1st Place Group Art 20 x 17
CREATIVE FORCES
Jim Anderson
Kenneth Bicha
Sean Connolly
Mark Lubich
Boyd Raub
Nancyjean Tripp
Statement
“CREATIVE FORCES” is a group of six Veteran artists each with their own specialty. We wanted to create something that captured the wonder and imagination of the Pacific Northwest (PNW).
Inspired partly by Jules Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” our hero, the Giant Pacific Octopus, makes its home amid the collapsed ruins of the 1940 Galloping Gertie underneath the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. There, it protects Orcas and other native animals of the Puget Sound against unwanted visitors.
Jim Anderson’s design incorporated each of the artists’ individual specialties, forcing them to work outside of their comfort zones to create their individual components. Boyd Raub’s steel Metalwork provided the skeletal structure and framework for the tentacle. Nancyjean Tripp’s Original Design in Needlework mermaid and fabric Collage inside the frame depicts PNW imagery important to our subject, fueling its motivation. Sean Connelly’s Leather Stamping, Leather Carving/Tooling and Acrylic Painting brings the tentacle to life giving it flesh and a storied-character. Mark Lubich’s hot-sculpted Glasswork adds optical-dimension to the action. Jim Anderson’s Woodwork, Glasswork and Assemblage provided the fumed-oak foundation through which our hero erupts onto-scene. Kenneth Bicha’s assistance in all phases ensured this team of CREATIVE FORCES stayed on-mission!