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ARTISTS
IN ATTENDANCE AT LEAF 2023
(CLICK PICS FOR MORE INFO)
Odessa Ford
Odessa Ford is an Oregon based earth artist, painter, art educator, public arts advocate, spoken word poet and spiritual practitioner. She holds a BFA in painting and holds a Master of Educational Technology degree from Boise State University. Her professional arts and education career spans over 2 decades. For Odessa, art and spirituality are one in the same. “It is through Artistic Creation that we are able to connect with the divine.”
Born and raised in and around Boise, Idaho, Odessa spent much of her youth exploring and observing nature, where she found peace and inspiration. Her curiosity and artistic abilities flourished as she spent as much time outside as possible. Through art making, Odessa became more centered, at peace and believes that art creation is a meditative practice. Even now, she spends as much time as possible on the beach, hiking, camping, and going on adventures with her new husband Ken.
In June of 2018, Odessa discovered a new passion, Sand Art, also known as an Earthscape. After experiencing a Earthscape workshop in San Francisco with California based artist Andres Amador in May 2018, Odessa packed up all her belongings into her car and moved to Salem, Oregon with her adult child Heaven. Being just an hour from the beach, Odessa spent most of her time working on the stunning beaches in and around Lincoln City, Oregon, where she has gained some local celebrity, as well as a global online following. Ford’s work is ephemeral, using only a rake and the beach as her canvas, Odessa creates extraordinary, impermanent Earthscapes. Lasting sometimes only minutes, she watches as the waves reclaim her work. Her photographs, paintings and videos are a reflection and memory of the experience.
Odessa recently began exploring other land art. Stone balancing is a beautiful peaceful artform, however Odessa has taken a bold turn, incorporating color into her stone balances. In March of 2023 she will join other land artists from all over the world at Llano Earth Art Festival, LEAF in Beautiful Llano, Texas.
In 2019, Odessa moved to Eugene, Oregon with her now husband Ken Ford. They often travel hundreds of miles to complete her Earthscapes. She dances on the sand while Ken often documents her work using a drone as his own hobby. When not on the beach, you may find Ford painting in her home in Eugene, Oregon, out balancing stones or sitting quietly in mediation. Regardless of where she is, Odessa no doubt will be creating!
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