K. IKEDA

 

 

Kanetaka (Kane) Ikeda 　 池田兼隆（ケン・イケダ）

U S citizen
Resident City: Portland, Oregon 

 

 

About Myself:

 

I am a visual artist who primarily creates artwork using a mix media assemblage process. Some of the material I use in these pieces include cotton fiber, hardware cloth and branches of wood. Branches I use are from cherry, cherry blossom, lilac and ginkgo trees grown in my yard. Besides mix media assemblages, I also work with other mediums and processes including wood carving, ink drawing, acrylic ink painting, acrylic painting, watercolor painting,  and 2-d and 3-d installations.

 

 

Theme of Work

 

For the last thirty five years or so, my work has been inspired from vivid, memorable dreams that I experienced during the late 80's and early 90's, and from resulting thoughts accumulated through years of pondering over meaning behind these dreams.   From this, I have created something of a personal myth in a visual form which I titled, " the Cosmic Tree of Life".

 

 

  Background

 

I was born in Kushikino, Kagoshima at the southern end of Japan in 1952. I immigrated to Oregon early in my childhood and became US citizen in 1963.  While being raised in N.W Portland, as youth I experienced American life of the 60's and 70's.  In college, I briefly studied architecture at Oregon State University and at University of Oregon, but I became more fascinated with sculpture. I transferred to Portland State University and learned the art of sculpture from a noted bronze sculptor, James Hansen and stone carver, Don Wilson.   Upon graduation I joined the artist owned gallery, Blackfish Gallery in Portland and started my professional career as an artist. For much of the 80's, I have exhibited and participated in various art related activities in Portland. However, around 1988, I moved to Sapporo in northern Japan where I spent time creating and exhibiting artwork while teaching design and sculpture at Dohto University, a private university there.  After twenty years in Japan, I returned to Oregon and rejoined Blackfish Gallery soon after.  Currently while living in Portland, I found myself enjoying creating artworks and exhibiting them in the Northwest art scene.   

 

Curriculum Vitae

 

 

 

 

 

Artist Statement