Artist Statement
C.V.
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I am an artist who lives and works
in Cleveland Ohio. I was born in Denmark but have lived in the United States
for most of my life. I am a graduate of Antioch College. I am also an Army
veteran who served in S. Korea and in the 82nd Airborne Division.
Nature presents itself in a dizzying array of
organic shapes and structures. From the graceful spiral arms of galaxies to the
nebulous webs created by tree roots, to the hexagonal geometry of honeycomb –
the structures of nature are wondrous creations where beauty meets function,
and the repeating of simple patterns enigmatically give rise to complexity. The
main emphasis of my artwork is to recreate the grandeur and complexity of
natural structures. Whereas some artists paint two-dimensional representations
of bushes, flowers, or other naturally occurring elements onto canvas, my work
instead, recreates such naturally occurring structures through the crafting of organic
sculptural forms. My work also explores how beauty and complexity emerge from
the repetition of simple forms.
My unconventional forms are matched
if not exceeded by my use of unconventional materials and technique. Most of my
work is breaded with oatmeal. The oatmeal along with sand and plaster gives my
work a textural quality not seen in other works of sculpture. The oatmeal also
acts as a sponge that soaks up the various dyes I use to obtain my colors. This
gives my work a strange vibrancy and natural blending of tones, as opposed to
the plastic feel acrylic paint would give were I to use that as an external
covering. Many of my organic looking sculptures are created through a method of
layering. This is similar to the way rings are formed on a tree, the difference
being that my sculptures grow vertically from a “genetic blueprint” as opposed
to trees which grow outward from an inner ring. Another technique I use so as a
to get spontaneous and erratic organic shapes is to use fire to shape my
smaller pieces. These pieces are then combined by the thousands to create
complex organic forms. This technique imprints nature onto my work by capturing
the windy conditions during the moment of creation. The windier the day, the
more chaotic my individual pieces look. And lastly, my artwork pushes the
boundaries of unconventional materials by using such materials as: cardboard,
egg cartons, dryer sheets, yarn and other textiles, cardboard tubes, railroad
gravel, sand, salt, and of course oatmeal.
In
summation, my work grapples with how complexity is created out of the repetition
of simple shapes, showcases the structural qualities inherent in nature, is a
study in the use of unconventional materials, and lastly, explores through the
repetitive process of labor, the relationship between monotonous work, skill,
and the haphazard and organic ways in which forms take shape.
C.V.
Solo
Art Shows And Dual Art Shows
--Biosynthesis:
The Art of Jonah Jacobs and Betsy Cavalier-Casey. Kent State Downtown Gallery. Jan. 19 – Feb. 25th 2017.
--Emergent
Biomes. Olin Art gallery at
Washington and Jefferson College. Washington PA. Nov. 4th – Dec. 4th
2016.
.
--Morphology:
Peridium, Internode, Polyp. Columbus
Cultural Arts Center. Columbus Ohio. April 2nd-30th 2016.
--Post
Human Biomes at Journey art
gallery. Canton Ohio. March 21st-May 12th 2015.
--Invasive
Biomes at MadLab gallery. Columbus
Ohio. July 11th- Aug 2nd. 2014.
--Mimesis:
Sculptural works by Jonah Jacobs and Rebecca Cross. (Dual show) Survival Kit gallery. Cleveland Oh. Sept – Nov. 2011.
--Un-natural
Selections (solo show) at Studio
2091. Cuyahoga Falls Oh. January 7- 28th. 2011.
–Fragmentation:
Seed, Spore, and Polyp at William Rupnik gallery. Cleveland oh. 44103 22
Jan. - 14 Feb. 2010 (First major solo show.)
Group
Art Shows
--After
the Pedastal. Sculpture Center.
Cleveland Oh. June 9th- Aug. 4th. 2017.
--Pillars
of Creation. Satellite Gallery.
Collinwood Oh. June 2nd – July 31st. 2017.
--Recycle.
Brooklyn Waterfront Artists
Coalition. Brroklyn N.Y. May 13th to June 18th
2017.
--Waterloo
Arts Fest Juried Exhibition. Collinwood
Oh. June 3rd to July 22nd, 2016.
--Rooms
to Let. Slavic Village. Cleveland
Ohio. May. 2016
--Inaugural
Juried Exhibition at Riffe
Gallery. Columbus Ohio. Nov. 5 – Jan. 9 2016.
--Bottled
Water at Waterloo Arts. Collinwood
Ohio. Sept-Oct. 2015.
--Warerloo
Arts Juried and Members show at Waterloo
Arts. Collinwood Ohio. June-July 2015.
--May
Show at Lakeland Community
College. Kirtland Ohio. May-July 2015
--Stand
Up at Doubting Thomas gallery.
Tremont Ohio. Nov. 14- 30th. 2014.
--Impossible
Gardens III at Satellite gallery.
Colliwood, Ohio. Nov. 7th- Jan. 2015.
--Ohio
Art League Fall Juried Exhibition at
McConnell Arts Center. Worthington Ohio. 30 Oct.-4Jan. 2015.
--Impossible
Gardens II at Studio 2091.
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. June 2013.
--May
Show at Lakeland Community
College. Kirtland, Ohio. May- July 2013.
--Collinwood
Artist Residency Program. Collinwood,
Ohio. March-June 2013.
--Impossible
Gardens. Translations Gallery.
Canton Ohio. April 2013.
--OhioArt
League Curated Exhibition (curated by Dennis Harrington). Riffe gallery. Columbus Ohio. Jan. 31- April
14, 2013.
--Discarted:
recycled art exhibition. West
Woods Nature Center. Chardon Ohio. Jan.26 – March 2013.
--Collinwood
Storefront Competition. Collinwood
Ohio. Dec. 2012 – Jan. 2013.
--Pittsburgh
vs.Cleveland show at the Zaller
building. Collinwood Ohio. June 2012.
--Spring
Show at the Columbus Metropolitan
Library. Curated by the Ohio Art League. Columbus Ohio. June 2012.
--May
Show at Lakeland Community
College. Kirtland Oh. 18 May – 20 July 2012.
--Controversy art
show at Zaller gallery. Collinwood Oh. Dec. 2011.
--Lonesome
No More presents: 16 Interpretations of Ken Nordine’s Colors. Pink Eye gallery. Cleveland Oh. April – March.
2011.
--Transformations art show at Pop Up Art Gallery. Collinwood
Oh. Feb. 2011.
--Lonesome
No More art show at Oakland Art
Center. Youngstown Oh. Feb. 11th-18th 2011.
-Lonesome
No More art show at Wall Eye
gallery. Cleveland Oh. Oct. 2010.
--Ohio
State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition at
the Cox Center for Arts. Columbus Oh. August 2010.
(Won an Ohio Arts Council award for artistic
excellence in fiber arts.)
--Artmart
at Spaces gallery. Cleveland Oh.
April 2010.
–Select
pieces on view at Lava Lounge. Tremont Onio. Nov. 2009.
–Erie
Prom art auction at Spaces gallery. Cleveland Ohio. Nov. 2009.
–DiscARTed
(recycled art exhibition) at the West Woods Nature Center. Russell Ohio.
Nov. 2009- Jan. 210.
–$50
Dollar Hollar at the Pop Shop gallery. Lakewood Ohio. June 2009.
–4th
Anniversary Show at the Pop Shop gallery. Lakewood Ohio. May 2009.
–Artmart
at Spaces gallery. Cleveland Ohio. April. 2009.
–“Green”
art show at the Brecksville center for the arts. Brecksville Ohio.
April-May. 2009.
–Untitled
solo show at The Enclave. Willoughby Ohio. Nov.-Dec. 2008.
--Sensory
Feast at 2nd April gallery. Canton Ohio. Sept. 2008
–Blasphemy
show at Doubting Thomas gallery. Tremont Ohio. Aug.-Sept. 2008.
–The
Bad Apple show at the Pop Shop gallery. Lakewood Ohio. June-July 2008.
–Your
Work 08 at Utrecht Art Supply. Cleveland Heights Ohio. June-July 2008. Won
the Community Award at this event.
--The
Rule of Three show at Pop Shop gallery. Lakewood Ohio. May-June 2008.
–Lake
County Creative Artists Association show at Lakeland Community College Fine
Arts gallery. Kirtland Ohio. May-June 2008. Won 2nd place award in
Mixed Media.
–Apollonova
AAA show at Pop Shop gallery. Lakewood Ohio. April-May 2008.
--ArtMart
at Spaces Gallery. Cleveland Ohio. March 2008.
–P.S.
I Love You show at Pop Shop gallery. Lakewood Ohio. Feb-March 2008.
–Apollonova
A2 show at Asterisk gallery. Cleveland Ohio. Jan. 2008.
–Raw
Umber Presents: Layered Journeys at the Malone Building, Akron Ohio. Dec.
2007.
–Halloween
show at Pop Shop gallery, Lakewood Ohio. Oct-Nov. 2007.
–Bottle
Rocket at Pop Shop gallery, Lakewood Ohio. June 30 th to July 29th.
2007.
–Your
Work 07 at Utrecht. Cleveland Heights Ohio. June 2007
–Pop,
Drop, and Roll at Pop Shop gallery, Lakewood Ohio. May 19th to
June 23rd 2007.
--Artmart
at Spaces Gallery, Cleveland Ohio. March 2007
--Art
at the Center. A collaborative effort between the Polish-American center
and Spaces Gallery, Cleveland Ohio. September 2006.
--Artmart
at Spaces Gallery, Cleveland Ohio. March 2006.
--June
Art Review (JAR) at the Galleria, Cleveland Ohio. June-August 2006.
--Salon
Des Refuses at the Galleria, Cleveland Ohio. (This show was part of
Cleveland’s first annual Ingenuity Festival). Sept. 2005
Award
and Achievements
--Best of show award in the Waterloo Arts
Fest Juried exhibition (2016), juried by Rob Lehr: Director of Marketing,
Canton Art Museum & Gallery Director/Curator, Summit Artspace Gallery. Only
36 art pieces were selected out of a total of 396 pieces. Artists submitted
work from 24 states, two Canadian provinces, and the District of Columbia.
--Awarded
a rare three month Residency in
Collinwood Ohio from March until June of 2013. During this residency six
artists were awarded space and a stipend to create art in an under-utilized
apartment building. All of the artist’s work was on display during the annual
Collinwood art festival.
--In
August 2010 I won an Ohio Arts Council
award for fiber arts at the Cox Center for arts in Columbus Ohio.
--In
2015 I participated in the first annual juried art show at Riffe gallery in
Columbus Ohio. Only 59 artists out of a total of over 400 applicants were
selected to participate in this show. Less
than 15% of applicants were accepted.
Earlier in 2015 I also participated in an art show at Waterloo Arts in
Collinwood Ohio where only 1/3 of applicants were accepted. I received an honorable mention in this show which
put my work in the top three out of
more than 300 applicants. In 2014 and 2015 I was fortunate enough to be
selected to attend the annual May show at Lakeland Community college which
generally accepts less than 1/5 of
all entrants. And most recently I was chosen to participate in a Brooklyn N.Y.
art show in which out of 587 applicants only 65 art pieces were chosen. That is
an acceptance rate of around 11 %.
--My
artwork has been featured in two art book publications: The Pattern Base
and a book which showcased upcycled designs. My work was also shown in a London
based art zine: Average Arts.
--3rd solo show at MadLab
gallery. My work was personally chosen by the Ohio Art League for their first
show at MadLab to feature a member of their organization. The Invasive Biomes
show was seen from 11 July until Aug. 9th.
–First
major solo show at William Rupnik gallery in Cleveland. The show was up
from January 22nd - February 14, 2010. Almost two years in the
making, this show featured several large scale installation pieces and several
medium sized organic looking compositions. This show not only showcased my
current abilities as an artist, but also hinted at the scope and complexity of
future installation pieces.
--In
Sept. 2011 had a dual show at
Survival Kit gallery in Cleveland with Kent State professor Rebecca Cross.
–Won
the “Community Choice award at the 2008 Utrecht “Your Work” show.
–Won
2nd place in Mixed Media at the Creative Artists Association at
Lakeland Community College Fine Arts Gallery. 2008.
--Northcoast
Collective’s Youngstown show was featured in the local newspaper and on the
following website: http://valley24.com/news/2011/jan/28/oakland-gallery-host-traveling-arts-exhibition/
--A
picture of one of my art pieces along with a brief description of my artwork
was featured in the Sun News. The article concerned the April “Green” art show
at the Brecksville center for the arts. The article can be viewed online at:
http://www.cleveland.com/sunnews/index.ssf/2009/04/brecksville_center_for_the_art_6.html
--A
picture of my installation piece Input/Output was featured in an article in the Falls News Press. In this article
there was also talk of my recent solo show “Un-natural Selections”.
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