Jain McClain
Collected Poems: New Paintings and Works on Paper
“My art and my life are intertwined. What I experience I paint and while I paint I muse, dream and create a new reality. Poetry and painting have always been important aspects in my life. I believe in the magical properties of the art making process. It is a physical endeavor and a metaphysical pursuit. I find it is a bridge between the conscious and the unconscious. My approach is intuitive and I consider each piece a spiritual journey with its own sense of revelation. It is the interior realm of the psyche that leads me from one painting to the next, it is a truth seeking quest and an endless search of meaning.”
“It is the enigma and complexities of life that interest me. Since the 9/11 tragedy my conviction as an artist has only grown stronger. It has helped me realize that much of my own work deals with issues of loss and matters of life and death. I truly believe that the importance of art in society is to question, to heal and to reveal what we struggle to comprehend.”
1986 M.F.A., University of California, Berkeley, Painting and Drawing
1985 M.A., University of California, Berkeley, Painting and Drawing
1984 Instituto Allende, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
1981 B.A., University of California, Santa Cruz, Honors English Literature
1979 The Sorbonne and the American College in Paris, France
2004 St. Supery Vineyards and Winery Gallery, Rutherford, CA
2003 Red Mountain Gallery, Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, NV
2002 Local Color Gallery, Incline Village, NV
2002 The North Tahoe Art Center, Tahoe City, CA
2001 The Cultural Exchange Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
1998 The Tahoe Gallery, Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village, NV
1994 Davis Art Center, Davis, CA
1990 Orinda Art Council, Orinda Library, Orinda, CA
1987 Thomas Smith Fine Art, Fort Wayne, IN
2004 Faculty Exhibition, McNamara Gallery, University of Nevada, Reno, NV
2004 Faculty Exhibition, Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, NV
2003 "The Show" Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM, Juror: Susan Rothenberg
2002 Artisimo Gallery, “Not for the Timid”, Scottsdale, AZ
2001 Sierra Arts, “the biggest little art show in nevada IV”, Reno, NV
2001 North Tahoe Art Center, “Pressed and Pulled”, Tahoe City, CA
2001 Vista Gallery, “Sense of Wonder”, Tahoe Vista, CA
2001 The Cultural Exchange Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2001 SFMOMA Rental Gallery, Annual Warehouse Sale”, San Francisco, CA
1998 Sierra Arts, “the biggest little art show in nevada”, Reno, NV
1997 Nevada Museum of Art, “Visual Faculties Part II”, Reno, NV
1996 Sierra Nevada College, “Faculty Art Show”, Incline Village, NV
1996 Douglas Taylor Fine Art, Tahoe Vista, CA
1994 Sierra Nevada College Auction, Incline Village, NV (1994 – 1997)
1993 “Auburn Arts 42”, Auburn, CA Juror: Philip E. Linhares
1993 Gallery Route One, “Miniatures”, Point Reyes, CA Juror: Inez Storer
1992 Mills College, “Telling Stories”, Oakland, CA
1992 Pro Arts, “East Bay Open Studios”, Oakland, CA
1991 Vision Gallery, “Benefit Art Auction”, San Francisco, CA
1990 Bolinas Museum, “Small Works Annual” Jurors: Philip Linhares and D. Oropallo
1990 “The Napa Town and County Fair” Jurors: Rena Bransten and Tacoah Bruce
1990 Crocker Art Museum, “65th Annual”, Sacramento, CA Juror: Patterson Sims
1990 Creative Growth Art Center, “Annual Staff/Client Show”, Oakland, CA
1990 Triton Museum of Art, “8th Annual Drawing and Print Exhibition”, Santa Clara Juror: Benny Andrews
1990 Koret Gallery, “Works on Paper”, Palo Alto, CA Juror: Kathryn Funk
1990 Chabot College Gallery, Two Person Show, Hayward, CA
1989 Pro Arts, “Pro Arts Annual”, Oakland, CA Juror: Mary Jane Jacob
1989 Triton Museum of Art, “7th Annual Drawing and Print Exhibition”, Santa Clara Juror: Jerome Witkin
1989 Fine Arts Gallery, Indiana University, “Photo-Derived”, Bloomington, IN Juror: Joel-Peter Witkin
1989 Frances Young Art Gallery, Group Show, Ross, CA
1988 Fort Wayne Art Museum, “Selected Acquisitions 1986-1988”, Fort Wayne, IN
1988 Auburn Arts Center, “Auburn Arts 37”, Auburn, CA Juror: Rena Bransten
1988 Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery, “Exemplary Contemporary”, U.C. Santa Cruz Juror: Richard Koshalek
1988 Sun Gallery, “Exhibition 88”, Hayward, CA Juror: Mark Levy
1988 Humbolt Cultural Center, Eureka, CA Juror: M. Louise Stanley
1988 A.P. Tell Gallery, Grand Canyon College, Phoenix, AZ
1987 University Art Museum, “M.F.A. Show”, Berkeley, CA
1987 Mission Cultural Center, “Dia de los Muertos”, San Francisco, CA
1987 Napa Spring Fair, “Arts in the Valley”, Napa, CA Juror: Christopher Brown
1987 Arts Council of San Mateo, “Bay Arts 1987”, Belmont, CA
1987 Gallery 44, “Advisors and Directors Show”, Oakland, CA
1986 Worth Ryder Gallery, “M.A. Show”, University of California, Berkeley, CA
1984 Worth Ryder Gallery, University of California, Berkeley, CA
1984 Bellas Artes, group show, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Public Collections
2004 di Rosa Preserve, Napa, CA
Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, NV
Northern Arizona Art Museum, Flagstaff, AZ
The Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN
Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, AZ
Midwest Museum of American Art, Elkhart, IN
Awards
1993 Best of Show, Phil Linhares, Auburn Arts 42
1990 First Place Prints, Second Place Drawing, Napa Town and County Fair
1990 Second Place Painting, Third Place Drawing, San Mateo County Fair
1989 Merit Award, Marin Society of Artists, Ross, CA
1988 Vesta Chastain Memorial Award, Auburn, CA
1988 Cash Award, Marin Society of Artists, Ross, CA
1987 Special Merit Award, Diablo Art Association, Walnut Creek, CA
1984 Photography Award, Bellas Artes, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico