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Jody Dunphy

Artist Statement/Biography:

August, 2010

I incorporate a devotionally inspired iconography, with imagery from nature and the body, yielding unique and moving work that speaks of the interconnectedness and sacredness of life. I choose the medium of printmaking to execute my vision for the way it allows me to overlay image and color.  During the process of developing these one-of-a-kind prints, I build layers of collagraph, monotype, relief printmaking using a matrix of shaped plates. Each piece is finished with gold leaf. The arch is a “container” for the imagery, enshrining the subject matter of the piece. Because of it’s use in sacred architecture, the arch shape has a divine quality, thus, it imbues even the most raw elements of our biology and nature with a holy status. 

The ecocentric focus of my art, stems from growing up in a rural environment. After high school I moved to the city to attend college. The contrast of living in an urban setting, spurred a shift in consciousness and inspired me to make work centered on the natural world. I was drawn into to printmaking as an undergraduate student at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, where my studies culminated with a BFA in Printmaking. After graduating, I continued to create prints and artist books centered on the interconnection of humanity and nature, spending time as both an intern and artist in residence at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. My experience at the Sitka Center profoundly deepened my work.

I currently work in my home-studio, creating prints on a vintage, hand-made press in Portland, Oregon. I show my work locally, regionally and nationally. My work appears in public collections such as the Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences Art About Agriculture collection, and the permanent collections of Pacific University and Carroll College. I am member of Print Arts Northwest and the Los Angeles Printmaking Society. I teach printmaking workshops and I am also involved in forming Sanctuary Collaborative, an art/design collective. 

Visit Jody Dunphy's website.