Maryland clay artist Gary Schlappal has a gift for storytelling. Whether it's through his graphically decorated ceramics or a recitation that careens vicariously from his favorite subjects (old movies; his dogs, Yogi and Boo Boo; Penn State football) to ephemera (the best place for Chinese food; the sublime repose of his garden in winter), the result is the same: The language is colorful; the presentation, extravagant; the effect; poetically articulate.

Schlappal is no stranger to Western New York art collectors. He's been exhibiting at the Kenan Center's 100 American Craftsmen Festival in Lockport since the mid-90s where he received the top honor of Master Craftsman in 1997 and Best of Show four times after. This February marks the first time Schlappal will present a special showcase of new work in the Center's gallery as part of an ambitious exhibition called "Extraordinary Forms: Binational Clay" (February 11-March 11).

Schlappal's visit follows a year of artistic successes that included his first appearance in the prestigious Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington, D.C. and a solo show at Blue Spiral 1 in Asheville, North Carolina, which represents his work. The Kenan Gallery, in fact, is only the second venue to exhibit this collection in the U.S. With over 300 shows to his credit and numerous pieces in national and international collections, the natural question is, "Why would he choose to head up to Western New York in the middle of winter?"

The answer would be: he likes it here . And the feeling is mutual, as the elegant porcelain bowls and statuesque forms he creates sell like hot cakes each time he's in town.

Schlappal's work has evolved to warrant a distinction between "vessels" and "mixed media." The former are shapely and sensuous decorative objects, painstakingly detailed with hair-thin line drawings and raised designs painted in nearly invisible glazes that you can really only appreciate with fingers run over the surface. His generously-sized bowls are illustrated inside and out; his sculptural pieces, like his curvaceous Floral Tattoed Venus, are voluptuous, with leafy, spiraling calligraphy that looks like an untended garden is sprouting from the work itself.

The later are his signature architectonic wall pieces--jigsaw-like wooden structures he builds, paints, and abrades to compliment various ceramic pieces that go through the same process. Jordan Ahlers, director of Blue Spiral 1, calls these works "contemporary 3-dimensional paintings that bridge the gap between fine art and craft." Some you can carry under an arm; others are as wide as five feet. At his exhibit this past summer, one of these coffee table-size pieces went for $5,000 while another boasting five ceramic forms--and still up for grabs at the Kenan show--goes for $15,000. Yet another reason to snatch a Schlappal original during the month-long show: some of his work will be moderately priced for the Western New York wallet, a bargain for art that easily commands two to three times the amount in other cities.

Schlappal's love affair with clay began in 1973 when a bout of Hong Kong flu and the serendipitous timing of a ceramics class coalesced into what he calls an "epiphany." After a brief career in advertising, followed by the completion of an MFA at Kent State, Schlappal made his living, as many academically trained artists do, as a teacher at several Midwest universities.

During his 17 years in academia, and in the years following as a full-time artist, Schlappal has amassed an impressive (five page) resume of awards, exhibitions and guest lecture posts. His work has been exhibited across the United States and in New Zealand, Japan, Switzerland, and Germany. He can even count some celebrities among his buyers, all "literati" rather than glitterati, which he finds an intriguing coincidence despite his tendency towards metaphorical symbols that form a conversation between the artist and the viewer.

Showcasing work that's more challenging for Western New York audiences than his sell-out bowls and vessels, gives Schlappal a chance to not only share the stories embodied in his art, but some personal stories, which he'll do during the opening reception, Sunday, February 11 at 4:00 p.m. There'll even be pictures. Considering his influences are as disparate as Jerry Seinfeld and W. Somerset Maugham, the presentation is likely to be more than a little irreverent. A word of warning: wear a crash helmet. It will not be boring.