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We are all
tangled in an intricate web of influences, connected through a
network of events, places, experiences, people, and objects, beyond
the restraints of time. The Life Paintings, consisting of
magnified images of flowers, are the third body of related work that
examines this philosophy. (Shadows documents the passage of
time and memory; Portraits defines the relationships that
bind seemingly unconnected lives.)
Life Paintings
underscores the impact that one person’s life, no matter how
temporary or fragile, can have on others. The paintings are titled
after the birth date (and death date in some cases) of an individual
whose beautiful existence is represented by the work.
The visual depth
of each piece projects the flowers through the foreground, inviting
the viewer into the image, into the subject’s life. Although the
flowers are of different varieties, some quiet, some vivacious,
depending on the subject’s personality, each flower exudes vibrancy,
vitality, energy…
Some of the
people who have most colored my own life are no longer alive, but
painting a flower in full bloom, capturing a moment when they were
in their splendor, immortalizes the impermanent. The blossom itself
dies long before the painting is complete, yet the image remains for
others to see and admire. It is the same with posterity—the positive
impact of one person’s existence continues for future generations.
Born:
Muncie, IN, 1973
Education:
2005 M.F.A., Painting and Drawing,
University of New Mexico (Distinction)
1996 B.S.Ed., Secondary Education,
Taylor University (Cum Laude)
Professional Experience:
1998-present Rio Rancho
High School, Teacher, Rio Rancho, NM
Instruction: Art 1, Art 2,
Drawing and Painting, Pottery and Sculpture
Developed curriculum and
course work for RRHS Art Department
Created and managed the
Westside Art Show
2002-2005 University of New Mexico,
TA, Albuquerque, NM
Taught introductory
undergraduate course, 2-Dimensional Design (3 semesters)
2000 Mayor’s Art Summer Institute,
Mural, Echoes of the Future, Albuquerque, NM
1999 Mayor’s Art Summer Institute,
Mural, Knowledge is Power, Albuquerque, NM
Mentored junior/senior high
school students under an apprenticeship program
1997-1998 South Adams Middle School and High School, Art Teacher,
Berne, IN
Taught General Art 4th-6th,
8th grades
Taught Art 2 10th -12th
(Drawing, Graphic Arts, Painting, Printmaking)
1997 Baugo, Elkhart, and Middlebury
Community Schools, Substitute
Teacher, IN
Substituted for numerous
subjects, 6th –12th grade
1996-1997 Sogang University
Institute, Instructor, Ilsan, South Korea
Developed and taught
curriculum for preschool through senior high students
1995 Blackford
High School, Student Teacher, Hartford City, IN
Taught Introduction to Art,
Ceramics, Printmaking
1993 Insight Arts, Assistant
Teacher, Chicago, IL
Assisted with a drama class
and after-school program for at-risk students
1985-1996,1998 Matthew Enterprises,
Manager, Elkhart,
IN
Employee management
Awards:
2004 Harry Nadler Fellowship
2003 3% Scholarship (Fall and Spring
fellowship), University of
New Mexico
2003 Madonna Daniel Award, Harwood
Art Center
1995 Best of Show; Printmaking, 3rd;
Mitchell Annual Art Show
1994 1st Prize, Mixed Media and
Printmaking; Mitchell Annual Art Show
1993 Art Merit Scholarship, Taylor
University
1993 1st & 2nd Prize, Drawing; 1st &
3rd Prize, Mixed Media; Mitchell Annual Art Show
1990 Elkhart Art League Scholarship
Selected Exhibitions:
2005 Focus, Yale Art
Center, Albuquerque, NM
Shadows, Jonson Gallery,
Albuquerque, NM *
Portraits, Jonson Gallery,
Albuquerque, NM *
Masley Gallery,
Albuquerque, NM
2004 Madonna Daniel Award, Harwood
Art Center,
Albuquerque, NM
Harwood
Art Center,
Albuquerque, NM
2003 Inside 8 cubed, CCA, Santa Fe, NM
2002 Grey, South Broadway Cultural
Center, Albuquerque, NM
2001 van de Griff /
Marr Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Small Works, Sommers
Gallery UNM, Albuquerque, NM
Jonson Gallery UNM,
Albuquerque, NM
Harwood
Art Center,
Albuquerque, NM
Hangar 18,
Magnifico, Albuquerque, NM
1997 Zondervan Gallery, Upland, IN
1996 NIAA Juried Exhibition, William
J. Bachman Gallery, Munster, IN
1995 A Commentary on America, Rupp
Gallery, Upland, IN *
Mitchell Annual Art Show,
Ayres Alumni Memorial Hall, Upland, IN
Juried by Kenton Hall
1994 Mitchell Annual Art Show
Juried by Larry Blakely
1993 Mitchell Annual Art Show
Juried by John Adams
1991 Hallmark Student Art Expo,
Century Center, South Bend, IN
1990 Fall Annual, Elkhart Art
League, Elkhart, IN
Hallmark Student Art Expo,
Century Center, South Bend, IN
1989 Hallmark Student Art Expo,
Century Center, South Bend, IN
Selected Collections:
Publication:
Wesley Pulkka, “'Shadows' Is About
Perseverance,“ Albuquerque
Journal, August 7, 2005
Steven Robert Allen, “Atlas of a
Difficult World,” Albuquerque
Alibi, V.14 No.30, July
28 - August 3, 2005
Rozanna M. Martinez, “Artist Uses Masters Thesis To Explore the
Shadows and Light of Hard Situations,” Albuquerque Journal,
May 20, 2005
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