Gary Baxter, professor of art at Houghton University, will speak as part of the college’s Valedictory Lecture series on Thursday, February 15 at 4:35 p.m.. The free, public event will take place in the Willard J. Houghton Library.

Baxter’s talk will reflect on his experiences in creating and exhibiting art and teaching. He will discuss how he generates new work, how he teaches, and how he balances the two.

“For myself, the process of generating new ideas is a form of playing with ideas,” Baxter remarks, calling this part of his creative process the “exploration phase.”

“Sometimes a very clear vision comes to mind, in which case I begin by working directly in moist clay, hoping to realize the image in my mind’s eye,” he adds. Other times, he first outlines on paper, finding it more efficient: “I can sketch 20 variations on paper in the time it takes to pursue one idea in clay.”

Baxter has been a professor of art at Houghton for nearly 40 years, teaching courses in art history, ceramics, sculpture, and design. He has been featured in numerous collections and exhibits throughout Western New York, including Houghton’s own Ortlip Art Gallery and the Ceramics National Exhibition of 2006.