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Stevens Vaughn is a ritualistic water painter who uses pigments to document the language of water. His exhibitions Calligraphy of water    and Water is a color are influenced by his study and training in the philosophy of the how important imperfection is to the state of perfection in Japan and China.

Early life and education
Stevens Vaughn was born in Minnesota, United States, to Vince Vaughn and Joyce Andresen; farmers and cattle ranchers. Due to a rare form of autism resulting in a lack of the concept of time and direction, his early life was based on seasons and events. After many unsuccessful attempts at university in 1976 in South Dackota State University, he became one of the youngest peace corps volunteer at the age of 19, where he later worked in the field of tropical agriculture and community development on the island of Bohol, Philippines in 1978-79. Upon returning to the US, he learned about his autism and was mentored by Howard Meilke Macalister College in 1981. Stevens did his field work in anthropology as a country western singer in a Soviet block hotel in Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia in1982.

Career
In 1984, Vaughn set up a glass sculpture and blowing studio in Hsinchu, Taiwan and designed media for US retailers including Neimen Marcus, Bloomingdales and Gumps during which he designed products in Limoges, France and glass on the island of Murano, Italy.

In 1988, he was hired as Vice President of Fitz and Floyd and was sent to Japan to learn sculpture and painting. It was here that he began training on how "imperfection is essential to creating a state of perfection". During this time he developed ceramic and porcelain studios in Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, China and in 1991 he spent one year in Cuernevaca, Mexico, developing a porcelain studio based on what he learned in Asia. In 1992, he returned and moved to Sri Lanka and China, in addition to residences in Japan. In 1996, he moved to the island of Xiamen, China where he played a major role in the development of porcelain art in the cities of Chaozhou and Dehua, where he was given an honorary professorship in the Ceramic Institute in addition to lecturing in the Central Academy of Art Beijing.

During this time he became more involved in the development of contemporary art sculpture in crystal and porcelain, collaborating with artist Bjorn Norgaard (Denmark) as a technical adviser for the crystal sarcophagus of Her Majesty the Queen of Denmark and his Royal Highness The Prince Consort.

His methods of painting have been reported to use ritual "dripping" techniques that don't pull out the color randomly, rather distribute pigments dropwise. The technique uses instability of the fluid to create figures and the splash of the droplets to further enhance the painting.

Selected exhibitions

 * 2016          “La Memoria Della Forma” - Centro ArtiPlastiche, Carrara, Italy (Group Exhibition)
 * 2016          “Il PrimatoDelloSguardo” - Palacultura “Antonio Da Messina”, Messina, Italy (Group Exhibition)
 * 2015          “DIF- MuseoDiffuso Di Formello” - DIF Museum, Formello, Italy (Group Exhibition)
 * 2015          “Stevens Vaughn live at MAAM” - Museo dell’ Altro e dell’ Altrove di MetropolizCittaMeticcia, Rome, Italy (Solo Exhibition)
 * 2015          “Calligraphy of Water” - Innerspace 17, Torino, Italy (Group Exhibition)
 * 2015          “Stevens and Siggi the Butcher” - Nothing Gallery, Xiamen, China (Group Exhibition)
 * 2015          “Primordials” - Rolling Snowball 6, Djupivogur, Iceland (Group Exhibition)
 * 2015          “Calligraphy of Water” - Palazzo DolfinBollani, Venice, Italy (Group Exhibition)
 * 2015          “Shadows and Membranes” - Valparaiso, Chile (Group Exhibition)
 * 2015          “Valpo Steps” - Valparaiso, Chile (Group Exhibition)
 * 2015          “Utopia Distopia” - Valparaiso, Chile (Group Exhibition)
 * 2015          Bienal del Fin del Mundo – IV EditionValparaiso - Valparaíso, Chile
 * 2014/2015 Bienal del Fin del Mundo – IV EditionMar del Plata, Argentina - Valparaíso, Chile
 * 2014          “Water is a Color” - Nothing Gallery, Xiamen, China (Solo Exhibition)
 * 2013          “Water is a Color” - Rolling Snowball/4 - Chinese European Art Center (CEAC)- Quanzhou, China (GroupExhibition)
 * 2012          “Construction/Deconstruction” - TDK Center, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China (Group Art Action)
 * 2007/2008 “Riding the Tiger” - Galleri Susanne Ottesen - Copenhagen, Denmark - Mine KinesiskVenner (Group Exhibition)
 * 2007          “Blood Map of Baghdad” - Dieter Roth Academy 8th ConferenceRijksakademie, Amsterdam, Netherlands
 * 2007          “Map of Beijing - One and the Other Painting”W139 Exhibition Space Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands (Group Exhibition)
 * 2006          “Transformation” - Dieter Roth Academy 7th ConferenceHafnia Foundation, Xiamen, China
 * 2004          “Buffet of Emotions” Terra Vita - Hafnia Foundation, Xiamen, China (Group Exhibition)
 * 1988/1996 Shi Bui - Imperfection as it relates to art of painting and sculpture. Nagoya & Kyoto, Japan
 * 1982          "Glass Blowing Workshop" - Hsinchu, Taiwan
 * 1982          "Villa Rachictisa Anthropological Field Studies"Dabrovnik, Yugoslavia
 * 1981          "Cultural Anthropology" - McCalister College St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
 * 1979          "Lecturer in Philosophy and Religious Department" De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines