Out in the World:
Creative Practice by College of the Redwoods Alumni
(Best viewed on a desktop computer)
Executive Director-Curator Statement
The Humboldt Arts Council is pleased to showcase the work of College of the Redwoods Art Department Alumni at the Morris Graves Museum of Art. The connection between the HAC and CR goes back to the 1960’s when the Humboldt Arts Council was founded with the belief that art is an essential component to a well rounded education and an important part of our everyday lives. The partnership has continued over the decades through acquisitions to the HAC Permanent Collection from CR students and faculty, demonstrating the quality of training and craftsmanship the college has provided for our community. It is an honor to have the opportunity to host this exhibition in the Dr. Richard & Elizabeth Anderson Gallery.
Special thanks to John and Sally Biggin for co-sponsoring this exhibition.
-Jemima Harr
Executive Director-Curator
Humboldt Arts Council in the Morris Graves Museum of Art
Guest Curator Statement
In 2006 I was hired at College of the Redwoods to serve as a professor in the Art Department. Fourteen years have passed since I made the move to Humboldt, and I continue to be grateful that I chose CR and that CR chose me. I have had the honor of working with thousands of outstanding thinkers and talented makers. The drive, dedication, and extraordinary life experiences that CR students bring to the classroom are a consistent source of inspiration that keeps me excited about teaching and motivated to make my own work.
The power of higher education can be found in the connections made by stepping into the classroom. Cohorts form in classes, friendships emerge outside of class, and as our students make their way into the professional world or onto their next academic endeavor, they support each other. This exhibition showcases the variety of paths College of the Redwoods art alumni take with their careers. Revealing the nuances with which these artists engage in their communities was the impetus for creating this exhibition. The show highlights the success of College of the Redwoods alumni in traditional art careers while celebrating the important creative work CR graduates do to heal and support others in their communities.
Thanks to Jemima Harr and the outstanding staff at the Morris Graves Museum for hosting this exhibition. Special thanks to staff member and CR alumni Genevieve Kjesbu for her behind the scenes installation skills and talent for making compelling exhibition designs. This exhibition would not have been possible without the generous support of Sally and John Biggin, the CR Foundation, and the CR Faculty Sabbatical Leave Program.
-Shannon Sullivan
Professor of Art, College of the Redwoods
November, 2020
Julia Hayes
Biography
Julia Hayes is a tattooer working in Brooklyn, New York. Though she loves living in such a diverse metropolitan city, she still feels most at home amongst the dirt and the sea, and her work is a reflection of her roots. She specializes in illustrative blackwork tattoos, primarily natural themes - plants, animals, humans, science and magic. She’s been tattooing for 4 years and owns a studio called Moonrise Tattoo Collective. She believes tattooing can be an incredibly healing process, both in the cathartic act of applying the tattoo, and in the reclamation and ownership of one’s body via adornment.
Alumni Reflection
My work is influenced by scientific illustration, printmaking, folk art, and the natural environment of my childhood - the rural, forested coastline of Northern California. I was born and raised in Eureka, and attended CR before moving to New York in 2010. My time at CR introduced me to a wide variety of mediums, including sculpture and printmaking, and helped me hone in on familiar ones as well - primarily illustration. The influence of my professors - all working artists outside of teaching - pushed me to pursue art as a career. Through my art focused education I also learned which parts of the art world I was drawn to, and which parts did not serve me. Tattooing was a clear next step for me.
-First Tattoo for Rayna: Magnified Microscopic Sea Creature from Art Forms in Nature, 2020, black ink on skin
Tattoos for All Bodies, 2020
Ink on Skin, digital slideshow
Dimensions Variable
NFS
Blake Reagan
Biography
For Blake Reagan, using art to portray civilization's quest for achieving sustainable lifestyles has always been a primary mission. While expressing himself through traditional oil paintings, ceramic sculptures, larger than life murals, or live performance fluorescent painting, the duality of the human experience can be seen throughout all of his work. For him, art acts as a catalyst to influence and adopt more viewers into practicing sustainability, establishing community-based action, and pushing an agenda of uplifting positive influence and groovy vibes .In 2018 he became involved in mural projects throughout Humboldt County and was a participant in the Eureka Street Art Festival. This reinvigorated a passion for creating large murals that the public can enjoy on their commute or during urban explorations. Blake received an A.A. in Liberal Arts at College of the Redwoods. Mostly working out of his studio in Eureka, California, he also paints at several events and festivals around Northern California and Nevada.
Alumni Reflection
When I started education at The College of the Redwoods, I was already convinced that I wanted to be an artist. The art classes there showed me new ways to express myself in painting, ceramics, and photography. The most beneficial portion of my experience in the CR Art Department was learning how to develop and document my portfolio, considering my professional network with instructors and classmates, and practicing communicating with the public and other artists in various ways. These integral skills in my art business were also supported by taking critically important classes at CR like Interpersonal Communication and Public Speaking. These elements have helped and guided me through my professional art career.
Avian Mimicry, 2017
Acrylic on Panel
36" x 34" x 1.5"
$3,500
In Adoration of of the Nuclear Flower, 2017
Acrylic on Panel
56" x 45" x 1.5"
$5,500
Carissa Clark
Biography
As a student, collaborator, arts administrator, and volunteer, Carissa Lillian Clark considers showing up and doing the labor as her most practiced skill as an artist. In 2012, she co-founded and -operated Utila Art Space in Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras, and from 2014 to 2018 she co-founded and -operated the Sanctuary in Arcata, California. Clark is an interdisciplinary, project-based artist who is always learning from the working artists in her family and communities. Through visual, craft, and performative mediums, Clark explores the stories that are carried in salvaged and collected materials, and how these stories shed light on systemic injustice and personal responsibility. She is currently a B.F.A. student in Sculpture and Community Arts at California College of the Arts and a working member of the neighborhood gallery Dream Farm Commons in Oakland, California.
Alumni Reflection
In the vibrant and generous classrooms at College of the Redwoods, I felt supported, challenged, and humbled as an artist. There was always someone to lift up, and there was always someone to learn from. I learned how to critically develop my ideas, how to communicate about my work, how to see with the eyes of a craftsperson. The skills I developed in sculpture, ceramics, writing, drawing, painting, and welding courses have never stopped serving me. When growing up in a rural community, even one that values the arts, the idea of pursuing a career in art can feel unrealistic and out of reach. Through my education at CR, I gained the confidence and skills to commit to the creative practice that makes me come alive.
Inheritance, 2020
Linocut printed on my arms
24 x 36"
$190
Cicely Suhayda
Biography
Cicely Suhayda is a digital collage artist who combines original and repurposed imagery to examine the paradox of progress between reality and the digital realm. Utilizing found photos from digital vintage archives, she blends and merges the unfamiliar with digitally rendered media to create a unified composition. Her work often portrays elements from the farthest uncharted territories of the universe intermingling with layers of the ordinary.
Cicely currently resides in Humboldt County, working as a graphic designer and digital artist. In 2019 she received an AA degree in Fine Arts and an AS degree in Digital Media with a platform in Graphic Design from College of the Redwoods. Her photography work has been published in Sensi Magazine, she was a runner up for Eureka’s Mural Design Contest, winner of a logo design contest for a local celebrity and is currently featured in the 2020 North American Engage Juried Art Competition.
Alumni Reflection
Before attending CR, art was simply a creative outlet and not something I ever imagined would manifest into a profession. My artistic background was comprised of minimal experience with analogue media and I had little to no knowledge when working with digital software. The foundational training at CR gave me the ability to take my passion of the arts to a professional level by introducing me to innovative and exciting digital media. I quickly became enthralled with the endless creative possibilities from this new technology. The curriculum helped to establish proficiency with a diverse craft which ultimately led to the transformation of creation as a hobby into an actual career.
Woman, 2020
Metallic Archival Print
17.25"x15.25"
$175
The Awakening, 2020
Metallic Archival Print
17.25"x15.25"
$175 (SOLD)
Crystal Thorpe
Biography
Crystal Thorpe is a multi-media artist and art facilitator for visionary artists and artists of all abilities living in Eureka, CA. Always ready to explore a new artistic process, Crystal has great love for ceramics, printmaking, watercolor, and fiber arts. She has shown at First Street Gallery, E-Squared Gallery and many local shops around Old Town Eureka.
Alumni Reflection
I graduated from CR having taken nearly every art class available. Being able to get into brief but deep explorations of different methods of artistic expression had a heavy hand in my being hired at my current position. As an art facilitator my role is malleable, and I must be ready to explore, digest and then inform and encourage any number of different art forms to the artists I support. From clay to paint to wool, to digital pixel art and video game creation, my jack-of-all-trades position has only expanded from my time at CR.
It took me ten years to graduate from College of the Redwoods. I owe a great deal to the truly excellent professors and especially the professors in the Art Department, who encouraged me through my failures and rooted for my successes, guided me towards different art forms that I may appreciate, and who always welcomed me back warmly after I needed a break. A school is only as good as its professors, and I'm very proud to be a graduate of CR.
Life Inside, 2020
Mixed Media
47"x23"
$1,243
Diane James
Biography
Diane Michelle James enrolled at College of the Redwoods after graduating from Hoopa Valley High School in 2006. She earned an AA in Behavioral & Social Science in 2014. Diane competed all of her units required for her AA at the Klamath Trinity Instructional Site, located on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation.
Diane has been raised in Hoopa, California for her entire life. She is enrolled as a Hoopa Tribal Member and acknowledges her connection to her collective blood line which includes: Hoopa, Yurok, Karuk, Pauite, Mono, Little Lake Pomo & Chimarko. Diane has raised her four children Ruby, Joshua II, Jessie & Odell in the ways of the Klamath Basin Tribes. She maintains a strong spiritual connection to her culture and all of her art is heavily influenced by the teachings of nature and ceremonies of the Klamath Basin Tribes.
Alumni Reflection
Throughout my time at CR, many challenges arose. Despite all of the hiccups, not only in school but in life, art has consistently reminded me to live freely; to be inspired and make any mistake into a masterpiece. Although I am not a full time artist, I immensely enjoy being able to create and teach my kids to utilize art as a healthy outlet. Through our art, we can express ourselves and more often than not, influence our world.
Although there were many great moments while I attended CR, the most memorable was meeting Willa Briggs. Willa is my teacher and has grown to be my friend. I am always inspired and encouraged when I am in her presence. She has invested so much into the Klamath Basin community and filled our lives with art. After graduation, I came across the NorCal Native Arts Center; Willa was assisting local artists to work with a print press that came from Crow's Shadow Institute of Arts. It was in that center that my love for art was rekindled. The prints in this show were all produced at NorCal Native Arts Center.
Falling in Faith, 2015
Monoprint
NFS
Dominique Birdsong
Biography
Dominique is a Los Angeles native, born and raised. Art was not initially part of her dreams. She dreamed of working in many fields, a doctor, lawyer dentist, the idea of being an artist never crossed her mind. Days before her high school graduation, Dominique decided to go to community college and study some kind of science. In 2013 Dominique moved to Humboldt County, where she attended the college of the redwoods and received her AA. In 2016 she began to attend Humboldt State University, where she received her BA. After graduating from Humboldt State, she did a semester in the MFA program at the Royal College of Art in London. In 2019 She moved back to Los Angeles to work on herself as an artist and develop her practice. After spending a year in Los Angeles, she applied to grad school once again, and in 2019 she was accepted into the San Francisco Art Institute, where she is an MFA candidate.
Alumni Reflection
College of the Redwoods is where I became an artist. It's where I learned that art could be a way to express myself fully and it was hear I learned to be vulnerable-- something at the time I didn't know was attainable. Today I pay respect to the teachers I had at College of the Redwoods-they are the main ones who helped shape me into the artist I am today. Studying at CR allowed me to experiment with mediums of art I didn't know I needed. By instilling the idea of experimentation with no limits, the school and teachers allowed me to become more confident when calling myself an artist. Since CR, I've created multiple works that have been shown in various group shows, solo shows, and included in scholarly publications. College of the Redwoods is responsible for the artist I am today because I became an artist when I first stepped foot on the school's soil.
Hysteria, 2020
Oil on Wood Panel
45 x 25
$1,500
Jake Langston
Biography
Jake Langston was born in the San Francisco Bay Area, currently residing in Eureka, California. Jake works dominantly in studio arts focusing on photography and design. From freelance work accords the country to showcasing artwork across California, Langston is dedicated to his craft. Langston recently obtained his BFA in Studio Arts at Humboldt State University, and holds a Communications degree from College of the Redwoods. Jake has been awarded multiple opportunities to study photography and design under award-winning artists such as David Hilliard and Barry Underwood at CSU Monterey, as well as Steve Williams of Industrial Light and Magic at Academy of Art University. Langston spends his time running his own photography and design company working and traveling with different clients across the U.S.
Alumni Reflection
My foundational training at College of the Redwoods continues to impact me on a daily basis. The lessons learned from every single one of my art professors contribute to my conceptual and technical success in both my commercial and fine artwork. These professors didn't only teach me
through their classes, they also provided me with opportunities outside of campus. Logo design, exhibitions, and commercial photography pursuits helped shape my ability to apply these skills to other opportunities.
Quarantined, 2020
Metal Print
16"x 20"
NFS
Quarantined II, 2020
Metal Print
16"x 20"
NFS
Jon Bout
Biography
Jon Bout was born and raised in the Los Angeles County area. After receiving his BA in Fine Art and Art Education from Humboldt State University he continues to live and practice in Northern California. Working primarily in the disciplines of painting and drawing Bout has showcased his work throughout the Pacific Northwest. His current body of work utilizes his own familial photographs as references. Through his reinterpretation of the photographic medium as a record keeping device, Bout explores its role in the individual and collective histories of immigration and family lineage.
Alumni Reflection
My time spent at The College of the Redwoods influenced my current artist practices in ways that continue to reveal themselves to me today. The Art program at CR was a receptive and open community which allowed me to breathe creatively. The foundations were taught not as absolutes but rather as guides. Such an environment fostered my growth as an artist and instilled confidence in my discipline. I found that when it came to creative expression and experimentation I was able to look introspectively without anxiety. Above all, what helped shape the artist I am today were the relationships that were built and the sense of community that carries on.
Keepers of the Kris, 2020
Oil on Wood Panel
36" x 24"
$1,350
In All Seriousness, 2020
Graphite and Gouache on Paper Mounted on Panel
35.5" x 25.5"
$1,100
Meredith DeWess
Biography
Born and raised under the canopy of a giant banyan tree in American Samoa, Meredith developed a strong appreciation and wonder for the natural world. The vibrancy of the island’s rainforests and village life and the coral reefs of ocean have been the foundation and inspiration of much of her work today. Inspired still by the complexities of nature, her practice is now based out of Humboldt County, the land of monumental redwood trees and miles of both sandy and rocky coasts.
DeWess's work focuses less on defining reality and more on the surreal tendencies of the unconscious imagination. Her process begins with creating abstract forms in clay, letting the clay inform each succeeding step. This free-flow method of working continues into the decorating process as each one of Meredith’s pieces takes on an individual personality. The spontaneity of capturing one's imagination in the moment is how Meredith has maintained interest in her own work.
Alumni Reflection
As I became a lukewarm science major at College of the Redwoods, I felt like I would forever drift on in a directionless path regarding my education. On the brink of dropping out of college altogether, I decided to take an “easy” semester, enrolling in a guitar class and a ceramics class. Little did I know, this semester would change the direction of my educational career and my life. I thrived taking all my fundamental art classes College of the Redwoods. I found myself, at last, on the path of doing something that I loved.
Ocean Wallflower, 2019
Ceramic, underglaze
17”x 13”x 7”
$800
Unearthly Delights, 2019
Ceramic, underglaze
8”x 8”x 16”
$500
Meredith Ethel Smith
Biography
Meredith Smith was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She received an Associate in Arts degree from College of the Redwoods in 2013 and a Bachelor's of Art from Humboldt State University (HSU) in 2016. Smith is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy.
Smith makes work that explores interpersonal relationships, self-growth, and the complexity of people’s lives and histories. Smith believes when we share our vulnerabilities and aspects of our lives others don’t usually see, we can begin to have a deeper understanding of one another. She is the recipient of individual artists grants from the Ingrid Nickelson Trust, a Windgate Fellowship nominee, and a recipient of President's Purchase Award from HSU. She has worked as a studio assistant in California, Colorado, and New York, including the Sugar Maples Center for the Arts and as the Ceramics Technician at HSU in 2019 and 2020.
Alumni Reflection
In the classes I took at College of the Redwoods, I felt driven to do my best and to push my boundaries, thanks to the excellence of both the teachers and my fellow classmates, many of whom I still keep in touch with. I spent many hours in the ceramics and photography lab, practicing the skills that I had been taught and learning to master the current task. I remember going back into the darkroom, again and again, trying to layer a double exposure just right, and my teacher never growing impatient with me as he helped me. I cried during critique, I spent ridiculous number of hours in the lab at a time, and I created things I’m still proud of today. I was encouraged to express myself, to experiment, and to put in the time, and that is the foundation I carry today that allows my art practice to continually grow.
Six feet above, 2019
Porcelain, redwood
6" x 21" x 1.5"
$260
Dimples, toes, butts, eyebrows, eyelids, hands, ankles, 2019
Porcelain, redwood
6" x 21" x 1.5"
$230
Mir de Silva
Biography
Mir de Silva is an illustrator and garden designer living on the North Coast of California. She received her AA in studio art from College of the Redwoods, and then graduated from Humboldt State University in the spring of 2020 with BA degrees in Studio Art and Art Education. As a student she received the Martin Wong Scholarship for painting and represented Humboldt State University in the Art of Painting in the 21st Century exhibition at the Natsoulas gallery in Davis. Her work has been shown throughout the county, from native garden designs to large-scale public murals. Mir is also passionate about including youth in the arts, and has worked with Eureka High School and St. Bernard’s Academy to put together collaborative murals with their students that address environmental concerns. At the onset of the shelter-in-place order, she also produced one free coloring book every day to provide youth with free access to art from their homes. She draws her inspiration from the natural world, painting scenes from gardening and exploring the North Coast. She uses her paintings to foster creativity within her community and inspire positive relationships between humans and nature.
Alumni Reflection
At the age of 25 I was finally ready to go back to school. At that time I worked in animal medicine and wanted a degree in forestry, so it was by chance that I took a life drawing class as an elective. It changed my life. I learned so much about humanity and form, and I was blown away by how much I was absorbing. There wasn’t anything in my life comparable to the freedom and rampant creativity in that space and I never wanted to leave, so I switched my major to Art. I continued on to touch wet clay for the first time. I learned how to paint with water and oil, tools that I could not operate without today. I had the opportunity of working in the gallery, carefully aiding in the presentation of so many masterful works by fellow students. The close community, flexibility, and proximity to nature that I experienced at CR gave me the confidence and drive to get to where I am today.
Harpies, 2019
Oil on Wood Panel
49" x 47" x 2"
$2,000
Llama, 2020
Mixed Media on Wood
24" x 12" x 1/2"
$450
Silver Fish, 2020
Mixed Media on Wood
24" x 12" x 1/2"
$450
Patrick Kingshill
Biography
Patrick Kingshill is an artist from Eureka California. Much of his family immigrated to northern California in the early 1900’s in pursuit of work in the burgeoning lumber industry. They worked as loggers, leather smiths, and carpenters among other things. As a mixed media artist, Patrick works primarily with clay and has done so for over a decade. He finds purpose in his work through his rich familial ties to the crafts and his appreciation for craft traditions in the United States and around the world. He holds a BFA in Studio Arts from San Jose State University and an MFA in Fine Art from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Patrick has also worked as an apprentice at the Peters Valley School of Crafts in Layton, NJ and in Jingdezhen, China under the ceramic artist Takeshi Yasuda. Most recently he has worked as an apprentice under Shipwrights Leo Goolden and Pete Stein on the rebuild of the historic wooden sailing yacht Tally Ho. He currently lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Alumni Reflection
I think I was a lot like most of my fellow community college students when I began my time at CR. I knew I wanted to have a career that was challenging, engaging, and one that made a positive contribution to my community, but I didn’t quite know what career path that was for me. I was incredibly lucky to find a thriving community of creative people in the arts at CR. It was time spent with instructors between and after classes that was so impactful to me, times when they would let me help with loading and unloading kilns, preparing clay and other studio tasks that I really got a sense of what a career as an artist might look like. A lot of what I learned from them has come true, and there are many other things that I am still learning about my unique path as an artist. My time in the studios at CR has shaped my ability to be a career artist to this day and has led me to advocate for community colleges in my own capacity as an educator.
Left Leaning, 2019
Ceramic, Wood, Hydrocal, Hardware
22 1/4 × 31 × 15 in
$2,500
On Loan from Gerald Peters Gallery
Fight or Flight, 2019
Ceramic, Oak, hydrocal
28 × 13 1/8 × 13 in
$2,500
On Loan from Gerald Peters Gallery
Ro Lozano
Biography
Ro Lozano is a Dominican Peruvian artist raised in Santiago, Dominican Republic. They currently live and work in Arcata, CA. They received their A.A in Fine Arts in 2019 from College of the Redwoods. Ro Lozano’s yoni tumblers are handmade on the potter's wheel with white stoneware clay. These handcrafted vessels are created with the intention to normalize the yoni image. Lozano puts yonis on utilitarian pottery meant for daily use to help society break away from the suppression of sexual expression and bring a sense of sacred reverence to the yoni for people of all genders.
Alumni Reflection
I started attending College of The Redwoods Fall of 2017. Overall my experience as an art student was positive and full of growth. The teachers I had the honor to learn from were caring, supportive, and helped me to integrate further as a community member. Shannon Sullivan motivated me to start my own business, which has been active for two years. Cindy Hooper encouraged me to enter work in the juried student art show and I won an award. Leira Satlof encouraged me to audition for the local theater and I got a part in Jesus Christ Superstar.
Yoni Mug, 2020
Ceramic, High Fire Glaze
3"x3"
SOLD
Shawnie Personius
Biography
Shawnie Personius is an installation artist that works in various mediums, but clay has been the material that she has had the deepest relationship with. Her work explores how materials can document human gesture and embody extensions of the subconscious. She investigates the deep relationship between the artist and the object, in how the object becomes an extension of one’s self, of herself. She dives deep into childhood trauma and the effects that linger throughout a lifetime. She plays on the tension between space and self within her installations. Viewers can use their physical body to move between hanging pieces allowing them to become a part of the space and the installation itself. Shawnie hopes that her installations may hold space for conversations and personal reflection. In 2019 Personious began pursuing a Masters of Social Work at Humboldt State University. Her plans are to pursue her LCSW credential, and open a non-profit Expressive Arts healing studio.
Alumni Reflection
During my time at CR I studied art and business. Through doing by my best in my coursework and getting to know professors, I developed the necessary skills and connections to move forward in my education and career. During my CR days I supplemented my income working as the 3D work study, which gave me the credentials and confidence to apply for and then received a full tuition scholarship to Sierra Nevada University in exchange for being the student lab technician there. I earned degrees in art and business from Sierra Nevada University. My time spent at CR continues to inform my career goals and pursuits to this day.
Stale G r a v i t y 2, 2020
Ceramic
Black $500
Small $350
Ladder $600
Multi Color $450
Gallery Images
