Artist Jessica Drenk

Jessica Drenk - Artist Statement

My work is a response to, and experimentation with, materials. My inspiration comes from nature; I am constantly amazed by the diversity and beauty of the forms and patterns in nature. We often think of our immediate surroundings as being “man-made”, but man-made materials still behave according to the same principles as the natural world—they come from nature. Because nature is based on patterns and principles of organization, I look for man-made materials that might be manipulated according to similar patterns and principles. In my response to these materials—learning how they behave under different circumstances and combinations, discovering how to re-order and pattern them, intuitively pursuing new forms and pushing materials beyond how I would normally think of them—I become connected with the physical properties of the world, as well as the nature of my own mind.

In creating the Reading Our Remains collection, I give new life and new form to old books—books which now resemble artifacts, specimens, and fossils. Fact and fiction mingle as the standard book becomes the unexpected: a diversity of forms reflects the variety of subject matter contained within. What remains of the once legible book is form, texture, and the obscured word.

Resume

2007 (Projected) Master of Fine Arts University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

2002 Bachelor of Arts degree, Art Major, Cum Laude, Pomona College, Claremont, CA

Exhibitions

Solo and Two-Person:

2007 Beard Arts Center, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN

2007 MFA Exhibition, University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ

2007 Imprints, Lionel Rombach Gallery, Tucson, AZ

2005 Reading of Remains, University of Arizona Library, Tucson, AZ

2004 Curious Objects, The Forum Gallery, Claremont, CA

2002 Pomona College Museum of Art, Claremont, CA

2006 Grounds For Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ

2006 Biennial Southwest, The Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, NM

2006 North American Exhibition of Paper and Plastic Arts, Sheldon Swope Art Museum, Terre Haute, IN

2005 8th International Book Fair of Contemporary Creative Books, Parc Chanot, Marseille, France

2005 Arizona Biennial, Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ

2005 Residual Pull, Dinnerware Contemporary Arts, Tucson, AZ

2006 International Sculpture Center's Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Awards

2005 The University of Arizona Centennial Sculpture Award



	Jessica Drenk - Artist Statement My work is a response to, and experimentation with, materials. My inspiration comes from nature; I am constantly amazed by the diversity and beauty of the forms and patterns in nature. We often think of our immediate surroundings as being “man-made”, but man-made materials still behave according to the same principles as the natural world—they come from nature. Because nature is based on patterns and principles of organization, I look for man-made materials that might be manipulated according to similar patterns and principles. In my response to these materials—learning how they behave under different circumstances and combinations, discovering how to re-order and pattern them, intuitively pursuing new forms and pushing materials beyond how I would normally think of them—I become connected with the physical properties of the world, as well as the nature of my own mind. In creating the Reading Our Remains collection, I give new life and new form to old books—books which now resemble artifacts, specimens, and fossils. Fact and fiction mingle as the standard book becomes the unexpected: a diversity of forms reflects the variety of subject matter contained within. What remains of the once legible book is form, texture, and the obscured word. Resume Education 2007 (Projected) Master of Fine Arts University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 2002 Bachelor of Arts degree, Art Major, Cum Laude, Pomona College, Claremont, CA Exhibitions Solo and Two-Person: 2007 Beard Arts Center, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN 2007 MFA Exhibition, University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ 2007 Imprints, Lionel Rombach Gallery, Tucson, AZ 2005 Reading of Remains, University of Arizona Library, Tucson, AZ 2004 Curious Objects, The Forum Gallery, Claremont, CA 2002 Pomona College Museum of Art, Claremont, CA Group: 2006 Grounds For Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ 2006 Biennial Southwest, The Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, NM 2006 North American Exhibition of Paper and Plastic Arts, Sheldon Swope Art Museum, Terre Haute, IN 2005 8th International Book Fair of Contemporary Creative Books, Parc Chanot, Marseille, France 2005 Arizona Biennial, Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ 2005 Residual Pull, Dinnerware Contemporary Arts, Tucson, AZ Awards 2006 International Sculpture Center's Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Awards 2005 The University of Arizona Centennial Sculpture Award





home \| encaustic colors \| damar resin \| waxes \| encaustic medium \| grounds \| panels \| tools \| class info \| class schedules \| open studios \| gallery