electrical sockets or fly across heart-shaped moonscapes. Brightly colored toy cars are emblazoned on boxes and coffins. Chile flames encircle objects floating on hearts. Skulls are molded out of smashed clay objects. Cars or trucks are stretched across skulls where names of the dead would appear in Mexico’s sugar skull tradition, because in America we are our cars. Three dimensional lotería cards (a Mexican game similar to bingo) reflect a border influence.
Gery’s art embodies images from low-rider street competitions, Mayan
art, church jamaicas, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and el Día de los Muertos,
with its playful representations of skulls, skeletons, devils, and coffins.
Images from New Mexico—Roswell aliens and other unexplained phenomena,
Hatch chile, and White Sands missile launches—also find their way
into his art. These images are often combined with images of toys and other
found objects.
The majority of his work is raku-fired using commercial glazes in addition to glazes he has developed and refined to produce desired effects.
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Instruction Taken
Feats of Clay
Debbie Ellison
ClayWays Pottery Studio
Kelly Hill, Handbuilding and wheel
Kit Adams, wheel
Diana Seidel, wheel, finish the pot
Bethany Andrée
Stan Irvin, wheel
Mike Grapha, wheel
Jim Dale, wheel
Cap Brooks, wheel, Handbuilding
Roni Powalski, wheel
Ryan McKerley, Raku
Sharon Smith, Raku, Handbuilding
Rebecca Roberts, Handbuilding
Mary Fischer, Handbuilding
Lana Wilson, Handbuilding
Diana Kersey, Photo Image Transfer
Sleeping Dog Studio
Billy Ray Mangham, Raku, Handbuilding, Soda Firing, Raku Kiln Building
Chicken Farm Art Center, San Angelo
Claton Bailey, Handbuilding
Jun Iwai, Wheel and hand-manipulation
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Raku Collaborators
Todd Van Duren
Sharon Smith
Todd Brower (current studio mate)
David Tibodeaux (former studio mate)
Billy Ray Mangham
Kelly Hill
Ryan McKerley
Kevin Huffaker
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Classes Taught
ClayWays Pottery Studio
Handbuilding
Parent-Child Handbuilding
Party Classes (2 hours, start to finish)
Raku Instruction
Sleeping Dog Studio
Mold making
with Billy Ray Mangham and Kevin Huffaker
Rocket Skull Pottery
Private Raku Instruction
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Shows and Exhibitions
May, 2003 "In With The New", ClayWays Gallery, Austin, TX
July, 2003 "Just Been Fired", Gallery Lombardi, Austin, TX
July, 2003 "Attachments 2003", 5th Annual Texas Clay Arts Association Member's Show, Irving Arts Center, Irving, TX
July, 2003 "Origins In Clay 3", San Antonio Potter's Guild National Ceramic Competition, Hill Country Arts Foundation, Ingram, TX
Sept., 2003 Greater Austin Clay Artists Member's Show, Clayways Gallery, Austin, TX
Dec., 2003 Wheatsville Arts Festival, Austin, TX
Dec., 2003 "Hearth and Home", ClayWays Gallery, Austin, TX
April, 2004 "Attachments 2004: 6th Annual Texas Clay Artists Association Member's Show", San Angelo, TX
August, 2004 "Just Been Fired" Gallery Lombardi, Austin, TX
December, 2004 "Flannel and Glitter" The Space, Austin, TX
April, 2006 "From Classroom to Showroom" ClayWays Gallery, Austin, TX
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Gallery Representation
ClayWays Gallery, Austin, TX
Blue Crow Gallery, Austin, TX (closed, 2005)
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Organizations
Greater Austin Clay Artists (GACA)
Texas Clay Arts Association (TCAA)
