Janis Anton "Corn Flowers in Moonlight" 8x10
Thirty years ago I came to Oakland from Memphis, from working in a small pottery studio in Eads. In the beginning I struggled with the wheel and the clay , until my teacher asked "Do you know why we center the Clay? We center the clay to center ourselves." I breathed in as I fell in love with the clay and fire. When the physicality of clay arts became more than my body managed I began painting finding, the same joy in that process. I was gifted with an art education at CCa where I learned art history, drawing ,and painting. I learned to see In this wellspring of creativity and critique. I continue to make art to both center my life and reach for connection with "the viewer".
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I am a visual artist focusing on Mokulito printmaking. I am attracted to the materials and the process. Unlike most print making, the goal of Mokulito is not to produce identical pieces, a Mokulito plate will produce about 5 prints, each different; and it's traditional to discard the first print. Each remaining print is slightly different ; the "glow" around the inked areas, the emergence of uninked lines in the wood plate, as well as the color contrast and saturation. This balance of mystery and mastery is the exciting part of the process. I am searching for transformations and interconnections, in both the process and the subject matter.
