Biography

ART DISCIPLINE

Artist / Ceramic Sculptor / Craftswoman / Visual Designer

• Life-time dedication to the study of Art with thirty-five years professional experience in all aspects of the Fine Arts and Visual Design. Mastery of the human figure in drawing / sculpture.
• Self- taught expertise with large-scale hand-built ceramics & firing techniques.
• Business Owner / Studio Artist, Prairie Woods & Clay Works, Cheyenne, Wyoming
• Design / fabrication / marketing hand-crafted wood furniture & custom ceramic & tile products.
• Self-Employed Studio Artist; Exceptional creative talent and visual realization of concepts. Highly self-motivated risk-taker and skilled at problem solving.

EDUCATION

• 1972-1976
  • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Certificate of Fine Arts, Majoring in Drawing and Sculpture.
• 1977
  • Work Crew for Sculptor Beverly Pepper, Sculpture Commission
    Federal Reserve Bank, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 1979
  • The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Workshops on Kiln Building and Hand-building clay techniques
• 1988
  • Akio Takamori, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass, Colorado
    Summer workshop on hand-built porcelain/wood-salt firing
• 1976-1978
  • Gallery Assistant, Marian Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

AWARDS

• 2006
  • Individual Artist Professional Development Grant, Web-site Design, Wyo. Arts Council
  • Finalist: Broomfield Art Bench Commission, City & County of Broomfield, CO
  • Finalist: Wyoming Art-in-Public-Buildings Program, Wyo. Honor Farm, Riverton, WY
  • First Place, Pastels & Drawings, Southeast Wyoming Art Show & Sale, Chey. Civic Center
• 2004
  • Mixed Media 1st Place, 23rd Western Spirit Art Show, Old West Museum, Chey. WY
• 2003
  • Sculpture Award 1st Place, "Lines into Shapes," Art Center of Estes Park, CO
  • Cheyenne YMCA, Design for 2003 Membership/Capital Campaign, Chey. WY
• 1990
  • Individual Artist Grant for Sculpture/Drawing, Wyoming Arts Council
• 1988
  • Visual Arts Fellowship, Honorable Mention, Wyoming Arts Council
• 1976
  • Cresson Special Commendation, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)
• 1975
  • W.E. Cresson European Traveling Scholarship, PAFA
    Summer Study/Travel in Central Europe and England & fourth year Tuition
• 1973-1976
  • Numerous awards for Drawing and Sculpture, PAFA, Tuition-work study Scholarship
    • Sklar Packard / Drawing '73
    • Culliane /Sculpture '74
    • Mason /Sculpture '75
    • Dutrow /Sculpture '76
    • Toppan / Drawing '76

PUBLIC COMMISSIONS

• 2003 City of Cheyenne Airport Golf Course, Sculpture Commission, Life-size Bronze & small maquette for Mayor's Office Collection
• 2000-2002 Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, Century Plaza Bench Series w/ Bas Relief Tiles
• 1998-1999 Centennial Plaza Sculpture, Laramie County Government Building Complex Bas Relief Stoneware Mural, Corner of 19th Street & Carey Avenue, Chey. WY
• 1987
  • "1987 Mayor's Design Awards" Downtown Development Authority / Mainstreet Project, Architectural Detail Tile of Union Pacific Depot, Cheyenne, Wyoming
  • "Governor Awards for the Arts 1987" Wyoming Arts Foundation/Wyo. Arts Council
• 1984 Wyoming Women's Center (Prison)
  Wyoming Art-in-Public-Buildings Program, Lusk, WY
• 1980 Newcomb Hospital, Vineland, New Jersey
  Outdoor Courtyard Sculpture - destroyed 1982

COLLECTIONS

• US West / Quest
• Wyoming State Museum / State of Wyoming , Art-in-Public-Buildings Program
• City of Cheyenne Botanic Gardens / Cheyenne Art-in-Public-Places Program
• Laramie County Government Complex, Cheyenne, WY
• Casper Star Tribune Newspaper, Casper Wyoming
• Mr. Bill P. Scott, Painter, Philadelphia, PA

SELECTED PRIVATE COMMISSIONS

• 2009 Paul smith children's Village, Dedicated Cedar Bench w/ Glazed Tiles, Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, Wy.
• 2004 Memorial Garden Bench, Unitarian Universalist Church of Cheyenne, Wy
• DT Liquiors, Double Benches, Cheyenne,Wy
• 2003 Old West Museum, Mural of Historic Postcard, Cheyenne Frontier Park, Chey. WY
• 2002 Laramie County Tennis Club, Governor's Cup Award Tiles, Cheyenne, WY
• 2000 Nagle Warren Mansion Bed & Breakfast, Custom Tiles for Carriage House Suites, Chey. WY
• 2000 Portrait Drawings of Kristen and Andrew Ditges, Janet Whitehead, Cheyenne, WY
• 1999 Office of the President, Laramie County Community College, Buffalo Tile Plaques, Chey.
• 1998 Mabel Strikland Exhibit, Cheyenne Light Fuel & Power Co.,Cowgirls of the West, Chey.
• 1997 Cowgirls of the West Exhibit, Cowgirls of the West organization, Cheyenne WY
• 1989 Cheyenne Frontier Days History Exhibit, CFD Old West Museum, Cheyenne,WY
• 1983 Electra (life-size ceramic figure) Mr. & Mrs. John Lamprecht, Stone Arbor, New Jersey

PUBLICATIONS

• 2006 Building a Foundation, educational brochure/artwork, Wyo. Children's Action Alliance
• 2004 High Plains Register, cover artwork, Spring 2004, Vol. 14, Literary and Arts Magazine Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne, WY
• 1996 New Mexico magazine, April 1996, "Twists in Wood" pg. 48
• 1993 Saddles, Bits & Spurs: Cowboy Crafters at Work, Designer - exhibit cataloque, Wyoming State Museum

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

• 2006 Broomfield Art Bench, Maquettes of Semi-Finalists, City / County Building of Broomfield, CO
  Southeast Wyoming Art Show & Sale, Cheyenne Civic Center
• 2004 23rd Western Spirit Art Show/Sale, Old West Museum, Cheyenne Frontier Park, WY
• Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition 2004, Wyoming State Museum, Cheyenne. WY
• 2003 "Lines into Shapes" Juried 7th Annual, Art Center of Estes Park, CO
• 2002 Rocky Mountain Biennial 2002, Museum of Contemporary Art, Ft. Collins, Colorado
• 21st Western Spirit Art Show /Sale, Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Chey. WY
• 2001 20th Western Spirit Art Show /Sale, Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Chey.WY
• 2000 Solo-Exhibit "Portrait Drawings&rduo; Barnes & Noble Bookstore, Cheyenne WY
• "A Menagerie of Portraits-Life Size Drawings" Wyoming Arts Council Gallery, Chey. WY
• 1999 Solo-Exhibit "Raku Masks & Tiles" Barnes & Noble Bookstore, Cheyenne WY
• 1996 Juried Clay Exhbition, Roswell Museum of Art, Roswell, New Mexico
• 1995 "Portraits: Faces in the Museum" Centennial Exhibition, Wyoming State Museum, Chey.WY
• 1990 Solo-Exhibit, Walnut Street Gallery, Ft. Collins, Colorado
• 1989 "Heartland Crafts Invitational" Sharon Arts Center, New Hamsphire
• 1988 "Clay West" Juried by Rudy Autio, Missoula Museum of Art, Missoula, Montana
• "Contermporary Art in the Cowboy State" Nicolaysen Art Museum, Casper, Wyoming
• Visual Fellowship-Honorable Mention, Wyoming Arts Council, Cheyenne, WY
• 1986 North American Sculpture Exhibit 1986 Foothills Art Center, Golden, Colorado
• 1985 Solo Exhibits: Wyoming State Museum, Cheyenne, Wyoming
• Savane Gallery, Cheyenne, Wyoming
• 1982 Solo Exhibit: Wyoming State Museum, Cheyenne, Wyoming
• 1979 "Sculpture Outdoors '79" Temple University Music Festival, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• "Women in Transition" Marian Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 1978 "A Philadelphia Viewpoint" Freedman Art Gallery, Albright College, Allentown, Penn.
• "Sculpture Outdoors '78" Temple University Music Festival, Philadelphia, Penn.
• "New Talent Show" Marian Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 1976 "Philadelphia Graduate Show" Curator Dianne Vanderlip, Moore College of Art, Phila. PA

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

• Studio Artist/Visual Designer/Craftswoman, Fall 1995 - present
• Instructor of Sculpture/Ceramics, Dec 2000 - May 2001, East High School, Cheyenne, Wy.
• Instructor of Art, Sept - Oct 2002, McCormick Junior HIgh, Cheyenne, Wy.
• Curator of Art (1992-95), Wyoming State Museum
• Interpretive Program Specialist (1990-92), Wyoming State Museum
• Design Committee Member (1992), Summit Visitor Center I-80, Inter-Governmental Project,
  (Federal & State - BLM, US Forest Service, Wyo. Game & Fish and Wyo. Depart. Of Commerce)
• Design Committee Member (1985-1987 and 1990-1993), Cheyenne Downtown Development Authority and Mainstreet Project
• Artist-in-Residence with Wyoming's Art-in-Education Program (1984-1993)
• Instructional /curriculum development; technical assistance/ in-service to school districts K-12;
• May 2000, Converse County School District #1, Douglas High School-one week
• Spring 1994, Converse County School District #1, Douglas Middle School-one week
• Fall 1989, Mountain View Schools, Middle & High School-ten days, Mt. View, WY
• Fall 1986, Laramie County School District #1, East High School-one month
• Fall 1985, Rawhide Elementary School - two weeks, Green River, WY
• Fall Semester 1984 (Sept-Dec), Converse County School District #1, K-12 entire school system
• Substitute Instructor (1984-85) Sculpture/Design/Ceramics, Laramie County Community College
• Guest Lecturer / Workshop Presenter / Artist-in-Residence (1985-1989) Western Wyoming College, Rock Springs, WY
• Laramie Cty. Community College, Cheyenne, WY
• Design Committee, Chey. Downtown Development Authority/Mainstreet Project
• Instructor of private life-drawing class (1985-1990), Cheyenne Artist's Guild
• Grant Panelist (1989), Wyoming Arts Council, Performing Arts and Art-in-Education Programs.
• Curator of Exhibits (1983-84), Old West Museum, Cheyenne
• Gallery Assistant (1976-78), Marain Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Penn.