Artwork copyright Ken Spiering. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Ken Spiering. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Michael's Brief Moment: Eternal Splendor, 1996

Ken Spiering
(American, born 1950)

Location: Bowdish Middle School, Spokane Valley

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Artist Ken Spiering created the woodblock print Michael's Brief Moment: Eternal Splendor using a single plank of pine he saved for 22 years. The piece honors the artist's nephew, who died suddenly in an accident at age nine. Spiering notes, "I holed myself up in the studio for 8 days creating this block print, first as a tribute to this magical child, but as importantly, to deal constructively with my grief… I can't remember ever being as compelled in the making of an image. I chose to use as a resource a photograph of Michael fishing on the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River taken the year before his accident. But the real subject, beyond the obvious, is the light, happiness, and heart that emanated from Michael in the context of his brief life."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Central Valley School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Eastern Washington-based artist Ken Spiering creates artworks in many different media, including drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture. Many of his works have been created for public spaces, with a focus on natural imagery rich with metaphor.