Bob Dixon’s exhibition Works in Ceramic: Variations from Center, which includes large- and small-scale ceramic works of sculpture, will be shown at Elmhurst College beginning on March 19 in the Barbara A. Kieft Accelerator ArtSpace.

Balancing traditional construction methods with more original concepts, Dixon’s work achieves an equilibrium between structure and spontaneity. The resulting pieces are organic and free-flowing, with sculptural lines.

“I start with an idea based on my feelings and emotional state at the time,” Dixon says. “If I direct anger or passion to the piece, (then) that seems to flow within the piece. I let the piece use my emotions and my feelings as I work on it, and it plays back with me.”

Dixon has strong connections to China, where he has studied the traditional ceramic arts during many study tours he led, and where he has exhibited his work in a 1995 one-person show and many invitational exhibitions. He has “a worldly view of the history of ceramics,” says ceramic artist John Nester, who teaches at Elmhurst College.

Dixon is an emeritus professor of art at the University of Illinois’ Springfield campus, where he taught ceramics for more than 18 years and was chair of the Visual Arts Program. He has been included in publications such as The World Encyclopedia of Ceramic Art and Artists and Works by Ceramic Artists from Around the World. His work was represented in Beijing at the first conference of the International Society for Ceramic Art Education and Exchange.

Works in Ceramic: Variations from Center can be viewed from March 19 to April 11 in the Barbara A. Kieft Accelerator ArtSpace at Elmhurst College (200 block of West Park Avenue, Elmhurst). Viewing hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 12:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. An artist’s reception will be held on Tuesday, March 19, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The artist’s talk begins at 5:00 p.m. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. For more information, call (630) 617-3390.