Andres Amador
Andres Amador is a Northern California-based artist. His artwork can span over 100,000 sqft, achievable during low tide. With tight time constraints and big goals, Andres is posed with the question: ‘How does one create from within that which one is creating?’ Exploring this concept of self-creation has brought Andres to investigate natural and human-devised systems of structure and growth. His artworks do not last long- within minutes of finishing a piece, and often while still in progress, the returning tide begins resetting the canvas. This is not unsettling for Amador who values the contemplative act of creation within the serene and dramatic environments his work takes him. The entire act becomes a meditation of being in the moment, of celebrating and being at peace with life. Explore more of Andres Amador and his landscape art.
“My art is my way of processing the world I experience and recreating it in grand yet fleeting
ways that are a tribute to the regenerative capacity of nature and the human spirit. I wish for viewers
of my work to experience a sense of wonder and renewed appreciation for the miracle of life.
I offer an opportunity to step outside of one’s everyday life and stand present in this timeless moment.”
Michelle Kurtis Cole
Michelle has been attracted to glass since her grandmother gave her her first strand of beads as a small girl. The transparency, the bright colors, the shiny finish and the play of light are what initially captured her. From beadwork she moved to stained glass, which ignited an exploration of all forms of glassmaking. She found her passion best expressed in glass casting and sculpting. She studied at The Studio at Corning Museum of Glass, Pilchuck Glass School, North Lands Creative Glass, Bullseye Glass and Maryland Institute of Art with esteemed instructors in virtually every form/technique of glass art. She has participated in numerous residencies; the most formative were in the Czech Republic and Scotland. Michelle’s works are found in collector’s homes internationally. She established the Kiln Formed Art Glass program at UCSD Craft Center. She initiated a program to grow coral on hand sculpted glass coral forms for the Coral Regeneration Project at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Michelle’s studio is in Cardiff, CA. Discover more about Michelle Kurtis Cole.
Wendy Maruyama
I have been making innovative work for over 40 years. Addressing the issues of being a female in a male-dominated field (woodworking), a minority, and being disabled (deaf with cerebral palsy) has made for an interesting adventure of navigating this challenging road to my career as I know it now. That, and challenging the norms of this chosen field of woodworking certainly has informed my practice of combined ideologies of feminism, ethnicity, traditional/domestic, craft objects (furniture), and historical and social narratives.
My newer work has moved beyond the boundaries of traditional studio craft and into the realm of social practice. Executive Order 9066 explored my Japanese American heritage through the forced evacuation of my maternal grandparents from their home in California and addressed the shared emotional loss suffered by the Japanese American community in 1942. My latest work, The wildLIFE Project, focuses on the endangerment of wildlife, a cause that is very personal to me. I traveled to Kenya and met with wildlife advocates to investigate the dangers of the continued poaching of these magnificent animals. The trip served as a source of inspiration to create a new body of work and incorporate a strong societal message of advocacy for animals. See Wendy Maruyama extensive portfolio of work
Kathi McCord
Kathi McCord is a printmaker, illustrator, and a professor of art and film. She has illustrated over 40 books for children and has won numerous awards for her etchings. Kathi is passionately concerned with environmental issues. After one of many visits to the rainforests of Peru, Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico, her frustration and anger witnessing these exquisite environments disappear, was more than she could bare. In response she drew an 18 foot long, 6 feet high graphite mural depicting all the flora and flora of a rainforest, then erased every inch of the entire drawing. It took an full weekend to erase it. When she is not drawing animals or the beauty of rainforest, much of Kathi’s imagery is borne of her Italian heritage where food and drink were essential to the fabric of life.
Tibetan Buddhist Monks from Gaden Shartse Monastery
The Tibetan Buddhist Monks of Gaden Shartse Norling Monastery in India Return to North County San Diego. They will be at the PHES for a Dharma talk, as well as the creation (and deconstruction) of a Sand Mandala The public is invited to watch the beautiful, meditative process and participate in several other healing arts ceremonies taking place at PHES. Click to find all about the exhibition-related events.
All proceeds benefit the Monks of Gaden Shartse and their monastery in southern India, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. www.sacredartsoftibettour.org/