Fortunate to have been given 'new eyes' through study of ikebana (Sogetsu) and chado (Japanese tea ceremony), I developed an understanding and deep appreciation of the use of negative space. The principles that govern both the spirit of ikebana and tea ceremony have had a profound effect on my work: these disciplines are invested as much on what is absent as what is present. For me, Japanese aesthetic sensibility and Nordic design principles both include a deep admiration for simplicity and spaciousness.

Recently 'chigiri e' (Japanese paper collage) has become my primary medium. Unlike the traditional Japanese form, I create my own version of this traditional art and incorporate Italian marble and other papers as well as mica. In this way a primarily 2D expression can make a leap into the sculptural realm.

Born in the Chicago area to parents of Danish and Swedish descent, Barbara Stevens Strauss received her first formal studio training as an undergraduate with abstract expressionist Vera Klement at the University of Chicago. While living in Naples, Florida, raku became a consuming interest. After relocating to the Bay Area, her work has been selected for juried exhibits throughout California. Some of these sculptural forms have been used at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco as part of the ikebana display created weekly by volunteers in the museum's towering lobby. A longtime member of the Pacific Rim Sculptors Group, she has studied with Susannah Israel, Andree Singer Thompson, and been strongly influenced by Paul Soldner, Peter Voulkos, and most significantly, Isamu Noguchi.

Barbara Stevens Strauss

e-mail: bstevens.strauss@gmail.com
web site: www.bstevensart.com