“The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.”
Francis Bacon
“The materials I use have textures and smells and origins and histories. I choose them for their unique mark making. I use Belgian linen, Italian earths, ambers, complex glazes. I owe all this to the masters and artists before me.”
Claudia Pettis
Cornish School of Art 1970’s
Cornish was the alternative of all alternative art environments educating the likes of John Cage and the Northwest mystic artists i.e. Mark Tobey and Morris Graves. In the 70’s for the few years I was at Cornish it was just a group of kids creating some of the most innovative and talented work around. Printmaking was hot then in Seattle, and I learned everything from classic Japanese woodcut to photo etch on giant wood or metal plates in a back barn like shed. Now this has been torn down to give way to accredited art school.
Gage Academy of Art 1990’s
Mentored at Gage by professional artists in the 1990’s I changed the way I used materials and slowed my approach. The entire history of great art weighed heavily on my mind. I was lucky to work with some of the great painters and sculptors of our time.
Whidbey and Studio of my Own
After sharing studio in Ballard in Seattle with close friends, I relocated to our family (1925) estate on Whidbey Island. I built my present studio with a view centered on Mutiny Bay in 2010.