Dimond at work teaching in his Cove studio. ().

LA GRANDE – The Nightingale Gallery of Eastern Oregon University will present a retrospective exhibition highlighting the creative work of one of Eastern Oregon’s best known and loved local talents, Tom Dimond.

The exhibition will run Oct. 5-26. There will be an opening reception honoring the artist from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 5. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The exhibit represents Dimond’s full career as an artist, which spans a period from 1962 to the present.

During the past 45 years, Dimond’s art has exhibited a common thread that began in his days as a young artist. Specific forms, an interest in texture, luminosity, transparency and subtle coloration are present in some way throughout his body of work. Diamond’s close association with the elements of nature earth, sky, fire and water have influenced him greatly. These influences remain constant companions on Diamond’s journey into the collective unconscious and exhibit themselves in the art that has come about while on that journey.

“My journey has been a strange one and at times more difficult than I care to recount, but it has been a most rewarding journey,” Diamond says. “And, as is so often said of many journeys, ‘It ain’t over yet!'”

The exhibit will feature signature works in ceramics, glass and mixed media that will give viewers an insight into Diamond’s journey and his development as an artist.

Dimond is Professor Emeritus of Art at Eastern Oregon University. He spent 32 years as an instructor of art at EOU teaching everything from ceramics and glass to design and jewelry.

He did his undergraduate work in art at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater working with respected ceramic artists such as Clayton Bailey and Peter Voulkos.

Dimond went on to earn his Master of Fine Arts degree from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. At SIU he worked closely with the notable ceramicists Nicolas Vergette and Bill Boysen. Dimond was instrumental in assisting Boysen in beginning the first art glass program at SIU and was the first SIU grad to feature glass work in his MFA exhibit.

After graduate school Dimond went on to work at the University of Chicago, Circle Campus, as director of the art workshops, then Whitman College in Walla Walla as an instructor of art. He came to Eastern Oregon University in 1972.

Soon after arriving Dimond convinced his colleagues to allow him to start a glass studio in the basement of Inlow Hall. His glass program at EOU ran from 1972 to 1991.

Dimond has had a profound influence on many EOU students over the years. After retiring from EOU in 2004, he has maintained an active studio practice and today continues both his creative endeavors and sharing his knowledge at his hot glass studio in Cove. He and his wife, Barb, make their home in Cove.

He welcomes visitors to his studio/gallery where they will often find him blowing glass with his former student, Kevin Boylan, a talented artist in his own right.

“The Nightingale Gallery is very pleased to be able to curate and present ‘Tom Dimond: A Retrospective’ to honor the devoted artist and educator who has demonstrated such love and commitment to his art, his students, the university and the community,” said Corey Peeke, director of the Nightingale Gallery.

For further information about the exhibition call the gallery, 541-962-3667, or go online to www.eou.edu/art.