Storm Tharp: Crow's Shadow Institute printmaking residency
Crow’s Shadow to welcome artist Storm Tharp
Crow’s Shadow will be hosting artist Storm Tharp for a two-week printmaking residency, Sept. 19-30, 2011.
A lifelong Oregon resident currently living and working in Portland, Tharp has generated international attention for his work, with exhibitions and gallery representation in New York and Geneva, Switzerland. A selection of Tharp’s paintings recently was included in the 2010 Whitney Biennial, a high-profile exhibition of American contemporary artwork, often highlighting young and emerging artists. That show is put on once every two years by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
A practitioner of several media—including ink and gouache painting, sculpture installation and clothing design—much of Tharp’s work explores themes of character and identity. Some of his acclaimed portraits—often a stylistic mixture of blotted ink and sharply defined contours—exhibit a delicate balance of realistic and abstract expression.
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For his residency at Crow’s Shadow, Tharp will work with Tamarind Master Printer Frank Janzen to create an original body of lithographic prints.
“I have been so busy over the past few years—I must admit, I’m most looking forward to the tranquility,” Tharp wrote via e-mail. “The remote aspect of the residency is very appealing to me. I find that I am inundated with responsibilities and chores in my daily life that can compromise the creative effort. I am really looking forward to the dedicated time I will assert towards the work and give credence to what is on my mind—in the greater scheme of things.”
When asked about possible ideas for his new work, Tharp indicated he was perhaps ready for a change of direction.
“I am antsy to begin a kind of revolution in my work; a readjustment or reinvention, if you will. I feel slightly unprepared regarding my arrival to the institute. I don’t have an idea of what I want to create—but I know that I want a big surprise. A new realm if I’m lucky,” Tharp wrote. “I have never worked in lithography before. I wonder what it will bring? I have a minor and very unformed inclination to express a painterly, almost calligraphic abstraction. Lots of pink and corals . . . but who knows? I might not land as far from myself as I think I will. Or as far as I want to rather. But that’s all right.”
Whatever will be the result, Crow’s Shadow looks forward to welcoming Tharp early next week.
Tharp’s residency will be funded, in part, through a generous grant project from The Ford Family Foundation. The project is intended to support both Oregon nonprofit residency programs and mid-career Oregon visual artists.
Tharp is represented in Portland by PDX Contemporary Art.
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ABOUT US
Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization aimed at providing opportunities for Native Americans through artistic development. With an emphasis on contemporary, fine-art printmaking, we also function as a venue to practice traditional Native American art practices — weaving, bead working and regalia making — of the Plateau region.
With a spacious gallery and world-class printmaking studio, CSIA brings in emerging and established artists to produce monotypes, monoprints and editions — including lithographs, etchings, linocuts, woodcuts and more. Our ever-growing portfolio of prints encompasses the work of many outstanding artists of diverse backgrounds and media.
Recognizing art as an intrinsic and essential element of Native American culture, we are committed to helping people, young and old, develop their artistic gifts and skills. Through a variety of professional and educational services, we look to give dedicated artists a strong voice while also providing a conduit to the mainstream art world.
Our studio is housed within the historic St. Andrews mission schoolhouse, itself situated at the base of the Blue Mountain foothills on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. By many accounts, it is a peaceful and inspiring place to come and create art.
HISTORY
Renowned artist James Lavadour (Walla Walla) and friends incorporated CSIA in 1992, with the idea of using art as a transformative tool within the Native American community. Just as art had changed and given new meaning to his own life, Lavadour wanted to create a place that would help others of American Indian heritage similarly realize the vocational potential of art.
Over the years, CSIA offered various youth services and educational workshops on a wide spectrum of traditional art forms, also serving as a location for special projects and collaborations with major artists.
In 2001, CSIA turned its main attention to fine-art printmaking, whereby artists could come expand their professional portfolios to create and market monotypes, monoprints and print editions.