Nan Weed
nanweedstudio@comcast.net
Eugene, Oregon
My focus in art making: creative work is a means to spiritual inquiry, and imagination and nature are gateways to the Mysteries. The larger graphite drawings, some shown in the archives here, grew out of time spent on the mesas and canyons of Northern New Mexico and on the Oregon Coast. The Seeking Clarity series, a group of a hundred drawings, developed as a contemplative practice after a discussion with a writer friend about fog as a metaphor in literature. Paintings, some examples in the archives, have been generated from experiences in nature, reading poetry, interactions with and responses to human relationship, or as images solicited for published written work. Work of the past few years has been about refocusing during the global health crisis and now, most recently, exploring the Mystery and what it means to be human through the gateway of Nature. Time spent around whales near a few islands in the South Pacific, shortly before the covid pandemic, continues to have a strong influence on my current work.
Education
University of Iowa
University of Oregon, BFA
Exhibitions
Maude Kerns Art Center's Downtown Initiative for the Arts - one person show, Eugene, Oregon
Semantics Gallery- one person show, Edmonds, Washington
"Sculpture plus two" - three person show - Maude Kerns Art Center, Eugene, Oregon
"Mindful Journeys" - three person show - Corvallis Art Center, Corvallis, Oregon
"Myth & Metaphor" - four person show, Durango Art Center, Durango, Colorado
"Willamette Valley Annual Juried exhibit"- Corvallis Art Center, Oregon
"Mayor's Art show" juried exhibit- Jacob's Gallery, Eugene, Oregon
Portland Art Museum juried rental sales gallery, Portland, Oregon
"Celebration of Arts in Oregon" juried exhibit - Salem, Oregon
Umpqua Valley Art Association - annual juried exhibit, Roseburg, Oregon
Edmonds Art Festival juried exhibit - Edmonds, Washington
Corvallis Art Center invitational - Corvallis, Oregon
"Beaverton Showcase" juried exhibit - Beaverton, Oregon
"Traditional Methods/Transcendant Expressions"- juried exhibit, Pacific U, Forest Grove, Oregon
"Metaphors & Icons" juried exhibit, Festival of the Arts, Lake Oswego, Oregon
Bach Festival art exhibit - Eugene, Oregon
Bassetti's Garden Art Show, Woodinville, Washington
Publications
"Calyx Journal" - illustration
"The Celebration Poems" - cover and illustrations
"The Way of Aging" - cover
Teaching
My interest in encouraging and cultivating creative practice in others led me to became certified with the Creativity Coaching Association and then to study for a year with Chris Zydel, a well known teacher and trainer, to become certified as a facilitator of intuitive painting and expressive arts. I have taught both individuals and groups in my studio over the past ten years and continue to teach workshops a few times a year or when asked to teach in other venues or communities. Contact me if you are interested in intuitive painting work or want to know when the next group is scheduled.