S-T-U

 Artist Statement

For over three decades, my artistic journey has been focused on the interplay between absurd realism and the innate human need to make marks. Through a process of layering, scratching, adding, smearing and staining I create visual narratives that delve into allegories, mythologies, and profane depictions. Working with items found on the office supply shelves at thrift stores, I employ discarded objects to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. I endeavor to elevate disposables.

Reality, with all its contradictions and paradoxes, serves as the foundation for my work. I aim to challenge conventional understanding of the world, peeling back the layers of ordinary perception to reveal hidden dimensions that lie beneath. By juxtaposing seemingly unrelated elements and ideas, I create compositions that provoke contemplation and invite viewers to question the boundaries of their own taste and reality.

I find a sense of liberation and resourcefulness in working with thrifted materials. The mundane objects become conduits for exploration and self-expression. By repurposing these discarded artifacts, I invite viewers to reimagine their own environments and question the value we ascribe to the everyday.

I invite viewers to embark on a visual journey that blurs the boundaries between the known and the unknown. In doing so, I hope spark curiosity, encouraging contemplation and dialogue about the multifaceted nature of our shared human experience.

Francis current work at Fogue

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Artist Statement:

In the sixties and seventies, I had the opportunity to join other young artists at weekly 3-hour studio sessions in a quaint storefront building on 10th and Boston, in Seattle. Children’s Creative Art School had a few requirements: Young artists had to create and never copy; applicants had to be accepted by the esteemed director, Stella Condon; and girls had to wear skirts. This was a studio experience, without instruction and with simple materials: Tempera paint, clay and colored pencils. Immersed in this hothouse of creativity, I flourished as a young artist.

When I was 19 years old, I was invited to exhibit work in the Polly Friedlander Gallery, in Pioneer Square. I was naïve about the art world but loved being part of a group exhibit among more established artists.

Practical imperatives led me to study journalism at the University of Washington and education at Seattle University. I taught elementary students in public schools for 30 years. I was fortunate to work in some creative learning environments with administrators and teachers who shared my love of the arts. I promoted visual arts in public schools, even as public education shifted its focus to testing and adherence to standards. I kept painting in watercolor, showing work in galleries in Mendocino; Scottsdale; Toulouse, France; and Seattle.

When I retired from teaching fulltime, I was offered a contracted art teaching position in Snoqualmie Valley School District. This afforded me a rewarding transition from my career as a teacher of all disciplines to a post as “art lady” in the public school where I taught art to kids in grades K-5. With school closures, this gig ended. The gift in this juncture was that I began to realize my early dream of being a fulltime artist, in the company of inspiring fellow artists. I also moved from watercolor to oil paints. I’m on a learning curve with oils. It’s an amazing experience, truly epiphanic, working with a medium that allows an artist to capture emotional and aesthetic depth. 

Find Barb's Available Works Here

 Artist Statement

Susan Springer has been drawn to the ceramic arts, including tile, sculpture, pottery and mosaics since the early 1970’s. Expanding the form and surface, creating unexpected combinations of edge, form and texture, continue to intrigue her as she works in her studio in Seattle's International District.

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While living in the mountains of Illahe, Oregon, she continued creating sculpture, tile and pottery while teaching at the local Community College. She began a course of Graduate study at the University of Oregon, completing a MFA in 1984.  As a thesis project for her Masters degree, she completed a public art commission for the City of Springfield, Oregon.  This ceramic relief mural is located in the Springfield City Hall and is titled, “Between the Rivers”

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Moving to Ashland, Oregon in 1992, afforded an opportunity to open Illahe Tileworks, a custom tile production studio. A full line of handmade tile was developed which served clients across the country. In early 2008 a long held desire to combine a working studio with a gallery focusing on functional art came to fruition with Illahe Studios and Gallery.  Subsequently moving to Seattle in 2016, she has devoted her time to ceramic sculpture, particularly ceramic figures commenting on the present world.

Find Susan's available work here