Santa Rosa Junior College

Steven Allen, Art Train (Homage to Jun Kaneko)
glazed ceramic, 4" x 7" x 43" 2009

Artist Statement

Jun Kaneko is an artist that greatly inspires and influences my work. I had the honor of meeting him in Pittsburgh Kansas at the unveiling of his monolithic Dangos at the Mission Clay factory in 2007. Jun gave me a copy of his book that has an in depth survey of his work including photos from his Omaha Project and Freemont Project. In both cases, large semi-trucks were used to haul his enormous pieces back to his studio or to galleries. The images of his three large Dangos strapped down on the back of the truck are an impressive sight that just makes me smile. I began a series of train pieces and thought seeing large-scale artwork hauled on a freight train would be just as exciting.

Teaching Philosophy

When my students are looking for inspiration, I tell them to look at the work of artists they like and ask themselves, “What is it that attracts you to it?” Once they have that understanding, I then ask them to think about what they know, what they are familiar with and what’s on their mind. Combining the inspiration from another artist with their own experiences is a sure way to get the creative juices flowing.

Web site: www.sfclay.com

FACULTY SHOW 2009: Recent Work by SRJC Faculty

Artist Statement

Teaching Philosophy