Many artists look back on their career and can recall a moment when they found their voice. We’ve broken up the previously scheduled panel Professionals in Conversation: Becoming an Artist into bite-sized conversations between Clyfford Still Museum Director Dean Sobel and each of the artists about their early years. This is a recording of the second talk with Homare Ikeda from April 16, 2020.
Homare Ikeda was born on a tiny subtropical island near Okinawa, off the coast of Japan. The island’s associated life-forms greatly influenced his artistic vision. Ikeda had no exposure to the world of fine arts, but was interested nonetheless. He moved to the U.S. in 1978 and a college professor in Stockton, CA guided him to the University of Colorado – Boulder where he received a BFA and MFA. Ikeda also attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. He was an artist in residence at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, NE, and at Platte Forum and RedLine in Denver, CO. Currently, he teaches painting at the Art Students League of Denver and continues to explore painting.