kuofink

Tom Fink:
Bio Statement: B.A in Communications with an emphasis in Broadcasting from Evangel College, Springfield, MO. I have been a graphic designer/art director/ freelance artist for various design studios, advertising agencies, organizations and magazines in the mid-west, southern California and Maryland. Clients/Organizations include: Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, Charles E. Fuller Institute, Injoy and Youthwalk Magazine. Actor and director: Creative Arts Institute in Hollywood, CA Club Affiliations include: Baltimore Bonsai Club, Maryland Orchid Society and the Maryland Natural History Society

Artist Statement: I love to grow things. I still get the excited anticipation of a child on Christmas Eve when a seed I ordered from a distant land germinates under my care. It seems magical, like a mystery unfolding. Over the years I have grown, or tried to grow, plants from around the world. As a lover of horticulture and the visual arts, bonsai is the perfect cocktail; living art with a twist, that subtle mix of art and science. Quite simply, bonsai is a lot of fun. That's why I do it. Having my trees chosen to be in this particular show is, quite frankly, a great honor. Not only do I believe this show to be visionary, I believe it will be the start of a new artistic expression of bonsai. Communicative - not esoteric, a brand new cocktail, as it were - One hundred proof and definitely intoxicating.

Yih-Wen Kuo + Tom Fink
Yih-Wen Kuo Bio Statement: Born in Taiwan, Yih-Wen Kuo began his studies at the National Taiwan Normal University, where he received his BEd. His MFA is from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and he is currently on the faculty of Northern Illinois University. He has participated in several international symposiums including in Lithuania, Czech Republic, Taiwan and Korea. He has also done research in China and Japan. A former Franklin Mint Fellowship at The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, he has also received fellowships from Illinois Arts Council and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. His works in public collections include Everson Museum of Art, Philbrook Museum of Art, Wustum Museum of Fine Art, Taiwan Museum of Arts, etc. Artist Statement: In May of 2001, I enthusiastically accepted the challenge to create a sculptural container for the Bonsai InSites exhibition at Baltimore Clayworks. Since I mostly work with sculpture in my ceramics, I found it was a challenge for me to create a functional container for bonsai, which has its own long tradition and requirements. To create a container in my own sculptural style became a further challenge. I am glad that I have had this opportunity to understand bonsai better and finally finish a piece for the show. I know this piece is only the beginning of a new adventure.
		Click here for a detail of the image above. Untitled clay with glaze 20 l x 7w x 11h 2002 Bonsai Tree Information: Botanical Name: Chamaecyparis obtusa 'nana gracilis' Common Name: Dwarf Hinoki Cypress Style: Informal Upright, Mame Estimated Age: 6yrs Time in training: 4yrs
		Tom Fink: Bio Statement: B.A in Communications with an emphasis in Broadcasting from Evangel College, Springfield, MO. I have been a graphic designer/art director/ freelance artist for various design studios, advertising agencies, organizations and magazines in the mid-west, southern California and Maryland. Clients/Organizations include: Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, Charles E. Fuller Institute, Injoy and Youthwalk Magazine. Actor and director: Creative Arts Institute in Hollywood, CA Club Affiliations include: Baltimore Bonsai Club, Maryland Orchid Society and the Maryland Natural History Society Artist Statement: I love to grow things. I still get the excited anticipation of a child on Christmas Eve when a seed I ordered from a distant land germinates under my care. It seems magical, like a mystery unfolding. Over the years I have grown, or tried to grow, plants from around the world. As a lover of horticulture and the visual arts, bonsai is the perfect cocktail; living art with a twist, that subtle mix of art and science. Quite simply, bonsai is a lot of fun. That's why I do it. Having my trees chosen to be in this particular show is, quite frankly, a great honor. Not only do I believe this show to be visionary, I believe it will be the start of a new artistic expression of bonsai. Communicative - not esoteric, a brand new cocktail, as it were - One hundred proof and definitely intoxicating.

Yih-Wen Kuo + Tom Fink