Louise Rauh
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- Biography
Louise Rauh was born and raised in Endicott, New York where her art teachers strongly encouraged her to pursue a career in dentistry. Upon relocating to Iowa City she developed an interest in fine-crafts. Inspired by the work produced by artists Chunghi Choo and Mary Merkel-Hess she enrolled in the University of Iowa Fine Arts program where she studied under the guidance of Professor Choo. Louise took time off from graduate studies to open a fine art and craft gallery, "Studiolo", in Iowa city with partners John Rauh and Justine Zimmer. She received her MFA in the spring of 2000, closed the gallery in the summer of 2002 and has been happily creating pieces and involved in exhibitions ever since. She has participated in many fine-craft shows throughout the U.S. including the Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington D.C., the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show and the American Craft Exposition in Evanston, Illinois.
Louise is currently designing jewelry in aluminum, sterling silver and titanium in her home studio in Iowa City.Statement
"As a young child I had severe vision limitations so I related to the world through colors and texture. Since elements in nature often surface in my work "transition" is a recurring theme. The etched pieces reflect change, grace in cycles of growth and eventual decline. In these pieces I strive to capture the fragility of life belied by the strength of materials used.
I love making jewelry and see my work in jewelry as the culmination of a strong background in metal art, papermaking, and printmaking with a rather boldly ephemeral personal aesthetic. This results in sculptural pieces that can appear quite substantial but are light in weight and comfortable to wear."