Pacific University Professor Emeritus Jan Shield is an artist worth watching. The work featured for EMERGING, the August 2nd Art Walk at Fairweather’s are evocative pieces that blur the line between painting and sculpture, and quite literally, moves the art outward toward the viewer.
“Keep to the adventure of art as part of life,” Jan Shield.
He was a professor and artist and active in Forest Grove art circles, including Valley Art Association and as director of the Kathrin Cawein Gallery. He also helped develop the university’s 2,500-piece permanent collection. In his Nest series, an idea started by his fascination with the variety of bird nests he had found blown out of the trees. Their intricate nature, beautiful inter-latticed composition, and sense of natural wonder started the adventure. The relationships formed in talking to other artists and being in dialogue with his natural surroundings provided realizations that the word nest is not just tied to bird nests, as beavers, bees, silk worms and numerous other living things create nests. Then, too, Shield has crafted a nest fired at the Astoria Dragon kiln for the exhibition.
Live music by Shirley 88, lite bites and adult beverages will be served.