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RAM presented a career survey of the work of noted ceramic sculptor Jack Earl. Down Home in Ohio: Collection Focus – Jack Earl at RAM debuted an addition to RAM’s permanent collection, entitled Carrot Finger. Karen Johnson Boyd, a longtime friend and patron of the sculptor, presented the piece as a gift in honor of her husband, William B. Boyd, on the occasion of their 25th wedding anniversary. RAM premiered this new gift, along with more than 20 examples of Earl’s work, to show the artist’s development, while demonstrating how Carrot Finger fit into the museum’s collection.
Jack Earl is one of the finest storytellers working in clay. For more than 40 years, he has created narrative sculptures that revolve around his life in rural Ohio. His works have evolved from uncolored porcelain sculptures to china-painted scenes. In the 1980s, Earl developed large, oil-painted, dos-à-dos sculptures. Frequently, these sculptures focus on unrelated narrative scenes that combine human figures back-to-back with landscape imagery. His works often depict the exploits of Bill, a character said to be based upon Earl’s father-in-law. Earl also represents stories from the Bible, inflected with his playful, Midwestern sense of humor.
Exhibition Notes (pdf)
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 Jack Earl
American, 1934 –
Carrot Finger, 1981
Porcelain and china paint
Racine Art Museum, Gift of Karen Johnson Boyd
in honor of William B. Boyd
on the occasion of their 25th Wedding Anniversary
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