"Knoxville February"

Claudia Dean, Artist
I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska and studied at Kansas City Art Institute and the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. I lived in Albuquerque for 20 years and had a career as a craft jeweler. My family moved to Knoxville in 2005 when my husband accepted a position at UT. I returned to drawing, watercolor and working with collage during the several years before we converted the garage into a jewelry work space.

My work is about the look of East Tennessee and Knoxville, from the plant growth and the terrain to the urban landscape. The difference between the American southwest and the southeast was visually so great it forced me to look closely at the view around me. I garden and hike, and the made abundance of vegetation and jumbled landscape has influenced the look of my work. I continue to make jewelry which is shown by Freehand Gallery in Los Angeles.

To learn more about this artist or to purchase a piece of their work, contact the Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville at (865) 523-7543 or www.knoxalliance.com.