James Ehlers
Semifinalist
James Ehlers (born 1976, Lake Charles, LA; lives Waco, TX) has a BA from McNeese State University, Lake Charles, an MA from Bradley University, Peoria, IL, and an MFA from the University of Florida, Gainesville. He has exhibited at Washington National Airport, Arlington, VA; Brinton Museum, Big Horn, WY; Artlink Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN; Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, Indianapolis, IN; Hilliard Art Museum, Lafayette, LA; and Clayton Staples Gallery at Wichita State University, KS. His work is held in the Rare and Distinctive Collections, University of Colorado, Boulder; Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, KS; and Fluke Atwell Special Collections, Santa Fe, NM; as well as at the Douro Museum, Alijó, Portugal, among others. He received Best in Show from the SAGA 88th Annual Members Exhibition. He has been an artist-in-residence at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN; Evil Prints, St Louis, MO; and the Guanlan Original Printmaking Base, China. He was a Professor at Emporia State University in Kansas for 16 years and is now an Assistant Professor of Art at Baylor University.
Statement from the Artist:
Mortality, facing fears and stress management are at the center of my mind. These works are primarily about the experience of attachment to material items and thoughts.