New Feature Exhibition in March February 13 2025
DREAMSCAPES
Kelly + Trent Berning
On Exhibit: March 1 - 29, 2025
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 1, 4-7 PM
Artist Talk: Friday, March 28, 11 AM
L: Kelly Berning, Door to Introspection No. 3, ceramic, clock mechanism, 12 x 10.5 x 1.5 inches
R: Trent Berning, Sunflower Platter, ceramic, ceramic, 20 x 20 x 3 inches
About the Exhibition:
Ceramicists Kelly and Trent Berning have been represented by Arts on Douglas since 2014 and this is their second joint exhibition at the gallery. This husband-and-wife team shares a life, family, and studio space. While their art often explores similar themes, their indvidual styles, techniques, and personalities are each their own.
For this exhibition, Kelly and Trent invite viewers into a world of memory, dreams, and positive transformation. Rooted in a collective exploration of the passage of time, their work blends symbolism and emotion, offering a visual narrative of personal and collective journeys. The pieces on display are rich in meaning and often feature recurring motifs such as clouds, boats, and sunflowers —symbols of change, perseverance, resilience, and joy. These symbols transcend mere representation, speaking to universal human desires for connection, growth, and healing.
Kelly Berning is known for her stylized sculptural forms and has created new work that invites us to reflect on “the paths we walk and the dreams we carry with us.” Her Door to Introspection series, for example, consists of ceramic clocks with dreamlike scenes of doors that float among clouds and swirling vortexes. These surreal landscapes represent passages, aspirations, and journeys into the mind. Kelly has also created a series of “juju” vessels and figures that incorporate text promoting love, health, hope, strength, and other positive affirmations.
Trent Berning is known for his textural ceramic structures that often mimic the appearance of ancient relics made from rock or wood. His sculptures take many forms, from vessels and platters to bicycles and boats. They possess a timeless quality and represent themes of passage, growth, and transformation. He also incorporates colorful designs, abstract patterns, and representational shapes on the surface of his sculptures. Trent’s work also channels references to graffiti and embodies the rebellious energy, freedom, and expressiveness of street art.
Both artists have taken on a range of subject matter and explored a range of themes in this exhibition, but what brings their work together is a celebration of connection. Their work speaks to connections with the past, dreams for the future, and the energies that shape the present. It is an invitation to embrace healing, joy, and the promise of a more harmonious world.
About the Artists:
Kelly Berning is a skilled ceramic artist with a deep commitment to her craft. She earned her BFA in Ceramics from California State University, Chico, and later pursued an MFA in Ceramics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. With over 20 years of experience teaching ceramics, most of which were at the collegiate level, Kelly has shared her expertise and passion with students across the country.
Her work has been exhibited nationally and has garnered recognition in renowned publications such as A Ceramic Guide, 500 Figures in Clay, Ceramics Monthly, Clay Times Magazine, and Blick Artist's Resources.
Based in Port Orange, Florida, Kelly works as a full-time artist, blending her love for figurative sculpture with functional pottery. Her art is deeply personal and healing, often created to promote positivity and emotional well-being. Through her work, Kelly continues to inspire others, using her craft as a form of self-expression and a source of therapeutic healing.
Trent Berning is a ceramic artist with over 30 years of experience, having worked in a variety of roles, including as a production potter, art educator, author, and facilitator for military veterans. A key highlight of his career was authoring A Ceramic Guide: The Art of Creating and Teaching Wheel-Thrown Ceramics, which features over 80 process videos that have gained international attention. Currently, Berning serves as the Chair of the Mike Curb College of Music, Entertainment, and Art, School of Humanities, and as a Professor of Ceramics at Daytona State College.
Trent earned an MFA in Ceramics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and has been deeply involved in the field of ceramics for more than three decades. His work has been featured on television programs such as Southern California Living, Live at Five, and CreArtivity. Additionally, his art has appeared in notable publications, including the Lark Books 500 series and Clay Times Magazine.In addition to teaching and leading workshops across the country, Berning frequently exhibits his original work, which has been shown at various venues nationwide.