My travels and experiences living as an artist-in-residence in Japan, South Africa, Namibia, Thailand and various regions of the United States have contributed immensely to my overall sensibility and influenced the kinds of materials, marks, gestures and objects I consistently use in my work.
Visiting Artist/Instructor, University of Idaho Department of Art and Design, Moscow, Idaho, September 22-October 15, 2014
During September and October of 2014 I was a visiting guest and resident artist in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. From September 22-26 I collaborated with artist Jane Brucker, UI students and the Moscow arts community in a two-person public lecture. Marking the Future, Unraveling the Past, included solo performance works by Brucker and myself and a performance duet entitled Moving.
The following images, from my solo performance Marking my Life, documents the cycle of life through the installation of 400 ceramic tea bowls; a large scroll book of childhood drawings; a large horse hair brush; jewelry & sound making instruments. Still images capture the public performance where I used my body as a brush. As part of the performance, I presented a brushmaking workshop resulting in students ritualistically presenting their brushes and sumi ink marks along side my own.
Florida Keys Community College has invited me on five separate occasions from two-three week residencies as visiting instructor conducting brush-making and ceramic workshops. Various iterations of these workshops include: creating public tile mural in a performance using my hand-made brush; a collaboration with Peter Voulkos and Paul Soldner; presenting with Japanese artists demonstrating the raku firing process, low fire salting and the firing of a Japanese style Etakoy wood kiln and presenting numerous workshops in Florida Keys public school settings.
Resident Artist and Instructor, The Hope Circle Classroom; Hope, Idaho 2007-09
As an invited resident artist, I showcased my artwork at the Outskirts Gallery and collaborated with other visual artists from the North Idaho region. This included building a community fired “earth-oven”, teaching summer community art classes to youth and adults, and working with students in local K-12 school settings.
For eight weeks I was invited to make paintings, performance and sculpture in collaboration with the Hill Tribe communities. The influence of this society and the way they unify art practice with the body has become a hallmark of my work. During this formative experience, I was engaged fully with the entire community: teaching secondary students in brush-making and performance workshops, working with the painting elephants, participating in the Rice Planting Ceremony, conducting dharma conversations with Buddhists Monks, and cooking.
Resident Artist and Workshop Presenter, Marshall University College of Art and Design; Huntington, West Virginia, 2007
During the spring semester, I presented my work in a solo show at the Birke Art Gallery, worked with the BFA program in numerous capacities, and gave public lectures and workshops for Marshall University and for the Huntington Museum of Art. Funded by a grant from the museum, I also taught brush-making workshops at eight local elementary schools.
Visiting Professor and Resident Artist, Alamogordo Community College; Alamogordo, New Mexico, 2005-06
Inspired by the New Mexico landscape and its rich cultural history, I created a new series of artwork using regional red slip, locally dug clays and wood collected from the desert. Mentoring students in the classroom, presenting hands-on workshops, and collaborations with faculty allowed me to exercise my skill as an artist and educator.
The LH residency resulted in expanding my range as a ceramic artist, including building a high refractory salt kiln and raku kiln that resulted in the “ink wells” series. Created by fusing the image of the brush, chunks of glass and centering clay with only my elbow, this idea was influenced from observing inkwells being used by calligraphers when I lived in Japan. Serving the community through leading an anagama wood firing and becoming active with the Wallowa Buddhist Temple were key to my experience.
Senior Resident; National Grant Award Recipient, Oregon College of Art and Craft,Portland, Oregon 2005
This six-week residency as guest artist interacting with students and faculty allowed me to work on-campus creating installation and performance using a variety of recycled natural materials to play with the brush as a “tool”. Additionally, the series “A Brush With Death: A Homage” was begun during this time, using paper to respectfully “print” 100 various types of dead birds, insects and larger animals.
Invitational Residency, Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts; New Castle, Maine 1998 and 2001
One of fifteen national artists to work together during these two residencies; I focused on collaboration with other artists and on the creation of my own brushes used for painterly expression on paper and on a series of tea bowls created from local red clay using imagery reminiscent of calligraphic insects.
Guest Artist, South Africa and Namibia; Westminster College Faculty Research Grant, 1995
During this funded summer project, I met local artists, created brushes using South African clays, non-endangered animal horns and hairs. The resulting artworks were shown in a solo installation at the McDonough Museum of Art, Youngstown, Ohio. Additionally, I shared my technical and cultural research findings with the college and the community resulting in a public presentation.
Artist in Residence, Guest Fellowship, Shigaraki Ceramic Culture Park; Shigaraki, Japan 1994
This funded residency focused on creating a series of ceramic work and sculptural brushes for the Shigaraki Guest Fellowship Museum Collection. The presentation of formal public lectures and demonstrations at the Mashiko Museum and the Shigaraki Ceramic Culture Park to residents and regional and national Japanese students was a major focal point of this residency. Utilizing a variety of Japanese clays, wood fire and raku firing processes, I combined vessels, broken clay artifacts from the Shigaraki dump, and bamboo root sections found on the grounds of the Culture Park to create forms referencing the human body.
Selected Artist, International Workshop in Ceramic Art, Tokoname, Japan 1992
As one of seventeen artists selected to participate in an international workshop for the ceramic arts I lived with a host family experiencing making artwork as a professional artist going beyond just being a tourist. Living with a host family and experiencing Japanese culture including the observation of master calligraphers and brush makers and the appreciation of Asian culture and aesthetic were deeply influential.