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Nan Weed

The Arts Center Exhibit(s):

• 'Portals,' Winter Show & Silent Auction, 2011
• '9th Around Oregon Annual Exhibition,' October, 2011
• “Where Birds Dream” Themed Exhibit and Silent Auction, November/December 2010

Artist's Statement, 'dream of Rumi' - 'Portals,' Winter Show & Silent Auction, 2011:

     oil/cold wax painting on canvas
     28 x 24 inches

Rumi's words "we are a portal of hope; come as you are" are the inspiration for this painting.

I live in Eugene, show work mainly around the northwest, have worked in graphite and paint for years, love paper and poetry, music and dance, and listening to other creatives talk about their process.

Artist's Statement, '9th Around Oregon Annual Exhibition:'

Some thoughts about the work…

I have worked with graphite for several years now, appreciating both the time and meditative attention necessary to achieve the results for which I strive and the subtlety and qualities of stillness and simplicity which the graphite provides when worked in this way. But I use whatever medium seems most appropriate to the development of any specific imagery and recently have been using more color in some of my work.

My drawings or paintings begin with an idea or image which is then acted upon in an intuitive manner and transformed and expanded in the process of working it. For instance, the Sirius series began when I started learning to recognize stars and constellations in the clear night sky. As the Sirius drawings developed, the figure with winged-no-arms emerged. These drawings explore relationship in its many aspects - joy, expectation, disappointment, pain of separation, pleasure, sources of sustenance, etc.

I am interested in both personal and collective mythology and how they intersect. My work explores the need to create and consider authentic relationship with all beings – animal, human, plant, rocks, and to that end I draw upon my personal experience, travels, and the traditions of many mythologies of the world as source material.  I am inspired by the natural world, by what I read, music, loss of a person/animal/place to which I am attached, or by individual words. A long series of graphite drawings called “Seeking Clarity” developed from a discussion of the idea of fog as metaphor in a book a friend was writing. Almost anything can serve as inspiration. Travel is an especially fertile time, as I am then more open to seeing and experiencing everything in new ways. I also have an interest in creating imagery in response to specific pieces of writing, for instance the Celebration of Poets painting for a book cover, or for specific locations, as in Pearl 2 for the Pearl day spa. These pieces I consider a collaboration, a response to and elaboration of a work or concept initially generated and developed by someone, then incorporated into their initial work in some way. 

Confrontation and contemplation of relationship to place, as an entity in itself, or to another living being, human or animal, arouse feelings in me which I seek to explore in my work. The imagery inspired by these feelings is a commentary on the things themselves, things which are deep in the mystery of life, both personal and communal. My intention is to sanctify these things through careful artistic consideration and the creation of something both worthwhile and beautiful, in the process giving my understanding additional dimension and hopefully allowing room for personal illumination in those who view the work. I consider my work the most successful when it is specific enough to hold my immediate attention but illusive enough to allow for a satisfying contemplation over time.

For me, the process of creating the work is as important as the final product. What the work is about develops and expands with the process of creating it. It can be a slow road, with much backtracking, discovering the path as I go. For me this makes the process elusive, challenging, and often frustrating. But to make what was invisible now visible is an exciting goal.

Visit Nan Weed's website.