My studio is in Peninsula, Ohio in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I have resided and worked in Ohio for 17 years.   I received my degree from the University of Iowa in sculpture and worked in my dad’s ceramic studio for ten years.  It was in my father’s studio that I learned my appreciation of three-dimensional space.  It was also my dad’s non-sentimental nature of tossing/ burning all things deemed unnecessary clutter that rooted my deep need to covet and collect almost everything.  I studied ceramics in college and love, really, all things clay, thus also why I have an awesome collection of cups, mugs and unomi.  I however never felt like clay was the medium by which I wanted to express myself.  With found objects and assemblage I truly discovered my voice.  The objects I lean towards always seem to have lived and have a story to tell….some objects are complete memories for me and just as a writer will string words together to create a work I assemble objects to create my art.  I love the fact that like words, smells and colors; objects hold meaning and memories.  The wonderful thing is that sometimes the viewer has similar  or completely different ones then my own.  I feel that found object assemblage is just like painting in 3D or perhaps, collaging.  For me, it is a better process because I don’t start with a blank canvas and I get to move my objects around without having to “paint” over something I don’t like or have to wait for paint to dry.  Often in my studio I will have three or four different pieces going at the same time.  I start sometimes with an idea first and search for the objects that are going to express that idea or I start with an object or several objects that shout so loudly that they need to be together.  

I appreciate the Ohio Art League for the opportunity to talk about my art and to show some of what I do.  I was also honored to have received second place on their Spring 2020 Juried show.  I look forward to seeing art in person again and thought that it was really good for OAL to continue to support artists through an online show.  

Gwen's Current and Upcoming Exhibitions: 

2020 Waterloo Arts Fest Juried Show through November.

Kink Contemporary’s Women in Scuplture show opening in November in Cleveland

Artists of Rubber City Members Show in Akron opening Nov.20-Dec.19^th