J a mes Dei t z - Wor k s
D ir e c tor ’s For ewor d
James Deitz – Works is an example of the brilliant work of my colleague, James Deitz. One of the Northwest’s preeminent painters, Deitz’s work ranges from landscapes to total abstraction. I have had the pleasure of seeing his work develop for over the last decade. I always enjoy talking to him about his future bodies of work and seeing the continuing developments in his story telling through painting. It is with great pleasure that I can share this work for others to enjoy. I would like to thank James Deitz for the opportunity to exhibit his inspiring work, Kristin Showalter for writing the wonderful catalog essay, the School of the Arts, California State University, Stanislaus for the catalog design and Parks Printing for the printing of this catalog. We are also grateful and extend our warmest appreciation to the Instructionally Related Activities Program of California State University, Stanislaus, as well as anonymous donors for the funding of the exhibition and catalogue.
Dean De Cocker Director, University Art Gallery California State University, Stanislaus
Father Figure, oil on canvas, 15 ½” x 31”, 2019
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OMG, oil on canvas, 16 ½” x 17 ¼”, 2019
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James D eitz - Wo r ks by Kristin Showalter James Deitz describes his work as collage to narrative but I would describe him as a visual narrator; a storyteller. Some of the stories we already know, they are clear and concise, wrapped in neat little boxes, their imagery obvious with familiar themes. Others are more abstract; nuanced forms layered with meaning and personal experiences that take time to navigate; their surfaces as built up as the slice of life they show. These intimate vignettes, painted in neutral colors with contrasting compliments, are what define James Deitz’s latest works. The imagery he uses changes based on what needs to be said and how it needs to be expressed. The visual content runs the gambit, ranging from pop-culture and politics to literal moments of stillness and quiet reflection. James is unafraid to approach political strife, sexual taboos, and social issues in his work, making each piece something intricate and interesting to explore. When delving into his artworks, I treat each piece as a story, with a unique voice, knowing it will have something to tell me. Some works have small forms nestled in unlikely places, giving them a tongue in cheek quality. Others are loud and bold saying exactly what they mean, and still others are more subtle, layered with cunning uses of color and subtle contrast that can only be discovered upon thorough inspection. James typically works on a heavily impasto surface, building up and scraping away layers of paint to extract a perfect base hue. This attention to the surface usually informs the overall content of the piece and gives him time to consider the niches, intimate hiding places for visual gems and innuendos. The surface is often like a secret message and can be decoded with patience and scrutiny. The heavy textures “keep him from being too precious” with his brushwork. His painted pieces typically use neutral colors with contrast. How he uses value and contrast to give light to the piece depends on the subject matter. James likes to work with contrasting compliments, each push and pull of value and hue giving the work a life, a mood, and a purpose. As a former student turned colleague, I can say James’ approach to teaching is reflective of his art-making. He believes every student who walks into his classroom has something to say, and like any good narrator guides them to find their own unique voice in their artistic practices. James encourages his students to find meaningful representations of forms and emboldens them to expand on those ideas regardless as to whether or not the material is commonplace, difficult, or taboo. This dedication leads to strong, meaningful, and deeply personal work that his mentees can be proud of. Like James, his students are encouraged to work in a variety of mediums to aid their personal exploration of context, form, and color, pushing their visual stories forward. He requires them to work on a heavily textured impasto canvas or board so they aren’t bogged down with an obsession for perfection. When I took his monoprintmaking class as a student, James encouraged me to collage my less successful work; layering my prints, painting over them with colors that were significantly more neutral than I was used to using and sanding areas to cover and reveal textures and imagery. James also forced me to work with my accidents. “You made a mark, now make another,” was his advice. Another lesson in artistic chaos: not being precious with my work and accepting actions that changed it. Though this was a far cry from how I was used to working; these techniques helped me develop a sense of meaningful context based on the represented forms that were hidden or revealed, giving my pieces a subtle refined symbolism not unlike my mentors’ work.
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I spent many long and often tedious hours in the studio working with James, he helped guide my work and pushed me to work in bolder and more personal ways, encouraging me to bring my lessons from the theater school into my work. I explored the plays I was reading and designing. I dissected the characters journey through color and mood, keeping it as abstract as possible. Art is symbiotic to the artist, and what they’re thinking and feeling will inevitably inform what they are making. I don’t think it was any coincidence that after many long studio talks, James took his own advice and started making intaglio print collages based on Macbeth. James Deitz latest body of work, Works is viewer centric, allowing the personal experience of the viewer to give life and meaning to the pieces. He wants the viewer to find a personal connection to the imagery. The images used are often layered with meaning. Deitz focuses on social identity and of mis-identity using double and triple entendres to stack multiple contexts within each piece. Each of his pieces are personal, some capture moment in time, celebrating the beauty of stillness and reflected memories. Others are centered around politically charged topics, inviting the viewer to stare into the face of their own discomfort. Each person who views Works will walk away with different feelings for each piece. One of my favorite pieces within Works is Father Figure. Father Figure can be interpreted in many different ways and like all his work James wants the story of the piece to be personal, the context depending on the viewers experience. Father figure is a challenge to religious commentary and feminism. I love this piece. I personally think it is one of the strongest paintings in the show. The imagery is personal, visceral, and vulnerable. It juxtaposes the masculine and the feminine, their equality can be found in the black on their feet; the common sins of men and women. Lead us not into temptation. I love the contrast between the covered and the naked, the cloak and the dagger. Again there are layers, viewers can interpret this piece as the church’s power, the greed of mega churches, the subjugation of women using religious guilt, polygamy and child marriages within certain religious sects, child abuse cloaked within religion. The loss of childhood or the transition into womanhood can be pondered. Even the #MeToo movement is applicable with this piece. Father Figure makes me think of witch hunts and voodoo and the temptation of Adam. What my Catholic upbringing frowned upon. James has gone through many iterations of this piece and I have had the pleasure of watching it develop over time. I hope every viewer has a similar experience to mine and can enjoy the many layers of Father Figure. Another exceptionally strong piece within Works told a story that gave me a physical reaction. Heroes is a visual mocking of the masculinity and hero trope. The male figure in the center of the piece dressed as the Lone Ranger is the child representation of modern masculinity, a child playing at the fantasy of being a hero. Subtly surrounding the boy are falling disassembled body parts and prosthetics used after amputation. Heroes juxtaposes expectation and reality of heroism and military service. Flanking the central figure are maps of meat cuts, with the text coming from an old dictionary, suggesting that masculinity is a meat grinder. This piece took me a long time to work my way through, its subject matter is upsetting in so many ways. But again its open to interpretation by the viewer, no one take is right. The most personal piece within the collection is Lost and Found. James became a father at forty and was not only navigating the world of fatherhood but learning the avenues of being a father to an autistic child. This triptych is a reflection of the chaotic beauty of family, adulthood, childhood and self worth. Before I knew the artists intention, I assumed this piece was about watching a daughter become a woman and the struggles that a father deals with during that metamorphosis. Personally this piece felt like my late teens and early twenties; a time when I struggled to navigate adulthood and the tangled strings that came with it while wishing for the safety of a childhood that was stripped from me.
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Faggot a triptych of laughing mouths and ravens tells the story of childhood bullying in an abstract fashion. James described the title of the piece as “the last word you hear right before you get sucker punched in the back of the head.” There is no difference between the voyeuristic eyes and laughter of spun up kids and the jeering of crows. Jacobs Ladder is an ode to feminism, a piece for his wife Anne. It’s the struggle and triumph of self-contained women everywhere, a celebration of what they can build and grow from nothing. My favorite part of the image is the very subtle triple goddess iconography that crowns the painting. Representative of life and stifling summers in California’s San Joaquin Valley, Cows and Corn is a moment of stillness. The cow spots are reminiscent of Motherwell’s bold graphic shapes. Palm Sunday is another piece that takes in a moment. A diptych of sun and shadows, wet and dry. The piece feels like a moment watching the sun move through two different surfaces and understanding the similarity of those movements. Palm Sunday reminds me of summers spent by my parents pool and late afternoons in Palm Springs. Works expands across the human condition and tells stories from life. It will ask the hard questions that viewers must quietly answer. James collage to narrative style takes the viewer on a journey through their own experience and beautifully captures these life stories in a way that is personal, honest, and intimate. I hope every person who has the opportunity to peek into the windows of these little vignettes has time to appreciate the gift that James is giving them; a look behind the curtain, a true look at who they are. I hope they can empathize with each piece and be receptive to the reaction the works induce. There is no greater gift than a good story and this is what James Deitz Works provide us with.
Book Two, oil on canvas, 15½” x 23 ½”, 2020
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Hero, oil on canvas, 19 ¾” x 47 ¾”, 2019
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Goodnight Moon, oil on canvas, 12” x 36”, 2017
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Flag, oil on canvas, 15 ½ x 46 ½”, 2017
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Corn and Cows, oil on canvas, 23 ¼” x 42 ½”, 2017
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No Picnic, mixed media, 12” x 24”, 2019
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Faggot!, oil on canvas, 16” x 62 ¼”, 2019
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Jacob’s Ladder, oil on canvas, 15 ½” x 31 ¼”, 2017
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Blue By You, mixed media, 12” x 36”, 2017
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Let’s Dance, oil on canvas, 23 ½” x 42 ½”, 2019
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Palm Sunday, oil on canvas,19 ¾” x 34 ½”, 2017
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Friend, oil on canvas, 15 ½” x 46 ¾”, 2017
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Riddle Me This, oil on canvas, 12” x 24”, 2019
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Lost and Found, oil on canvas, 12” x 36”, 2017
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J a m es D e i t z jamesdeitz.crevado.com EDUCATION 1986 M.F.A. Drawing and Painting, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 1984 B.F.A. Drawing and Painting, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND VISITING ARTIST 2006–20 2004 2003 1992
California State University, Stanislaus, Turlock, CA University of Arizona, Tucson AZ Pierce College, Lakewood, WA University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND
TEACHING EXPERIENCE Beginning Drawing Color Theory Intermediate Drawing Intaglio Advanced Drawing Mono-print Figure Drawing Relief Printmaking Beginning Painting Advanced Printmaking Intermediate Painting Mixed Media, Collage Advanced Painting Art in Action (Seminar) Painting from Unconscious Independent Study, Advisement 2-D Design BFA candidate Review Text and Image Methods and Materials SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2020 James Deitz Works, Stan State Art Space, Turlock, CA 2013 James Deitz, Chartreuse Muse Gallery, Modesto, CA 2011 James Deitz Paintings, Vermillion Gallery, Seattle WA 2010 James Deitz, California State University, Stanislaus Art Gallery, CA James Deitz, Paintings and Print Collages, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, WA 2008 Seattle: Land, Water, Sky, Upstairs Gallery, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, WA 2006 Paintings, Upstairs Gallery, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, WA 2004 James Deitz Drawings, The Cedar, New York, NY 2003 James Deitz, Fine Arts Gallery, Pierce College, Lakewood, WA 2002 New Work, Art Center Gallery, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA 2000 Dialogue, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, WA 1999 Interiors, Upstairs Gallery, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, WA 1998 Toys, Upstairs Gallery, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, WA 1997 James Deitz Paintings, Fine Arts Gallery, Pierce College, Tacoma, WA 1996 Mexico, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, WA 1994 Drawings, Upstairs Gallery, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, WA 1993 New Work, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, WA 1991 An Introduction, Upstairs Gallery, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, WA
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1990 Paintings, King County Arts Commission Gallery, Seattle, WA Recent Work, Blake Gallery, Seattle, WA 1989 Drawings, Robert Allman Gallery, Seattle, WA 1987 Ink Drawings, Browning Arts, Grand Forks, ND SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2015 Text and Image, Chartreuse Muse Gallery, Modesto, CA 2014 CSU Art Department Faculty, Merced College Art Gallery, Merced CA Art Faculty on Main, Art Space on Main, Turlock, CA 2012 Art of Justice, Stanislaus Family Justice Center, Chartreuse Muse, Modesto, CA In Praise of Collecting, Carnegie Arts Center, Turlock, CA 2010 Art Faculty Exhibit, University Art Gallery, CSU Gallery, Turlock, CA 2008 Art Faculty Exhibit, John Stuart Rogers Building, CSU, Stanislaus, Turlock, CA On the Wall, Steele Gallery, Gage Academy of Art, Seattle, WA 2005 Drawings: James Deitz, Gail Grinnell, Caryn Friedlander, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, WA 2002 North Dakota Museum of Art Annual, North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks, ND 2000 4 x 4: Four Decades of School of Art Alumni, Jacob Lawrence Gallery, Seattle, WA 1995 The Painted Table, Seattle, WA 1994 Retrospective, AG47 Gallery, Seattle, WA Hands Off Washington, Crocodile Cafe, Seattle, WA The New England Fine Art Institute, State of the Art ‘93, New England Art Expo Art Works for Aids, Seattle Center Pavilion, Seattle, WA 1992 12th Northwest International, Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA New Artists to the Gallery, Summer Show, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, WA 34th North Dakota Print and Drawing Annual, North Dakota Museum of Art 1991 The Artist in the Art: Self Portraits, BumbershootFestival, SeattleCenter, Seattle,WA 1991 25th Anniversary Exhibitions: The Later Years 1986-1990, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, WA Seven Seattle Artists, AG47 Studio Gallery, Seattle, WA Never Before Funded Show, Seattle Arts Commission, Seattle Center, Seattle, WA WPA (Workers Produce Art), Galleria Potatohead, Seattle, WA 1988 30th North Dakota Print and Drawing Annual, North Dakota Museum of Art 1986 Masters of Fine Arts Exhibition, Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle 1985 Works in Progress, Department of Fine Arts, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 1985 University Bookstore Invitational Juried Show, Seattle, WA 1984 Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition, Hughes Fine Arts Gallery, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 1983 North Dakota Governor’s Show, One-Year Tour, Selected Cities SELECTED PERMANENT PUBLIC COLLECTIONS 4Culture, King County Arts Commission, Seattle, WA Seattle Arts Commission Zevenbergen Capital, Seattle, WA State of Washington: Washington State’s Art in Public Places Program, Mattawa, WA, Auburn, WA REVIEWS 2000 Still lifes with twists, Matthew Kangas, Art in America, (Special to the Seattle Times) 1994 Lawrence exhibit is this month’s star at galleries, Robin Updike, The Seattle Times 1992 Two artists turn fragments into wholes, Regina Hackett, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 1990 Gallery Review, 911 COCA, (Center on Contemporary Art), Seattle, WA 31
Ackn ow le dge m en ts
California State University, Stanislaus
Dr. Ellen Junn, President
Dr. Kimberly Greer, Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs
Dr. James A. Tuedio, Dean, College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Depar tment of Ar t
Martin Azevedo, Associate Professor, Interm Chair
Tricia Cooper, Lecturer
Dean De Cocker, Professor
James Deitz, Lecturer
Daniel Edwards, Associate Professor
Patrica Eshagh, Lecturer
Jessica Gomula-Kruzic, Professor
Daniel Heskamp, Lecturer
Chad Hunter, Lecturer
David Olivant, Professor
Dr. Carmen Robbin, Professor
Ellen Roehne, Lecturer
Dr. Staci Scheiwiller, Associate Professor
Susan Stephenson, Assistant Professor
Jake Weigel, Assistant Professor
Meg Broderick, Administrative Support Assistant II
Andrew Cain, Instructional Technician I
Kyle Rambatt, Equipment Technician II
Stan State Ar t Space
Dean De Cocker, Director
Leon Bach, Gallery Assistant
School of the Ar ts
Brad Peatross, Graphic Specialist II
James Deitz - Works February 3–March 6, 2020 | Stan State Art Space, California State University, Stanislaus | 226 N. First St., Turlock, CA 95380 300 copies printed. Copyright © 2020 California State University, Stanislaus • ISBN: 978-1-940753-48-5 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. This exhibition and catalog have been funded by Associated Students Instructionally Related Activities, California State University, Stanislaus.
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