“I'm an Artist and Graphic Designer in Alaska. I use tiny chisels to hand carve intricate designs into painted wood panels, with a focus on conveying movement and depth with negative space and a limited color palette.”
ARTIST STATEMENT:
I use miniature chisels (really, they’re tiny!) to carve intricate designs into painted wood panels by hand. I now work almost exclusively ambidextrously, with my right hand wielding the v-tool, and my left the u-gouge.
For me, creating isn’t always about the subject matter so much as the process. I strive to push the boundaries of my medium, using negative space, and each permanent cut of the chisel to bring life and movement to my work. Each panel has its own unique character that gives depth and meaning to a piece that might otherwise feel static with such a limited palette, the grain and texture of the wood adding to the narrative and shaping each irreversible mark.
My appreciation of old leather-bound books, my background in graphic design, and my experience as a fine artist, all combine to create pieces that, I hope, invoke a sense of narrative: that somewhat elusive sense that each piece has a story, each landscape a past, and each character a future.
ARTIST BIO:
M’fanwy Dean is an artist and woodcarver in Homer, Alaska.
In 2015 she developed and refined her wood relief carving technique and has since seen her work published in an international juried art annual five years running, and featured in museum and gallery exhibitions across the country.
In spring 2018, a nerve in her right hand was injured. Rather than quitting she turned to training her left hand to write, sketch, paint, and eventually carve. She now works almost exclusively ambidextrously. With her recent ambidextrous pieces “What Lurks Beneath” being featured at the Mazza Museum’s “Enchanted Brush Exhibition: Creatures Most Curious” invitational in Findlay, Ohio, and “The White Whale” being selected for inclusion in “Infected by Art vol.9”.
She continues to stay dedicated to creating new work, and working tirelessly on improving her technique with each hand.
JURIED ANNUALS/ PUBLICATIONS:
Infected by Art v10 - 2022 “Wave Study #3”
Infected by Art v9 - 2021 “The White Whale”
Infected by Art v8 - 2020 “Walrus”
Infected by Art v7 - 2019 “Changing Skies”, “Eye of the Storm”
Infected by Art v6 - 2018 “Eclipse”
Not so Tiny Dragons (by Art Order) - 2018 “Barnyard Dragon'“
Infected by Art v5 - 2017 “Breaching Whale”
GRANTS & AWARDS:
2021 Recipient of Alaska State Council on the Arts’ “Innovation and Adaptation” Grant.
EVENTS:
*CANCELLED* ILLUXCON MAIN SHOW - JURIED - Reading, PA - OCTOBER 19TH - 23RD 2022
ILLUXCON MAIN SHOW - JURIED - (online) 2021
ILLUXCON MAIN SHOW - JURIED - (online) 2020
GENCON ART SHOW - JURIED - (Online) Indianapolis, IN - JULY 30TH - AUGUST 2ND 2020
EXHIBITIONS:
31st ANNUAL HOLIDAY MINIATURES SHOW Group Exhibit - ABEND Gallery, Denver, CO - DECEMBER 2021
ENCHANTED BRUSH EXHIBITION: CREATURES MOST CURIOUS - INVITATIONAL - Mazza Museum, Findlay, OH - MAY 17 - AUG 6 2021
30th ANNUAL HOLIDAY MINIATURES SHOW Group Exhibit - ABEND Gallery, Denver, CO - DECEMBER 2020
ENCHANTED BRUSH EXHIBITION: CREATURES MOST CURIOUS - INVITATIONAL - Lea Gallery Mazza Museum, Findlay, OH - JULY 2020
GROUP EXHIBIT - Ptarmigan Arts, Homer, AK - DECEMBER/JANUARY 2019/2020
GROUP EXHIBIT - The Dean Gallery, Homer, AK - DECEMBER 2019
29th ANNUAL HOLIDAY MINIATURES SHOW Group Exhibit - ABEND Gallery, Denver, CO - NOVEMBER 2019
EVERY DAY ORIGINAL Group Exhibit - Superfine! Art Fair, Washington, DC - OCTOBER 2019
BEGINNINGS Solo Exhibit - The Dean Gallery, Homer, AK - AUGUST 2019
CHANGING TIDES Solo Exhibit - Ptarmigan Arts, Homer, AK - JUNE 2018
CHANGING SKIES Solo Exhibit - Trax, Fairbanks, AK - JANUARY 2018
WARP & WEFT Members Show - Ptarmigan Arts, Homer, AK - FEBRUARY 2017
10 X 10 Members Show - Bunnell Arts, Homer AK - NOVEMBER 2016
GROUP EXHIBIT - Ptarmigan Arts, Homer AK - MAY 2016
OTHER LINKS:
The Dean Gallery: www.thedeangallery.com
Engraved Steel Wall Art & Sculpture: www.jeffreyhdean.com
Cinematography: www.tehbendean.com
Sound Design: www.jebaridean.com