Description
John Tappin refers to his sculptures as “figurative excerpts” which make a statement about our cultural preconceptions. Working primarily in wood, John Tappin’s silhouettes have a clarity and realism of line. Originally commissioned for the foyer of the Nepean Sportsplex, Atlas is a Woman is inspired by the Greek myth of Atlas, a primordial Titan condemned to support the earth on his shoulders for eternity. Tappin examines the back, shoulder, and arm of a female figure, reminding us that the world has also been held together by women. Born and educated in the United States, John Tappin graduated from Michigan State University, where he specialized in sculpture. He has taught sculpture and photography at Algonquin College and at the Ottawa School of Art. He has served as an artist in residence with the Ottawa Separate School Board and has received an Ontario Arts Council Artists in the Schools Award.