Along with the exhibition, Yerian will be giving an artist lecture on Feb. 16 at 5 p.m. in HSU’s Art Department Building Room 102, followed by an opening reception from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Reese Bullen Gallery. The public is invited to attend.
Yerian’s sculptures contain amorphous shapes, colorful patterns and contrasting textures that intertwine with familiar elements such as a piece of wood, a balloon or a skull. Using clay as his primary medium, his work emerges as a response to his life experiences and memories. His sculptures guide viewers through a journey of vulnerability and comfort, mortality and safety, reality and illusion.
As part of Yerian’s artistic process, he often uses molds to produce clay replicas of found objects. His mold-making physically and symbolically enables him to capture the likeness of an item. He frequently combines these recognizable molded objects with abstracted forms covered in dynamic designs that fill his sculptures with unexpected movement. Yerian states, “I seek to escape logic and create artworks that are more visceral, yet organized; artworks, which are a blend of past and present, and are a byproduct of self-analysis and self-reflection, as a point of departure.”
Originally from Yucca Valley, California, Yerian moved to Arcata in 1999 and received his Bachelor of Arts from HSU in 2003. He went on to earn his Master of Fine arts from San Jose State University’s Spatial Arts program in 2008. He currently teaches full-time at Lake Tahoe Community College as head of the Three-Dimensional Art program.
HSU’s Reese Bullen Gallery is open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday 12 to 5 p.m., Thursday 12 to 7 p.m., Friday 12 to 5 p.m., and Saturday 10 to 2 p.m., with free admission to exhibits and events. For more information about the gallery, please contact the gallery office at (707) 826-5814 or rbg@humboldt.edu. For parking information, please visit humboldt.edu/parking.