steve.wiggins@gmail.com
555555555
Artist Statement
At one point or another in our lives we ask, “Is there something more to life?” We can easily fill our lives with things that will ease the pain of routine, that will balance us temporarily or we can choose to find something that can satisfy our spirit eternally. In my artwork, I answer the question of the pursuit to find something greater in life with the answer I have found through my savior Jesus Christ. That answer is the driving theme in all of my artwork. It is my quest in life to be on an adventure of the soul that will leave me, the adventurer, more satisfied than I could ever possibly imagine. My art explores spiritual themes and concepts in an abstract form and how my feelings and reactions are translated through visual interpretation. I have been through a very rough time the last few years of my life and I believe that by telling my story through my artwork, I can help others understand how Christ can really change your life. The house I grew up in is next door to a number of roosters and these birds would make so much noise that it would be very difficult to sleep or even concentrate sometimes. After much complaining, as well as tossing and turning, I was able make my sleepless nights into a series of paintings. Not being satisfied with just one medium of expression I also discovered a passion for the silk-screen and lithographic printmaking processes.
Artist Biography
Stephen Wiggins grew up in Lexington, Kentucky where, according to his mom, he started drawing from the tender young age of two and hasn’t stopped since. He attended art classes in the summer of his first grade at the University of Kentucky, as well as classes at the Living Arts and Science center throughout middle school. He was accepted into the School for Creative and Performing Arts in 1995, where the focus of his studies was mainly drawing, pottery, mixed media and painting and upon graduating, attended Berea College and chose Visual Arts program as his major. After transferring to the University of Kentucky in the fall of 2002 he continued with his art studies mainly focusing on printmaking in the forms of stone lithography and silkscreen. In 2004 Stephen took a class in Mixed Media taught by Arturo Sandoval. One of the visiting professors inspired him to explore the use of staples as pencil lines in drawing compositions. This began an obsession to staple many things from that point on. He graduated in 2005 with his BA show and has continued to show his work in and around the Central Kentucky area. He was accepted into the Bluegrass Printmaker’s Cooperative in 2006 where he focused mainly on linocut and monotype printmaking skills. In the meantime he has done commissioned work for Christian Student Fellowship at the University of Kentucky, Southland Christian Church, Children’s Cancer Association in Portland, Oregon and the Not for sale organization also in Portland. Stephen continues to produce and show his artwork wherever people allow him and believes that art is his passion and a way to express himself. The materials he chooses to use and the way he uses them is a way of processing his own painful experiences and transforming them into ones that he can learn from and to grow.
STEPHEN WIGGINS ARTIST RESUME
EDUCATION
2002-2005 University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, BA in Studio Art
1999-2002 Berea College, Berea, Kentucky
EXHIBITIONS
2011 Solo The Haley Prevatt Law Office Art of Giving Charity Art Show, Lexington, KY
2011 Solo Stephen Wiggins Exhibition Haley Prevatt Law Office, Lexington, KY
2010 Group Upstream People Online Gallery, Online Exhibition
2010 Group Artists of Putting-It-All-Together: Collage, Montage, and Assemblage,Long Island, New York
2010 Group And White Was The Night Traveling Exhibition Thomas More College, Kentucky USA/Helsinki, Finland
2009 Group Last Thursday Alberta Street Art Fair, NE Alberta Street, Portland, Oregon
2009 Group Local Lounge Group Exhibition Portland, Oregon
2009 Group Gresham City Hall Kaleidoscope Prospectus, Gresham, Oregon
2009 Group Sherwood YMCA Annual Art Show, Sherwood, Oregon
2009 Group Sip ''n'' Cranz Not for Sale Event, Portland, Oregon
2009 Group Imago Dei Loft 'Touch' Exhibition, Portland, Oregon
2008 Group Alberta Street Last Thursday Art Fair, Portland, Orego
2008 Group Visual Thoughts in Motion, Common Grounds Coffee House, Lexington, Kentucky
2008 Group Bluegrass Printmaker's Co-op Group Show, Lexington, Kentucky
2008 Group Dreams Group Exhibition, Kentucky Theater, Lexington, Kentucky
2008 Group WRFL 20th Anniversary DJ Exhibition, Isle of You, Lexington, Kentucky
2007 Solo Ground Effects Coffee House Show, Berea, Kentucky
2007 Group 13 Painters Group Show, Berea ArtSpace, Berea, Kentucky
2007 Group Bluegrass Printmaker's Co-op Group Show, Artsplace, Lexington, Kentucky
2006 Group Buy Art Market, Downtown Arts Center, Lexington, Kentucky
2006 Group WRFL 88.1 Thru the Vibe Event, Artsplace, Lexington, Kentucky
2006 Solo Central Christian Church Show, Lexington, Kentucky
2006 Solo Ivos Salon/Gallery, Lexington, Kentucky
2006 Group Work For Zirk Benefit Event, Ice House, Lexington, Kentucky
2006 Solo An Object in Motion, Common Ground Coffee House, Lexington, Kentucky
2005 Group Impressions, Expressions and Imitations, Barnhart Gallery, Lexington, Kentucky
2005 Group University of Kentucky Minority Student Affairs Exhibition, University of Kentucky Campus, Lexington, Kentucky
2003 Group Dynamic Doors, Portals to Creativity Project, Lexington Arts and Cultural Council, Lexington, Kentucky
2003 Group Carey Ellis Juried Student Exhibition Barnhart Gallery,
Lexington, Kentucky
2003 Group Kentucky Inn, Static V. 3.0 dance event, Lexington, KY
PUBLICATIONS
2010 Visual Thoughts on Paper and Canvas-Artist Portfolio Book- Published by Blurb books
2006 June 8th issue of the Kentucky Kernel- Lexington, Kentucky
2005 Local University of Kentucky art dept. museum publication
2003 Dynamic Doors Artist catalogue book
LIVE PAINTING GIGS
2010 Southland Christian Church, painted live on stage during the Jesus Prom event, KY derby themed
2007 Southland Christian Church, painted live on stage during the Jesus Prom event entitled, Lost and Found
2005 Christian Student Fellowship, painted live on stage during the sermon,
"God as King" during the Synergy worship service
ARTWORK DONATED
2011 Created flyer for the Refuge Medical Clinic art event
2011 Created rain barrel to benefit Bluegrass Pride
2009 Boobalooza, donated prints for an event that promotes breast cancer awareness, Lexington, Kentucky
2009 Not For Sale painting for an organization that promotes human trafficking awareness, Portland, Oregon
2008 Children's Cancer Association, donated painting to be auctioned, "Magic Carpet Ride" theme, Portland, Oregon
2008 Community Action Council called “Artists Stand Against Poverty”, Lexington, Kentucky
2007 Dance for the Haitian Nation Event, print donated to raise funds for missionaries in Haiti
At one point or another in our lives we ask, “Is there something more to life?” We can easily fill our lives with things that will ease the pain of routine, that will balance us temporarily or we can choose to find something that can satisfy our spirit eternally. In my artwork, I answer the question of the pursuit to find something greater in life with the answer I have found through my savior Jesus Christ. That answer is the driving theme in all of my artwork. It is my quest in life to be on an adventure of the soul that will leave me, the adventurer, more satisfied than I could ever possibly imagine. My art explores spiritual themes and concepts in an abstract form and how my feelings and reactions are translated through visual interpretation. I have been through a very rough time the last few years of my life and I believe that by telling my story through my artwork, I can help others understand how Christ can really change your life. The house I grew up in is next door to a number of roosters and these birds would make so much noise that it would be very difficult to sleep or even concentrate sometimes. After much complaining, as well as tossing and turning, I was able make my sleepless nights into a series of paintings. Not being satisfied with just one medium of expression I also discovered a passion for the silk-screen and lithographic printmaking processes.
Artist Biography
Stephen Wiggins grew up in Lexington, Kentucky where, according to his mom, he started drawing from the tender young age of two and hasn’t stopped since. He attended art classes in the summer of his first grade at the University of Kentucky, as well as classes at the Living Arts and Science center throughout middle school. He was accepted into the School for Creative and Performing Arts in 1995, where the focus of his studies was mainly drawing, pottery, mixed media and painting and upon graduating, attended Berea College and chose Visual Arts program as his major. After transferring to the University of Kentucky in the fall of 2002 he continued with his art studies mainly focusing on printmaking in the forms of stone lithography and silkscreen. In 2004 Stephen took a class in Mixed Media taught by Arturo Sandoval. One of the visiting professors inspired him to explore the use of staples as pencil lines in drawing compositions. This began an obsession to staple many things from that point on. He graduated in 2005 with his BA show and has continued to show his work in and around the Central Kentucky area. He was accepted into the Bluegrass Printmaker’s Cooperative in 2006 where he focused mainly on linocut and monotype printmaking skills. In the meantime he has done commissioned work for Christian Student Fellowship at the University of Kentucky, Southland Christian Church, Children’s Cancer Association in Portland, Oregon and the Not for sale organization also in Portland. Stephen continues to produce and show his artwork wherever people allow him and believes that art is his passion and a way to express himself. The materials he chooses to use and the way he uses them is a way of processing his own painful experiences and transforming them into ones that he can learn from and to grow.
STEPHEN WIGGINS ARTIST RESUME
EDUCATION
2002-2005 University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, BA in Studio Art
1999-2002 Berea College, Berea, Kentucky
EXHIBITIONS
2011 Solo The Haley Prevatt Law Office Art of Giving Charity Art Show, Lexington, KY
2011 Solo Stephen Wiggins Exhibition Haley Prevatt Law Office, Lexington, KY
2010 Group Upstream People Online Gallery, Online Exhibition
2010 Group Artists of Putting-It-All-Together: Collage, Montage, and Assemblage,Long Island, New York
2010 Group And White Was The Night Traveling Exhibition Thomas More College, Kentucky USA/Helsinki, Finland
2009 Group Last Thursday Alberta Street Art Fair, NE Alberta Street, Portland, Oregon
2009 Group Local Lounge Group Exhibition Portland, Oregon
2009 Group Gresham City Hall Kaleidoscope Prospectus, Gresham, Oregon
2009 Group Sherwood YMCA Annual Art Show, Sherwood, Oregon
2009 Group Sip ''n'' Cranz Not for Sale Event, Portland, Oregon
2009 Group Imago Dei Loft 'Touch' Exhibition, Portland, Oregon
2008 Group Alberta Street Last Thursday Art Fair, Portland, Orego
2008 Group Visual Thoughts in Motion, Common Grounds Coffee House, Lexington, Kentucky
2008 Group Bluegrass Printmaker's Co-op Group Show, Lexington, Kentucky
2008 Group Dreams Group Exhibition, Kentucky Theater, Lexington, Kentucky
2008 Group WRFL 20th Anniversary DJ Exhibition, Isle of You, Lexington, Kentucky
2007 Solo Ground Effects Coffee House Show, Berea, Kentucky
2007 Group 13 Painters Group Show, Berea ArtSpace, Berea, Kentucky
2007 Group Bluegrass Printmaker's Co-op Group Show, Artsplace, Lexington, Kentucky
2006 Group Buy Art Market, Downtown Arts Center, Lexington, Kentucky
2006 Group WRFL 88.1 Thru the Vibe Event, Artsplace, Lexington, Kentucky
2006 Solo Central Christian Church Show, Lexington, Kentucky
2006 Solo Ivos Salon/Gallery, Lexington, Kentucky
2006 Group Work For Zirk Benefit Event, Ice House, Lexington, Kentucky
2006 Solo An Object in Motion, Common Ground Coffee House, Lexington, Kentucky
2005 Group Impressions, Expressions and Imitations, Barnhart Gallery, Lexington, Kentucky
2005 Group University of Kentucky Minority Student Affairs Exhibition, University of Kentucky Campus, Lexington, Kentucky
2003 Group Dynamic Doors, Portals to Creativity Project, Lexington Arts and Cultural Council, Lexington, Kentucky
2003 Group Carey Ellis Juried Student Exhibition Barnhart Gallery,
Lexington, Kentucky
2003 Group Kentucky Inn, Static V. 3.0 dance event, Lexington, KY
PUBLICATIONS
2010 Visual Thoughts on Paper and Canvas-Artist Portfolio Book- Published by Blurb books
2006 June 8th issue of the Kentucky Kernel- Lexington, Kentucky
2005 Local University of Kentucky art dept. museum publication
2003 Dynamic Doors Artist catalogue book
LIVE PAINTING GIGS
2010 Southland Christian Church, painted live on stage during the Jesus Prom event, KY derby themed
2007 Southland Christian Church, painted live on stage during the Jesus Prom event entitled, Lost and Found
2005 Christian Student Fellowship, painted live on stage during the sermon,
"God as King" during the Synergy worship service
ARTWORK DONATED
2011 Created flyer for the Refuge Medical Clinic art event
2011 Created rain barrel to benefit Bluegrass Pride
2009 Boobalooza, donated prints for an event that promotes breast cancer awareness, Lexington, Kentucky
2009 Not For Sale painting for an organization that promotes human trafficking awareness, Portland, Oregon
2008 Children's Cancer Association, donated painting to be auctioned, "Magic Carpet Ride" theme, Portland, Oregon
2008 Community Action Council called “Artists Stand Against Poverty”, Lexington, Kentucky
2007 Dance for the Haitian Nation Event, print donated to raise funds for missionaries in Haiti