Wyatt Amend
A recent graduate of Sonoma State University in Northern California, Wyatt was introduced to art at a young age, winning four Ojai Studio Artists’ scholarships (sponsored by Beatrice Wood and Otto and Vivika Heino) as a high school student. Over the last few years he has explored myriad approaches to creating art, including drawing, installation, sculpture and utilitarian ware. Introduced to the ancient art of glassblowing during a summer spent at Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State, Amend was inspired by the thin and dramatic shapes found in Venetian goblets. He set out to recreate these glass forms in ceramic, developing a unique approach to working on the wheel that has more in common with the woodturning process than traditional wheel throwing.
As an artist-in-residence at the Center, Amend has worked on Beatrice Wood’s wheel deep into the night, expanding upon the sculptural potential of the goblet. He says of the experience:
Working at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts has given me the opportunity to grow from her loving and creative mind, be inspired by the beauty of her home and surroundings, and to learn from her compassionate, curious and always truthful spirit.”