At The Center of the Cyclone

Wheel thrown stoneware, resin, wood, cotton, gold-leaf
28"x19"x8"
1994

Artist Statement

It has always been my contention that the most successful works of art are those which create an inseparable marriage between the medium, the processes and the idea. When this balance is achieved the work seems to exist in a dimension where questions of meaning, material, and technique seem superfluous, a dimension independent of time and space. The difficulty for the artist is finding that subtle but profound balance.

In my work the effort to obtain this equilibrium is achieved by forming a generalized concept then allowing the medium, as well as every other component of the creative process, to have a maximum impact upon the development of the image. This paradigm requires continual exploration and experimentation as essential elements. To a certain extent my role as the artist is akin to that of a musical conductor, responding to each element in an attempt to wed them into a harmonious composition.

Aesthetically, attempting to achieve a visual balance between the dominance of imposed order and the chaos of complete freedom fascinates me. I am not concerned in finding any ultimate resolution, but dig deeper into the moment of exchange when one force becomes the other. I am reminded by the statement by the 16th century French essayist Michel Eyquem de Montaigne; "The excitement of the chase is properly our quarry; we are not to be pardoned if we carry it on badly or foolishly. To fail to seize the prey is a different matter. We are born to search after the truth; to possess it belongs to a greater power."

Rather than strive for some single act of absolute resolution, my delight is found in clarifying the question.

Resume

JACK KING
526 Danube Ave.
Tampa, Florida 33606-3900
(813) 258-8138

Born: Memphis, Tennessee, July 16, 1948

Marital Status: Married, wife's name Kathleen (Kaki), also an
                artist and teacher!.

Education:  A.A. - St. Petersburg Junior College.
                  Clearwater, Florida  1966 - 1968

            B.F.A. - University of Tampa. Tampa, Florida
                    1968 - 1970, graduated with Special Senior Honors

            MFA. - University of Georgia. Athens, Georgia
                    1971 - 1973

Occupation: Associate Professor of Art, University of Tampa
            Tampa, Florida

            1990-1992  Professor of Art, Broward Community College
                       Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

            1973-1990  Associate Professor of Art, Augusta College
                       Augusta, Georgia

Exhibitions:

      64 - One Person and Group Exhibits

      96 - Regional, National and International Exhibits
           and Competitions



Selected Public and Private Collections:

      St. Petersburg Community College, Clearwater, Florida
      Merritt Island National Bank, Cocoa Beach, Florida
      University of Tampa, Tampa, Florida
      State Art Collection, Atlanta, Georgia
      Mr. Dexter Burley, Baltimore-e, Maryland
      Georgia Art Bus Program, Georgia Council for the Arts,
      Atlanta, Georgia
      LaGrange College, LaGrange, Georgia
      Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Georgia
      City of Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Atlanta, Georgia
      Chattahoochee Valley Art Museum, LaGrange, Georgia
      West Georgia College, Carrollton, Georgia
      The Museum of Arts and Sciences, Macon, Georgia
      Columbus College, Columbus, Georgia
      Central Florida Community College, Ocala, Florida