I will have work in the Coconino Community College Facutly Exhibition in Flagstaff, AZ from March 29 - April 21, 2017. If you're in the area please check out what my talented colleagues are doing in their studios.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- The smell of wood drifts off the sawdust, the wood chips. Fingers glide along smoothness of grain. She works in wood, creating handmade utensils and cutting boards. It is her art.

“I like people to use my artwork, to interact with them and to discover and appreciate the grain of the wood,” said artist Trace Glau, who also teaches art classes at Coconino Community College. “My work is very tactile. I spend hours sanding the pieces to a smooth sheen, making them more durable and long lasting.”

Glau and nine other artists who teach at CCC will be featured at a Faculty Art Exhibition, April 3-21 at the Lone Tree Campus in Flagstaff.

Featured CCC faculty artists in the exhibit are: Hope Barnett, Joe Cornett, Don Fethkenher, Elaine Dillingham, Jeremy Gemetta, Trace Glau, Alan Petersen, Bennett Roti, James Schroeder and Barbara Sheeley.

The exhibit will feature photography, oil and acrylic paintings, watercolor paintings, wood work, ceramics and more.

Petersen, who heads the CCC Fine Arts Department, said, “In the past 26 years, the CCC art faculty have presented a number of exhibitions of their work, both on campus and at art galleries downtown. CCC visual art faculty are all professional artists and exhibit their work regularly.”

Petersen added, “It’s important for students and the campus community to be able to see the work that the faculty create. It provides a context for students, as well as, hopefully, inspiration for them.”

Glau enjoys being a part of the Faculty Art Exhibition.

“It allows me to see what the other art professors are creating, and to show with my colleagues is an honor,” Glau said. “I enjoy the venue as anyone walking through the commons can enjoy the artwork display.”

Fethkenher, who works in ceramics, said, “The students see us in class as teachers, and the don’t often get the opportunity to see our work. The show gives them a chance to see it. They get to see what clay can do and get different ideas.”

Fethkenher shows his students the basic techniques, and once they get the hang of the techniques, to move beyond them.

“I tell them to put ‘you’ into it,” Fethken her said. “That’s what art is. That’s what makes art art.”

Glau’s work as a professor at CCC includes helping students overcome their fears of publicly displaying their work. Therefore, it is only logical that her students see her work on display.

“I tell them that exhibiting your art is indeed like baring your soul and showing a part of you and your psyche, but it also is a way to bring beauty, awareness, curiosity and delight to the world,” she said. “Art is a way of expression like no other, a freedom to illustrate your inner thoughts, and a rare opportunity to bring a viewer into your creation.”

Glau also tells her students that art should always be a part of their lives.

“We talk about how we feel when we create, how what we create can impact the world in a variety of ways and how creating art can tell us about ourselves,” Glau said. “Whether the students want art as their career or just a creative outlet, I encourage them to pursue, not be afraid, and to explore their inner selves.”