Artist in Residence

“INDU: Commensalists and Hand Me Downs” Installation, Oregon College of Arts and Craft

Posted by Tom Virgin

INDU: Commensalists and Hand Me Downs       Mixed media installation    12 ft x 12 ft x 12 ft             2008

This work came from an earlier residency at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in 2006. I finished cutting the plates and printing the prints that came from that residency, while I was in residence at the Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2007. This installation was created for the 2008 AIR Exhibition that brought back all the participating artists for a show. I combined a large drawing, archival digital C-prints, woodcut prints, commercial mesh banners and ephemera to create the effect INDU had on me in 2006.

This work has been featured in a National Parks Publication,

 

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Posted by Tom Virgin

This National Park is nestled between Gary, Indiana and Michigan City Michigan spanning almost 20 miles across the southern shore of Lake Michigan on Indiana’s northernmost border. Nestle is probably not the word I should use to describe the relationship this 15,000 acre park has with its neighbors. It is hidden in urban sprawl that spans the southern edge of the Park. A residency there in 2006 had a profound effect on my relationships with the National Parks System, so much so that the images became part of another artist’s book: “INDU: Commensalists and Hand-me-downs.” INDU is the National Park’s acronym for the Park’s longer name, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. My work from this residency is featured on the Parks website (http://www.nps.gov/indu/supportyourpark/2006-Artist,-Tom-Virgin.htm) and in a U.S. Publication about AIR programs in all the National Parks (Drawing New Audiences, Expanding Interpretive Possibilities www.nps.gov/bicy/supportyourpark/upload/-0339415.pdf). 

2006 Artist-in-Residence Tom Virgin – National Park Service

Each of the prints in this series is 16 inches x 20 inches, in black ink on Japanese paper, in an edition of 20.

 

13 Views of Mt. Hood

Posted by Tom Virgin

An artist’s residency at Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2007 was a rich experience, kitty corner across the world from what I am used to. The Cascades are incredible, volcanoes popping up from the ground,  from California through Washington State. I came with the hope of creating an homage to Hokusai and the people of Portland. I left with renewed friendships from my youth and new friendships with Portland’s finest.

All images in this series 16 inches x 20 inches, black ink on Japanese paper, edition of 20.

Right There, Installation at ArtCenter South Florida, 800 Building, 2006

Posted by Tom Virgin

This installation was the product of an artist’s residency at the Glen Arbor Art Associaton in 2005 and ArtCenter South Florida in 2006. The work combined all the elements that eventually became the award winning artist’s book, “Right There” (Winner of the 2006 Florida Artist Book Prize).

It combined drawings, prints, an essay, objects and ephemera from the residency, as well as my childhood in Michigan. This window installation was the laboratory for “Right There.” I am grateful to Claire Bruekel for her support and encouragement with this installation. The piece with the yellow background was one of several other spin offs from this original. The extra pieces wound up in “Right There” or other installations.