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Pat Musick At Chaco Canyon

Artist Statement

To create awareness, insight, caring for the beauty, complexity, intricacy of this living world is the wellspring for my work. I've lived among the mountains and canyon country of the American Southwest as well as the libraries, museums, music, manuscripts, ancient ruins of Ireland, Europe, Asia. These experiences fuel my work. Glass, metal, wood—their qualities and spirit; layers of images, words, ideas; hikes and sojourns in amazing places; friendships with remarkable people. Wild nature and place; the human wilds of mind and heart. Stone, leaf, water, sky. 

Enameling—glass fused to metal at high heat—is a primary medium for my work. Enameling involves applying powdered glass to copper or steel, firing the piece for several minutes, repeating the process many times, giving layer upon layer of images. Because of its durability, brilliance, translucency, and variable effects according to viewing distance and angle of light, enameling is well suited for exterior and interior murals. In these, I aim to create welcoming, meaningful spaces—integrating concepts, materials, and the site's architecture, function, and setting (natural and historical) to define, enhance, and evoke a spirit and sense of place.

Biographical Sketch

An introduction to book arts during my undergraduate studies led me to London, England, and to Ireland, to research on the lettering in early Irish manuscripts and its potential for contemporary design. Having a base in London for seven years gave me the opportunity to travel throughout Britain and Europe, absorbing ancient sites, other cultures, and the treasures of many great museum collections and exhibitions. I worked with Irish traditional music groups and with The Dolmen Press. I taught for several years as a Visiting Lecturer for the Postgraduate Graphic Design program at the Central School of Art and Design, where I developed a short block course, Design Contexts, which emphasized the social and environmental considerations in design. It was in England that I found in enameling (glass fused to metal at high heat) the means to integrate multiple layers of imagery, letterforms, and meanings. Over the past three decades, my work has been exhibited at museums and galleries across the United States and six countries, produced three enameled copper and steel murals under the Art in Public Places program administered by the Colorado Council on the Arts, and immersed myself as Artist-in-Residence at the North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park. Teaching design, art history and appreciation, enameling, calligraphy, and interdisciplinary courses at high school, college, and postgraduate levels has given me opportunities to share some of the knowledge and joys bestowed by this life in the arts.

Click Here For Pat Musick's Curriculum Vitae

  

Pat Musick - musickstudio