December Artist Member of the Month

Congratulations to our December Artist Member of the Month, Harlan Toole Schwall!

See Harlan’s work displayed within December’s exhibition, “Coastal Clay”, curated by Phillip Counselman, at our gallery. You can also visit her studio at the Central Arts Collective on 1260 Dauphin Street.

Harlan received her B.F.A. in Painting and Sculpture from Appalachian State University and also studied pre-medicine, Biology, Painting and Art History at the University of Alabama for five years. Growing up along the Gulf coast is the biggest influence on Harlan’s work. She paints large oils and watercolors, usually figurative and from life. Her work is visceral and emotional, and her technique involves the building up of many transparent layers. She also creates ceramic sculptures, mostly porcelain. Some are hand built and others she throws on the wheel and then alters them by hand. Harlan’s sculptures are full of emotion. She focuses on form and line. Her subject matter includes magnified parts of the flora and fauna in her environment. She has participated in several juried and solo exhibitions including a juried show at The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts in Boone, NC and a solo show at the Nth Degree Gallery and Studios in Boone, NC. Her goal is to use her talent to help her community.

In addition to her work in her studio and at Mobile Arts Council’s gallery @ Room 1927, Harlan’s work will also be featured in Mobile Museum of Art’s installation of local artists at Government Plaza. The Opening Reception for this new exhibition will be on December 12, 2023, from 5-6:30 p.m.

If you would like to learn more about Mobile Arts Council’s Membership and how you might be featured as our Member of the Month, click here.