Visual Artist: sculptor, painter
Contact Info:
Blossoming
http://RuthWatersSculptor.com
Peninsula Museum of Art
1777 California Drive
Burlingame, CA 94010
650-692-2101
Biography
Fifty-nine years in sculpture and thirty-eight years in arts administration have come together for Ruth Waters, founder and executive director of the Peninsula Museum of Art, now located in Burlingame and serving the Greater Bay Area. A Seattle native, Waters graduated from Stanford University in 1955 and started working in hardwoods in 1957 (her mediums now include bronze, marble, constructed room-size sculpture, and painting). Founder and director of the 1870 Art Center in Belmont (1977 – 2012), she was also founder of the Peninsula Chapter of Women’s Caucus for Art, co-founder of the Peninsula Sculptors’ Guild, and co-founder of the Peninsula Arts Council.
Community
Artist Statement
Exploring the human condition – how we relate to ourselves and to others – has been the major focus of my work for more than 50 years, and will no doubt continue to absorb me. The possibilities for visual commentary on existence and relationships are infinite, not only in subjective content but in the range of stylistic interpretation.
I sculpt primarily in the classic subtractive mode, using mallet (or maul) on hardwood logs and blocks of marble. Bronzes are cast from molds taken of wood pieces (editions are limited do 10). Large works, usually constructed of redwood timbers to create enclosures which incorporate carved marble, invite the viewer to walk inside the sculpture.
By and large, my sculptures are commentaries on humanity, observations of individuals, and reflections on universal truths. The paintings, on the other hand, are very personal and specific.
My paintings are subtle, atmospheric, concerned with reflection and refraction. The iridescent and interference pigments are applied to polycarbonate, aluminum, or steel sheets with brush, airbrush, and other techniques. The finished paintings are mounted on glossy black Plexiglas, curving out into space, shifting and shimmering as the viewing angle or light changes.
As a long-distance runner for many years (16 marathons completed, for instance) and tennis player, the feel of the atmosphere we live in is intimately experienced and remembered. Hot sun, cold wind, driving rain – all the sensations are remembered then translated into color and texture.
Whether sculpting or painting, I invite the viewer into my world.
Ruth von Jahnke Waters
Career Highlights:
Exhibitions in New York, San Francisco, Michigan, Washington D.C., Virginia, British Columbia, Ireland, China, and throughout Northern California; numerous awards; private, corporate, and public collections.
Copyright Ruth Waters, 2003
