Middle Fork

The Artist:

https://vimeo.com/107089817

Claude Zervas was born in 1963 and is an American artist who has many museum and gallery exhibits mostly based in Washington. He grew up near Deming during the 1970’s and if familiar with the area, spending much time as a child here, as well as Bellingham and spent a lot of time by the Nooksack river. He now currently lives and works in Seattle, WA. Claude Zervas attended Western in the 1980’s and is known for combinations of nature and technology from video to electronic sculpture. He had attended WWU at the age of ten in pursuit of his interest in geology, as well as the music and art programs. He had begun creating artwork in the art department of WWU and then moved to Paris briefly after in the 1980s. After moving he had begun a career in software engineering which produced the outcome of founding an internet startup. Later during his life he had decided to return back to Washington and fully commit to his art practice and art production, where he also integrates technology into the production of his work. The works that Zervas is known for incorporates themes of light and nature in his technological advanced works. He has made several pieces about the Nooksack river but for his piece in the Performing Arts Center, he decided to use the middle fork of the river, which he describes as “a little more mysterious than the other two,” (Bellingham Herald). The “Nooksack Middle Fork” is a four panel video installation of the river and is located in the lobby of the Performing Arts Gallery at Western Washington University, which is also a part of the collection of public art.

The River:

The Nooksack River is located in Northwest Washington. It flows around the Cascade Range near Mount Baker, ultimately flowing into Bellingham Bay. The Middle Fork is about 20 miles long and flows between Mount Baker and Twin Sisters Mountain. The traditional name for the Middle Fork in the Nooksack language is “nuxwt’íqw’em” which literally translates to “always-murky water.” The river has many impacts to the people living nearby, including supplying Glacier with hydroelectric power and contributing to Bellingham’s drinking water system. The Nooksack is an important environmental feature of this area and means a lot to the people living in the Pacific Northwest, whether they’re enjoying it for outdoors activities or appreciating it for the amenities it provides.

Influences/Current Work of Claude Zervas

As a child he would wonder in the forests and get lost this has had an impact the kind of work he creates. After visiting many websites that included his work and his own personal website I have noticed the approach that he takes in representing what he sees in his surroundings. His newer works consist of various colorful and sometimes monochromatic oil paintings on panel. The work also is heavily influenced by technology, robotics, programming and include heavily complicated electronics. Zervas also states how his influence came to be in an interview with Sharon Arnold “It’s hard to give priority to one or a small set of influences. I feel like that in my mind it all sort of runs together. It is this big soup of influence. And I don’t give it that much thought really I just let it happen.” He states how he views us as “a tool using animal.” This is seen in some of the newer paintings where he uses a machine prosthetic device to create and paint these geometric bodies of work. They evoke this sense of calmness because of the simplicity that it gives off. In his work I see the geometric elements that are found sometimes in nature coming through his paintings and installations.

Nooksack Work Comparison

He has stated that he has made several pieces that are influenced by the Noocksack River over the years. One in particular is of course the Middle Fork that stands in our main lobby at Western Washington University’s Fine and Performing Arts Center. The Middle Fork he says is the most mysterious forks of the three. This work reminds me of his work from 2005 titled Nooksack. Both are influenced by the river and take the same approach of incorporating lights whether on a screen or using LED lights to create a more interactive installation. He in a sense takes a micro approach by focusing in on just one of the forks for The Middle fork Piece and having it displayed various times to create one unified circular fork. And in earlier years when creating Nooksack went for more of a macro approach by focusing on the whole river itself. Both these approaches showcase the importance of the river to him and the body of work that he creates. The influences of technology and nature are two very important key elements in Zervas work. They help create of narrative of his upbringing in the PNW as well as his interests in the tools he uses to represent his surroundings.

Left top corner: Brittany Pincus

Bottom Left corner: Trysten Iverson

Right top corner: Francia Orozco

Works Cited:

Bikman, Margaret. “New Public Art by Claude Zervas at WWU.” Bellinghamherald, The Bellingham Herald,

Claude Zervas, www.claudezervas.com/index.html.

Jesus, Luis De. “Claude Zervas.” LUIS DE JESUS LOS ANGELES, luisdejesus.com/docs/artists/c_zervas_full.pdf.

“Neddy at Cornish Finalists: Claude Zervas.” Vimeo, 25 Oct. 2018, vimeo.com/107089817.

“Nooksack River.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Feb. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nooksack_River.

Publishers

Influences/Current Work, Nooksack Work Comparison: Francia Orozco

The River: Trysten Iverson

The Artist: Brittany Pincus