Kristin Kowalski - "Optimism" Ceramic Sculpture

"Optimism"
Ceramic Sculpture.
11.5" W x 7.5" H x 11" D.


Kristin Kowalski

Kristin Kowalski holds a M.A. from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and a B.F.A. from The Columbus College of Art and Design. She currently lives in Toledo, Ohio with her husband and son. Kowalski has been a fine art instructor at Maumee Valley Country Day School since 2012. She is a ceramic artist that derives inspiration from the natural environment and personal relationships. Her sculptures are hand built and low-fired, and she uses multiple layers of glazes and stains to create texture and depth in color. Her artworks have been exhibited in a variety of venues nationally.

Artist's Statement

My artwork and emotions are best expressed in clay. Clay is a fundamental material that allows me to articulate a relationship between surface and form. These qualities of clay allow me to use its malleability to create three-dimensional sculptures that show process and my personal involvement with the piece. In the creation of art, I use the marks of the hand and textural elements to create harmony within the forms. These forms become my canvases for added surface processes.

My work has been inspired by personal growth and development. I want to create a feeling of intimacy between the interactions of the abstracted forms. Those experiences lead to a floral or blossom element that represents the peak of the experience. I want my work to be very sensual, playful and slightly dark, I try to create these feeling with the combination of form, color and surface texture. The floral elements in my work have been inspired from my garden. I love the process and transformation that occurs in nature. I feel this growth and cultivation echoes life's experiences that I relate to. I want my viewer to relate to my work in an emotional way; through either the relationships of the forms, the representation of colors, or the just the formal elements and aesthetics of the pieces.

Education

2007- Present, Adolescence to Young Adult- Visual Art, State of Ohio, Teaching Certification, 5 Year Licensure
2006 Master's of Art in Art Education, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL
2001 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics, Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus, OH

Solo, Two, or Three Person Exhibitions

2021 Dublin Arts Council, Dublin OH
2020 VIRTUAL "Nature Interpreted" BOJUart Gallery, Virginia Beach, VA
2018 BOJUart Gallery, Virginia Beach, VA
2017 Concourse Gallery, Upper Arlington Arts Council, Upper Arlington, OH
2016 Diana Kidd Gallery, Tiffin University, Tiffin, OH
2016 Wolfe Gallery, Maumee Valley Country Day School, Toledo, OH
2016 Kansas City Arts Coalition, In Conjunction with the NCECA convention, Kansas City, MO
2016 Harris Stanton Gallery, Akron, OH
2013 "Unveilings" Harris Stanton Gallery, Akron, OH
2012 Village Theater at Cherry Hill, Canton, MI
2012 "Sense and Sensuality" Gallery Chiz, Pittsburg, PA
2011 Art-o-Matic, Toledo, OH
2010 Howard County Center for the Arts, Ellicott City, MD
2009 Art-o-Matic, Toledo, OH
2009 Pearl Conard Art Gallery, Ohio State University, Mansfield, OH
2007 Beverly Arts Center, Chicago, IL
2003 Canzani Center Gallery, Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus, OH

Group Exhibitions

2020 Height Arts, Cleveland, OH
2020 VIRTUAL "Art during a Pandemic" Flatlanders Gallery, Adrian, MI
2020 "Community" Wolfe Gallery, Toledo, OH
2018 N'NAMDI Center for Contemporary Art, Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series, Detroit, MI
2018 "Teachers as Artists 2015 LH" Riffe Gallery, Columbus, OH
2018 "Visions in Clay 2015" Horton Jr Gallery, Stockton, CA
2014 "Visions in Clay 2014" LH Horton Jr Gallery, Stockton, CA
2014 "Natural Inspiration" Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH
2013 CVA Gallery, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH
2012 "Small Gems" Harris Stanton Gallery, Akron, OH
2011 "Small Gems" Harris Stanton Gallery, Akron, OH
2010 "Toledo Emerges" Owens Community College, Toledo, OH
2010 "The Feminine Form" J and J Gallery, Toledo OH
2010 "Ohio Emerges" Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus OH
2008 "Soda Salt National IV" Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula MT
2008 "Art on a Pedestal" PIE Studio, Jacksonville, FL
2007 "Kowalski, Lombardo, Van Kerkhove" Parkwood Gallery, Toledo, OH
2007 "Toledo Area Artists" Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH
2007 "Ceramic Abstraction: Exploration and Evidence" Creative Arts Workshop, Hilles Gallery, New Haven, CT
2007 Franklin Square Gallery, 27th Annual July Exhibition, Southport, NC
2006 Englewood Arts, Englewood Civic Center, Englewood, CO
2006 "Contemporary Ceramic Invitation" Heuser Gallery, Bradley University, Peoria, IL
2006 "Funk"-tion, Stretch Gallery and Studios, Pineville, NC
2006 National Ceramic Exhibition, Awarded Honorable Mention
2006 Annual Ceramics Exhibition, Link Gallery, Champaign, IL
2005 Space 237 Gallery, Toledo, OH "Untitled"
2005 "Toledo Area Artists" Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH
2004 "Ceramic Sculpture" Celadon Clay Art Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY
2003 "Emerging Artist Exhibition" Art Access Gallery, Columbus, OH
2003 "Toledo Area Artists" Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH
2003 Juried Exhibition, Ohio Art League, Columbus, OH
2002 In Conjunction with George Bellows, Art Access Gallery, Columbus, OH
2002 "Emerging Artist Exhibition" Art Access Gallery, Columbus, OH
2001 Group Show, Blue Cube Gallery, Columbus, OH

Bibliography

2013 Akron Beacon Journal, 'Unveilings' showcases three artists on the rise by Dorothy Shinn
2012 Pittsburg Tribune, 'Sense and Sensuality' draws together seemingly disparate with underlying feeling. By Kurt Shaw
2011 Toledo Free Press, Group of 9: Hudson Gallery features artwork from local women. By Joel Sensenig
2007 New Haven Register, Delightful CAW exhibition mines clay's boundless possibilities by Judy Birke
2005 Toledo Free Press, Exhibition asks 'What's in a name', by John Dorsey
2003 Toledo Blade, 3-D rules, by Rebekah Scott
2003 Columbus Dispatch, Bright potential makes for exciting display, by Jacqueline Hall


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