Paul and Irene Aspell Return to NA for Their “Yours, Mine and Ours” Art Exhibit

A potter for over 40 years, Paul finds that the process of working in clay captures his innovative outlook on functional ceramics. “The inspiration that I receive from creating one piece is infused into the next,” he says. “I enjoy the process of making, as much as the finished product.” 

Paul holds a Master of Arts in ceramics and a Bachelor of Arts in art education. He taught fine art and craft in the public school system for 14 years before spending the next 16 years at Newark Academy. After retiring from teaching in 2002, Paul and Irene moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland where they exhibit their work in several galleries and at events. The Aspell’s studio gallery is open several weekends a year to share their working space and artwork with the public. 

Irene holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and is a practicing artist who supports herself as a floral designer and organic gardener. “With Paul’s help, I have been creating clay sculptures,” says Irene. “These slab compositions are then fired and glazed with subtle colors.” Her linocut prints evolve into small still lives or collages that incorporate images of plants, birds, and fish.

In addition to exhibiting recent artwork at Newark Academy’s Teiger Gallery, the Aspells will hold gallery talks for IB and Advanced art students, faculty and staff. “After teaching at NA for 16 years and having a continuing relationship with the school, it seemed only natural to not only show artwork, but to lecture to the Advanced level art students, who are about to go off to college,” Paul says. “Not many may major in fine art, but art should remain an integral part of their lives. Irene and I are proof of that continuing commitment to the making of art.”

The Teiger Gallery is located in the center of the Elizabeth B. McGraw Arts Center on the campus of Newark Academy located in Livingston, New Jersey.