2023 - Orcas Island
Ranna McNeil's art addresses wilderness experience and the importance of its preservation by articulating universal narratives about interdependence and connection. An interdisciplinary artist and adventurer working with sculpture, painting, photography, video and embodiment practices, her home base has been the Salish Sea Archipelago for the past 30+ years. The islands are part of an interconnected web of life with each island having its own spirit yet intimately connected to all that surrounds it, which serves as metaphor for our human challenge on the planet. With sketching journal on board, her creative ideas emerge while adventuring out on the water around these cherished islands. Decades of working with inner transformational processes and dreamwork methodologies informs the art work on a deeper level. This is the alchemy of her creative process.
Meditation at sunset at the studio.
Sketching at anchor, Patos Island National Monument.
Sketching by the shoreline at the studio.
Selected Art Exhibitions
2024 - Artists Registry Exhibition, San Juan Islands Museum of Art, Friday Harbor, WA
2023 - Artists Registry Exhibition, San Juan Islands Museum of Art, Friday Harbor, WA
2022 - Artists Registry Exhibition, San Juan Islands Museum of Art, Friday Harbor, WA
2021 - Reflections, Pilchuck at 50, Pilchuck Glass School Juried Auction with RefractSeattle, Seattle, WA
2021 - Connections, Glass Art Society Conference, Virtual 2021 Exhibition
2021 - Artists Registry Exhibition, San Juan Islands Museum of Art, Friday Harbor, WA
2020 - Through the Kaleidoscope, Pilchuck Glass School Juried Auction with RefractSeattle, Seattle, WA
2020 - Artists Registry Exhibition, San Juan Islands Museum of Art, Friday Harbor, WA
2019 - Art Over The Harbor, 2nd Annual Fine Art Show in Friday Harbor, WA
2019 - Anniversary Exhibition, San Juan Islands Museum of Art, Friday Harbor, WA
2018 - Nature and Psyche, two person exhibition, Orcas Center, Eastsound, WA
2018 - Essence, Allen Family Focus Gallery, Anacortes, WA, Juror: Michael Monroe
2018 - Cracking The Surface, Annual Juried Exhibition, San Juan Islands Museum of Art, Friday Harbor, WA
2017 - Millefiori: Creativity Coming Together, Pilchuck Glass School Annual Juried Auction, Seattle, WA
2017 - Dream Art, IASD Annual International Conference Juried Exhibition, Anaheim, CA
2016 - Spirit Taking Form, Annual Juried Exhibition, San Juan Islands Museum of Art, Friday Harbor, WA
2016 - Glow: Illuminate the Night, Pilchuck Glass School Annual Juried Auction, Seattle, WA
2016 - Tuning in to the Frequency, IASD Annual Psiber Conference Juried Dream Art, Cyberspace
2016 - Collective Visions Gallery 2016, Bremerton, WA, Juror: Leilani Lewis
2015 - Tattered, Torn & Sepia, Annual Juried Exhibition, San Juan Islands Museum of Art, Friday Harbor, WA
2013 - Great Sand Dunes National Park Visitors Center Gallery, Residency work, Mosca, CO
2013 - Edge Arts Group Exhibition, Orcas Center, Orcas Island, WA
2004-2013 - Focus on Embodied Arts Practice highlighted under Dreamwork, Meditation, 5Rhythms section
2008 - Ashes to Art, 4th International Exhibition - Scattered, Funeria Gallery, Graton, CA
2006 - Ashes to Art, 3rd International Exhibition, Crane Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2005 - La Petite XII, Alder Gallery, Coberg, OR
2005 - Tacoma Glass Art Museum, Museum Gift Shop, Tacoma, WA
2003-2004 - Second Nature - 3 Women from North America, Luniverre Gallery, Paris, France
2003 - 33rd Glass Art Society Conference, Juried Exhibition - George Scott Studios, Seattle, WA
2003 - Ashes to Art, 2nd International Exhibition, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA
2002 - Ashes to Art, Special Edition, Atelier One, Graton, CA
2001 - Ashes to Art, 1st International Exhibition, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA
2000 - Art Detour, Open Studio Event and Casting Demonstration, Seattle, WA
2000 - Annual Juried Glass Exhibition, Emerald City Fine Arts, Seattle, WA
Presentations
2019 - The Illuminated Vessel - Journey Towards Individuation, Art and Psyche: Conference IV, Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, CA — A presentation summarizing two decades of creative work developing vessel forms in glass alongside dancing/movement work; body as vessel, interwoven with dreamwork from a Jungian perspective.
Artist Residencies
2013 - Idaho Art Lab, Saint Anthony, ID - An exploration of dance and painting.
2012 - Great Sand Dunes National Park Artist, Mosca, CO - An exploration of human belonging through dance and sculpture.
Dreamwork, Meditation and 5Rhythms® - Teaching & Practice
2004-2013 - Certified to teach the 5Rhythms® Moving Mediation Dance in 2011. Certification involved dancing over 2000 hours in 5Rhythms® group embodiment practice through workshops, retreats, and ongoing groups with Gabrielle Roth and numerous 5Rhythms teachers. Created 5Rhythms® class series with the themes; Prayer Body, Moment by Moment, States of Being, & Night Waves into the Dreamtime. Integrated dreamwork in my 5Rhythms teaching, in facilitating a dream group and creating dream art.
2019-2020 - 1st Year - Embodied Imagination Certification program with Jungian analysts Robert Bosnak and Jill Fischer
Awards
2023 - Pilchuck Glass School, scholarship for Summer Casting Session
2003 - Association of Clay and Glass Artists of CA: "Excellence in Glass Award"
2001 - Association of Clay and Glass Artists of CA: "Excellence in Glass Award"
1998 - PONCHO & The Grady Foundation scholarship for Pilchuck Glass School
Galleries
Artworks Gallery, Orcas Island WA
Funeria, Graton, CA
Collections
Numerous private collections
Art Education
Fine Arts Major at Syracuse University and University of Vermont, 1978-81. Foundation core art along with studies in painting, sculpture, photography and experimental film. Ceramic studies led to my portfolio acceptance at RISD but life circumstances led me to the west coast where I found my passion for wild places. Glass studies at Pilchuck Glass School, Bullseye Glass Center, and Pratt Fine Arts Center.
Technology
After obtaining a Certificate in Programming in a yearlong vocational program in 1982/83, I worked for 25 years and progressed quickly to the position of Enterprise Operating Systems Programmer/Consultant working on IBM's z/OS Enterprise systems. Working for large corporations primarily in finance and retail, I specialized in data visualization for performance and capacity analysis (MICS, SMF, RMF), data management organization (DFSMS), disaster recovery planning, and the installation/customization of the complex z/OS operating system.
Art of Adventuring
As a child I often dreamt of flying and fulfilled this dream by earning my pilot's license in 1991, subsequently flying a Piper Cherokee 235 for 25 years primarily to remote places on the West coast of North America. I also love adventuring in all types of boats including many adventures aboard my Union 36' sailboat for 13 years. I grew up sailing in Long Island Sound aboard a variety of wooden sailboats and solo in our Hobie 14’, age 11. I currently adventure in small boats to explore the intimacy of small ‘undiscovered coves’ in the Salish Sea / Pacific Northwest nurturing a love of navigation, charts and the art of adventure. These experiences taught me resilience, discipline, and aspects of critical decision making that have deepened my understanding of the psyche while engaged in extreme or challenging situations.
Website Credits
Website design: Ranna McNeil
Website Photography: Robert Dash Photography