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Touching Stone Gallery  Santa Fe  New Mexico USA

www.touchingstone.com  Email: director@touchingstone.com

 


Tim Rowan
Artifact
Transcending the Japanese pottery tradition in a conceptual exploration of time and place
May 6 - June 1, 2011
Tim Rowan show at Touching Stone Gallery
"Artifact No.3"  ceramic sculpture by Tim Rowan  18" x 12" x15"h

Tim Rowan

As part of our mission to promote interaction between Japanese and American ceramic artists, we are pleased to host a solo exhibition for American artist Tim Rowan, who has taken the Japanese wood-fired pottery tradition to new levels in pursuit of his artistic vision.

Tim Rowan received his B.F.A. degree in 1992 with State University of New York, New Paltz. He traveled to Japan and sought an apprenticeship with renowned Bizen ceramist Ryuichi Kakurezaki. Two years later, he returned to the States and obtained his M.F.A. degree with the Pennsylvania State University, University Park. Rowan's choice of Kakurezaki as a mentor is significant, as the latter is known for forging bold new directions built upon traditional wood-firing techniques in the historic pottery center of Bizen. Rather than emulating Japanese pottery styles, Rowan uses the medium to explore conceptual ideas, establishing a highly distinctive and powerful style with strong personality and great depth.

According to Rowan, his work flows from a basic desire to find and create meaning in life. It is fueled by questions he asks concerning the realities he is confronted with, especially the passage of time and impermanence of human life. Rowan’s work addresses how time affects the human society and culture. Unlike Izumita, the Japanese artist featured earlier in this series (See April 2011 show), who draws much of his inspiration from landscapes, Rowan takes cues from the land as well as from man-made objects.

In the current show, Rowan presents a body of work that reflects the complex interactions between time and humanity. Among the showpieces are thought-provoking sculptures entitled Artifacts, reminiscent of old worn-out machine parts, their forms are stylized and elegantly simple, conveying a minimum amount of information and detail. In spite of their massive scales, they are constructed with a language of subtlety, understatement, and restraint. In stark contrast to the often busy imagery in our modern society, Rowan’s works do not shout for attention and require the viewer to actively slow down to take notice. They have the capacity to be engaging on different levels only when one allows the work to reveal itself over time.

The passage of time and a slow decay process are suggested by an intriguing series of pod-like sculptures, each beautifully fired with wood and partially opened to reveal a mysterious void encased in a tangle of weathered metal wires. They beckon the viewers to peer within searching for hidden meanings that may never be revealed.

Finally, the show features a recent body of works entitled The Bluestone Series, named after a small quarry on Rowan’s property where bluestone was mined a century ago. The Bluestone works are natural clay forms fired to yield an amazing range of colors, due to iron and other minerals in the clay combined with judicious application of glazes. Their forms appear less intentional, more delicate and perhaps even more engaging. In these works, the degradative process appears complete - There are no more recognizable man-made forms, only fantastic shapes of eroded rock formations, layers of clay stacked on top of one another like so many generations of human history forgotten. That, perhaps, is the message of this body of work.

 

Click on images to view selected pieces

Inquiry/order: director@touchingstone.com, see Inquiry/Order

 


 
Tim Rowan Show at Touching Stone Gallery 2011 Tim Rowan Show at Touching Stone Gallery 2011
 

  Tim Rowan Artifact no.1

"Artifact No.1"
Wood-fired ceramic sculpture  18" x 16" x 16"h
Sold

Tim Rowan Artifact No.2 

"Artifact No.2"
Wood-fired ceramic sculpture  22" x 13" x 13"h
Sold

Tim Rowan Artifact No.3 

"Artifact No.3"
Wood-fired ceramic sculpture  18" x 12" x 15"h
Sold via Arizona State University Museum auction, courtesy Touching Stone Gallery

Tim Rowan Artifact 4aTim Rowan Artifact 4b

"Artifact No.4"
Wood-fired ceramic box  7" x 7" x 8"h  (2 views)
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Tim Rowan Artifact 4aTim Rowan Artifact 4b

"Artifact No.5"
Wood-fired ceramic box  6" x 6" x 11"h  (2 views)
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Tim Rowan Artifact 6bTim Rowan Artifact 6a

"Artifact No.6"
Wood-fired ceramic box  11" x 6.5" x 9.5"h  (2 views)
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Tim Rowan Artifact 7bTim Rowan Artifact 7a

"Artifact No.7"
Wood-fired ceramic box  8" x 6" x 7.5"h  (2 views)
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Tim Rowan Artifact 8aTim Rowan Artifact 8b

"Artifact No.8"
Wood-fired ceramic box  8" x 6" x 10"h  (2 views)
   Sold



Tim Rowan Artifact 9bTim Rowan Artifact 9a

"Artifact No.9"
Wood-fired ceramic box  7" x 6" x 10"h  (2 views)
Sold


Tim Rowan Mystery No.1bTim Rowan Mystery No.1a
"Mystery No.1"
Wood-fired ceramic & wire sculpture  9" x 8" x 9"h  (2 views)
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Tim Rowan Mystery No.2bTim Rowan Mystery No.2a
"Mystery No.2"
Wood-fired ceramic & wire sculpture  8" x 7" x 8"h  (2 views)



Tim Rowan Mystery No.3bTim Rowan Mystery No.3a
"Mystery No.3"
Wood-fired ceramic & wire sculpture  7" x 6" x 6"h  (2 views)





 Tim Rowan Mystery No.4bTim Rowan Mystery No.4a
"Mystery No.4"
Wood-fired ceramic & wire sculpture  7" x 5" x 5"h  (2 views)

Sold


Tim Rowan Mystery No.5bTim Rowan Mystery No.5a 
"Mystery No.5"
Wood-fired ceramic & wire sculpture  6" x 5" x 5"h  (2 views)

Sold


Tim Rowan Mystery No.6bTim Rowan Mystery No.6a
"Mystery No.6"
Wood-fired ceramic & wire sculpture  6" x 6" x 5"h  (2 views)

Sold

 
Tim Rowan Bluestone No.1aTim Rowan Bluestone No.1b
"Bluestone No.1"
Wood-fired ceramic sculpture (steel base)  13" x 4" x 8.5"h  (2 views)
   



Tim Rowan Bluestone No.2bTim Rowan Bluestone No.2a
"Bluestone No.2"
Ceramic sculpture (steel base)  8.5" x 5" x 5"h  (2 views)

   



Tim Rowan Bluestone No.3bTim Rowan Bluestone No.3a
"Bluestone No.3"
Wood-fired ceramic sculpture (steel base)  4.5" x 4.5" x 6"h  (2 views)




 
 Tim Rowan Bluestone No.4bTim Rowan Bluestone No.4a
"Bluestone No.4"
Wood-fired ceramic sculpture (steel base)  3.5" x 3" x 6.5"h  (2 views)

Sold



 
 Tim Rowan Bluestone No.5aTim Rowan Bluestone No.5b
"Bluestone No.5"
Wood-fired ceramic sculpture (steel base)  18" x 7" x 4"h  (2 views)



 
Tim Rowan Bluestone No.6aTim Rowan Bluestone No.6b
"Bluestone No.6"
Ceramic sculpture (free standing)  8" x 6" x 4.5"h  (2 views)

   

Tim Rowan Bluestone No.7bTim Rowan Bluestone No.7a
"Bluestone No.7"
Wood-fired ceramic sculpture (free standing)  5.5" x 3.5" x 2"h  (2 views)

Tim Rowan Bluestone 8a Tim Rowan Bluestone 8b
"Bluestone No.8"
Ceramic sculpture (free standing)  9" x 4" x 8"h  (2 views)
Sold
Tim Rowan Bluestone 9bTim Rowan Bluestone 9a
"Bluestone No.9"
Ceramic sculpture (steel base)  7" x 4" x 6"h  (2 views)
EDUCATION 
1999 M.F.A., The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
1992-1994 Apprenticeship, Ryuichi Kakurezaki, Bizen, Japan
1992 B.F.A., State University of New York, New Paltz, NY 
EXHIBITIONS
2010   GENERATION CROSSROAD, Tenmaya, Okayama, Japan
          CONTAINED EXCITEMENT, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
          CROSS CURRENTS OF 20th CENTURY ART, Currier Museum, Manchester, NH
          SOFA, Lacoste Gallery, New York, NY
          ILLUMINATION, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington, NY
          MADE IN CLAY, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
          SCULPTURE GARDEN, John Davis Gallery, Hudson, NY
          ON EARTH, Rockland Center for the Arts, West Nyack, NY
          30x5, Akar Gallery, Iowa City, IA
2009   STONE RIDGE ALCHEMY, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
          OUTDOOR SCULPTURE, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
          GALLERY ALL-STARS, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
          STEPPING OUT(Outdoor Sculpture), Ulster County Community College, Stone Ridge, NY
          CURRENT WITHIN, Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY
          YUNOMI INVITATIONAL, Akar Gallery, Iowa City, IA
          ABSTRACTION, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
          MADE IN CLAY, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
          UNDER COVER, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY
          SOFA, Lacoste Gallery, New York, NY
          SOFA, Lacote Gallery, Chicago, IL
2008   CERAMIC SCULPTURE- SOLO EXHIBITION, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
          SEVEN ORIGINAL VOICES, LUX Center for the Arts, Lincoln, NE
          TRANSFORMATIONS 6X6, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY
          SPACIAL MEDITATIONS, Mariani Gardens, Armonk, NY
          JAPANESE THREADS, Morgan Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
          YUNOMI INVITATIONAL, Akar Gallery, Iowa City, IA
          PRESENT AND PAST, Nevica Project, Chicago, IL
          POTTERY INVITATIONAL, Old Church Cultural Center, Demarest, NJ
          CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN SCULPTURE, Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula, MT
          ANNUAL CERAMICS EXHIBITION, Crossman Gallery, University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, WI
          MADE IN CLAY, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
          CERAMIC SCULPTURE INVITATIONAL, Abercrombie Gallery, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA
          SOFA, Lacoste Gallery, New York, NY
          GARDENS AND PORTALS, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
2007   NEW WORK- SOLO EXHIBITION, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
          FIRE AND ASH, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
          REPSHER AND ROWAN, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
          MARK OF FIRE, Baltimore Clay Works, Baltimore, MD
          MADE IN CLAY, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
          TIM ROWAN CERAMICS, Art Sites, Riverhead, NY
          THE NEW AESTHETICS OF CERAMICS, Huntington University, Huntington, IN
          CLAY-WOOD-FIRE, Chemeketa Community College, Salem, OR
          SOFA, Lacoste Gallery, New York, NY
          YUNOMI INVITATIONAL, Akar Gallery, Iowa City, IA
          TABLETOPS, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences, Loveladies, NJ
          UNADORNED, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
2006   THE SIMPLE CUP, Kobo, Seattle, WA
          NEW YORK CERAMICS FAIR, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
          EARTHENWARE, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
          MY FRIENDS: THEIR VISION, Weber Fine Art, Greenwich, CT
          SOFA, Lacoste Gallery, Chicago, IL
          SOFA, Lacoste Gallery, New York, NY
          ARCHITECTURAL ECHOES IN CLAY, The Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design, Hendersonville, NC
          FIRE/ASH/SMOKE, Adrian College, Adrian, MI 
          THE FIRE THIS TIME, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
          TEA BOWL INVITATIONAL, Hardman Hall Gallery, Mercer University, GA
          GENERATIONAL CROSSROADS, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA 
          LA MESA, Sante Fe Clay, Portland, OR
2005   AT THE BRAY, Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR
          MINIMAL/IST, Archer Gallery, Clark College, Vancouver, WA
          NCECA 2006, Art Stream Nomadic Gallery, Portland, OR
2005   TIM ROWAN SOLO EXHIBITION, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
          JAPAN/USA, Sante Fe Clay, Sante Fe, NM
          VOICES IN CERAMICS, Yager Museum, Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY
          30 X 5, Akar Gallery, Iowa City, IA
          UNEARTHED, Catskill Mountain Foundation, Hunter, NY
          PLATTERS AND PLATES, Chester Springs Studio, Chester Springs, PA
          COMING HOME, Stancills Clay, Perryville, MD
          VANITAS: TRANSIENT TREASURES, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
          13 + 1, Works Gallery, Philedelphia, PA
          CUPS, CUPS, CUPS, Sante Fe Clay, Sante Fe, NM
          CLAY, Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, New Orleans, LA
          SOFA, Lacoste Gallery, New York, NY 
          TIM ROWAN ABSTRACT VESSELS, Catonsville Community College, Baltimore, MD
          PORCELAIN IN THE ANAGAMA, Merideth Gallery, Baltimore, MD
          CULTURING SURFACES, Homewood House Museum, Baltimore, MD
          BOX, Sante Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
2004   FOUR AMERICAN ARTISTS, Judith Dowling Asian Art, Boston, MA
          RAW, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
          NAKED TRUTH, Sinclair Gallery, Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA
          POTTERY INVITATIONAL, Old Church Cultural Center, Demarest, NJ
          THE BEAUTY OF USEFULNESS, Gallery on the Green, Shelburne, VT
          POTTERS GOLD, Belskie Museum, Closter, NJ
          ANAGAMA FIRED, Trax Gallery, Berkeley, CA
          4th GENERATION, Hunter College Art Gallery, New York, NY
          UNEARTHED, McGowen Fine Art, Concord, NH
          POTTERY INVITATIONAL, Worcester Center for Crafts, Worcester, MA
          THE FIRE WITHIN, Seton Gallery, University of New Haven, New Haven, CT
          SOFA, Lacoste Gallery, New York, NY
2003   POTTERY INVITATIONAL, Old Church Cultural Center, Demarest, NJ
          VESSELS, Bachelier-Cardonsky Gallery, Kent, CT
          CLAY AND GLASS, Atrium Gallery, Corning Community College, Corning, NY
          INTERNATIONAL TEA BOWL EXHIBITION, NAU Art Museum, Flagstaff, AZ
          PASSIONATE FIRE, Germaine Keller Gallery, Garrison, NY
          RECENT CERAMICS, Akar Gallery, Iowa City, IA
          ABSTRACTIONS IN CLAY, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
          NCECA CLAY NATIONAL, David Zafp Gallery, San Diego, CA
2002   HUDSON VALLEY POTTERY, The Byrne Gallery, Middleburg, VA
          POTTERY INVITATIONAL, Old Church Cultural Center, Demarest, NJ
          PASSIONATE FIRE, Germaine Keller Gallery, Garrison, NY
          FEATURED ARTIST, Albert Shahinian Fine Art, Poughkeepsie, NY
          FACES OF FIRE , Vermont Clay Studio, Waterbury Center, VT
2001   ASHES TO ART, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA
          25 SELECT 25, Lill Street Gallery, Chicago, IL
          ABSTRACTIONS, Art Sites, Greenport, NY
          INAUGURAL FIRING, Solo exhibition, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY
2000   NATURAL MATERIALS, University Art Gallery, Central Michigan University
          BEYOND THE BODY: ARCHITECTURAL CERAMICS, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
1999   WOODFIRED NATIONAL, Studiolo, Iowa City, IA
          SERENDIPITY: THE MAGIC OF WOODFIRED CERAMICS, Lill Street Gallery, Chicago, IL
          NATIONAL CRAFTS 1999, Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA 
1998   STRICTLY FUNCTIONAL POTTERY NATIONAL EXHIBITION, Market House Craft Center, Ephrata, PA
          DOMESTIC POTTERY, The Hand and the Spirit, Scottsdale, AZ 
1997   CERAMICS USA, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
          DOMESTIC POTTERY, Group Invitational, Joanne Rapp Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
          USA CRAFT TODAY 97, Silvermine Guild Gallery, New Canaan, CT
          NEW WORK, Two Person Exhibition, Klay Gallery, Nyack, NY
          ALUMNI ART 1997, College Art Gallery, New Paltz, NY
          FEATURED ARTIST, Gallery Szent-Gyorgi, Falmouth, MA
          RESIDENT SHOW, Pewabic Pottery Gallery, Detroit, MI 
1996   A TOAST TO LIFE, Gallery Dai Ichi Arts, New York, NY
          CRAFT ARTIST EXHIBITION, Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY
1995   CRAFTS NATIONAL 29, Zoller Gallery, University Park, PA
          FEATS OF CLAY, Merit Award, Lincoln Arts, Lincoln, CA
          STRICTLY FUNCTIONAL POTTERY NATIONAL EXHIBITION, Honorable Mention,
          Market House Craft Center, Lancaster, PA
PUBLICATIONS
2010   Ceramics Monthly, Working Sculptors, January
          The New York Times, 18 Very Different Pieces of Clay, October 24
2009   500 Ceramic Sculptures, Lark Books
          Ceramics Art and Perception, Patience and Surprise by Scott Norris, No.77
2006   Tojiro, Volume 48
          The Studio Potter, Using Local Clay, Volume 34 Number 2
          Ceramics Art and Perception, Generational Crossroads, No.63
2005   Ceramics Art and Perception, 
          High-Fire Glazes, John Britt, Lark Books, NY, NY
2004   American Craft, Portfolio, Oct/Nov
2003   The New York Times, Passionate Fire 2003, December 7
          Ceramics Art and Perception, Passionate Fire, No.53
          Ceramics Monthly, Woodfiring in the Hudson Valley, September
          Ceramics Technical, Passionate Fire, No.16
2002   Kerameiki Techni, The New Generation of Ceramic Artist, No. 41
          Clay Times, Gallery, July/August
          Ceramics Monthly, Tim Rowan, February, Volume 50
          Ceramics Art and Perception, Tim Rowan a Potter Taking a Stand, No.47
1997   Clay Times, Gallery, Summer
          Ceramics Monthly, 'Up Front', November, Vol. 45