Larry Allen

Larry Allen

—Born Birmingham, Alabama

EDUCATION

1978BA Art Berea College, Berea, Kentucky

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

1978—Studio potter, La Pottery, Leeds, Alabama

Larry Allen makes a wide range of both functional forms meant for everyday use and larger decorative vessel related forms meant for display. His pottery is wheel-thrown using black stoneware clay with decorative techniques including sgraffito, multiple glaze stages and firings.

Each piece is coated with slip. When the slip has stiffened the surface is covered with a wax coating. This allows Sgraffito, the carving of designs into the clay. The vessels are bisque fired; then the interior is glazed and the exterior is given highlights with a low fire red glaze. Each piece gets one more final firing.

The inspiration for Allen’s designs comes largely from Native American and African art.

Alabama artist Larry Allen is an incredibly talented potter, and some of his work is going to appear in the upcoming Marvel movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Read on to learn more about this amazing artist. Larry Allen typically sells most of his ceramics either online or at the various different art festivals, he attends around the country. Allen also has some of his work displayed in an Atlanta art gallery. It was at this gallery that a man named Ken Lashley, a writer known for his work on The Black Panther comic series, first noticed Allen’s ceramics. Lashley wound up purchasing some of Allen’s pieces and they are now slated to appear as props in the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.