Deportola

Michael Rowden

Biography

I was born and raised in Plumas County, California. I worked as a shingler for twenty years before returning to school to earn an MA from CSU Sacramento with an enphasis in painting in 2004. I have won multiple awards and have been collected both nationally and internationally.

I became a victim of my success when I fell from a ladder while installing one of my paintings. The resulting injuries have left me amongst those who are physically challenged. Healing has become the focus of my work.

I have learned that recognizing the source of pain is integral to healing which brings about my interest in honoring those, who for centuries, were the caretakers of the land in which I was born and raised. Much harm was done and is being done so there is a lot of healing to do.

Michael Rowden

Education

B.A. California State University, Sacramento, 1997

 

M.A. California State University, Sacramento, 2004

 

Awards

  • The Proof Is The Pudding

    2011 California State Fair - Fine Art Exhibit

    Award of Merit

    Special Award - University Art Award

    Juror’s Statement: “ I chose this work because of its subtle tonal variations and its aggressive application of paint. It has an energetic quality which generates an atmosphere of expression and emotion.”

    Juror: Suzanne Adan

  • I Am Your Chief

    2013 California State Fair - Fine Art Exhibit

    Golden Bear Juror’s Award

    Juror’s Statement: “When I first walked into the exhibition hass on the day when we were called in to make our final selection of the show, I Am Your Chief was standing against the wall along with the rest of the many other paintings. I had an impulse to walk across the room to see this painting immediately. When I stood in front of it, the painting started speaking to me. There was a story that connects to a history, a culture and a place. My excitement of seeing its texture, the colors and the brushwork that it brings me back to the present; the richness of imageries confronts me but it allws me to think and to breath; the darkness in the space allows me to hide and to seek; the directional movements of the white dots guide me back to the right way from each twist and bend in between paths. This work was a collaborative effort by two individual hands and minds, yet, their final work is a seamless whole..”

    Juror: Brenda Louie