A cluster of triangles and lines, as distinct and bold as the wings of a bird or the fins of a fish, makes up one of artist James Tanner’s pieces, Big Fish Pyramid.

For Tanner, his favorite aspect of art “is the intimacy, the quiet, the depth of contemplation when you find yourself lost… you become a part of the art, the process.” A professor emeritus at Minnesota State University, Tanner discussed his works and inspiration during assembly on Feb. 25.

“It’s very important to exercise love, care, and patience with your tools,” Tanner said, as he showed bronze and ceramic pieces. Much of his craft uses ideas of meditation and relaxation taught by his grandmother and shows faces of Tanner’s relatives.

He also showed several pictures of the work of his wife, Janice Tanner, and the plants in his yard. “These are the other residents,” he said, as he showed the birds and deer that gather at his residence by the Sioux River.

“He had different ways of approaching the art and explaining it,” sophomore Natalie Grant said about Tanner.

Tanner’s exhibit in the Drake Gallery began on Feb. 19 and will continue until Mar. 15. His reception is this Thursday, Feb. 28.