"I really don't feel that I am anything special," Israel said at a recent show. But her resume tells another story. By: Leona Reber, Special to The News Messenger Artists have been selected to show their work in the Lincoln Arts Alumni show, scheduled concurrently with the Feats of Clay XX celebration, May 2-28. The yearly invitational exhibition at the 580 Sixth Street gallery showcases the work of accomplished artists who have previously shown in the internationally known Lincoln exhibition, Feats of Clay. "The invitational show is a retrospective of sorts, bringing back some of the most popular artists from years past - to let the public see where they have been and where they are in their creative life now," said Claudia Renati, Lincoln Arts executive director. Artists who were invited this year include Susannah Israel, Yvon Docter, Phyllis Pacin, Cameron Crawford, Ed Blackburn, and Linda Fitzgibbon. Though a Bay Area resident, Israel has many ties to Lincoln. Not only was she a previous winner in Feats of Clay, but has also shown her work many times at Lincoln Arts, even curating an exhibit in 2001. She has visited and generously given many demonstrations to local school art classes. In 2001 she presented a well received, two-day workshop for 14 local sculptors, passing on the methods she employs to create larger-than-life figures for which she is best known. Some of her loosely crafted human and animal figures tower over her head. The sometimes eight-foot-tall creations are made in several parts, which travel to shows much easier. Parts are reassembled when they reach their destination. "I really don't feel that I am anything special," Israel said at a recent show. But her resume tells another story. Her work has been published in several books and magazines and she has been accepted in and taken top prizes in many competitions, most impressive being the prestigious Fletcher Challenge of New Zealand. She is the only American artist ever to have won the Premier Award in the competition. Besides the sheer size of much of her work, Israel's unique finishes set her work apart from others. She has never been one to be satisfied with 'patent leather' glazes, employed by many ceramic artists. Instead, she admits to being 'obsessed' with engobes - glazes that have a lot of liquid clay in them which create a matte and sometimes rough finish. A chemistry minor in college, she has always enjoyed creating her own glaze formulas using unusual ingredients. Some of her pieces have a tribal quality - the finishes appearing to be body paints rather than glazes - which work well with the rough, mud-like exteriors. Her intelligence and wry sense of humor comes out in much of her work as well. She sometimes uses puns or plays on words to get her point across. "The size of much of my work draws people originally, but I hope the complexity of the finishes and the intensity of the work brings them in for a closer look," Israel said. The artists' reception is planned for May 18, from 6 to 8 p.m, free to the public. For more information about Lincoln Arts call the gallery at (916) 645-9713.