Patti Warashina

Patti Warashina is a Japanese-American ceramic sculptor whose body of work spans over four decades. Warashina is well known for her work with the human figure, influenced by Surrealism. However, a closer look at her work provides audiences with a narrative of self-inspiration and self-reflection that affirms Warashina’s own life and body. Her artwork is a “virtual diary” of the female body and in her pieces, she hopes to portray her fascination and interest in the eccentricities and weaknesses of human behaviors. Warashina tries to evoke the universal quirks of all human nature. Many of her work features the female figure in exaggerated, simple and ambiguous forms. In this paper, I will offer an in depth discussion of her life, her art, and its reception. My analysis will focus on two series of work that include sculptures she has made in recent years.
Warashina was born in Spokane, WA in 1940. She attended the University of Washington where she received her BFA in 1962, and later received her MFA in 1964. Her career as an artist spans over fifty years and coincides with …show more content…
She had her first solo exhibition at the Phoenix Art Gallery in 1962 was held during her graduate studies. She has received several awards including grants from the National Endowment for the Arts in both l975 and l986. She has been in several publications including “Patty Warashinaʼs Secrets” by Matthew Kangas, American Ceramics; as well as “Patti Warashina: Wit and Wisdom” an essay by Martha Kingsbury. In addition, she has lectured and conducted workshops in over twenty states, and she earned two fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts, and received the Governor of Washington Award of Special Commendation of