Helping hands... 01/12/2010
 
Mel and I are receiving an ample amount of help and support settling into our new home in Australia from friends and family. As part of these new "world headquarters", I have started to assemble a fabrication studio in the garage, begun a new body of work, and am about to be in a group show at Sabbia Gallery in Sydney later this month.

In the meantime, I have been helping an excellent Sydney based artist Warren Langley with a commission he is working on for an exposition in Shanghai. Warren is composing his large commission "Microscopia" at the Canberra Glassworks with his assistant Trent. They rolled into town with 80% of the project completed so that it will be ready to ship by early November. Below is a photo of Warren and Trent contemplating the piece and a couple shots of the textured glass components that I am helping with. I have also added a short news report about the piece.
 
 
I have just recently finished my residency at the Australian National University's glass department. The students there were accommodating and fun to be around. I used the time to get my bearings on making here in Australia and to create a couple experimental ideas. In the end, I focused on creating two versions of a single piece. These pieces are now being shown at the Canberra Glassworks gallery in an exhibit entitled "Drawn Across".

Although all of my work has an autobiographical component, I decided to create my first direct self portrait. I thought I could use the format of my Slider Series to best depict the emotional environment that I find myself currently in. With this self portrait, I could portray the recent transition of my life from Portland to Canberra and explore the lateral similarities. As well, I would illustrate these points to create a second piece that would be a collection of destinations along the way.

The Slider(titled "Drawn Across") shows an imagined geographical path between a water tank in Australia and the Old Town water tower in Portland. As the viewer slides the image of me across the path, the sketch I am creating/holding matches up with points along the background. It is the points where the scene and the sketch match up that have been recreated to make the second piece in the show ("25 Sketches"). To go further, the total retail cost for all the "25 Sketches" is equal to that of "Drawn Across". Also, if you were to weigh all of the sketches, they would equal the weight of the slider. Below are some process shots of the work and some images of the show.
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Down South... 08/20/2009
 
Mel and I have landed in Australia.

I have been at the Australian National University doing an artist residency and we are trying to get ourselves settled. It is all been a bit overwhelming.

I am working on some unfinished things for a show at the Canberra Glassworks. For now, here are some shots of some cockatoos and Nadege doing a rollup for me at the school:
 
Parting shots... 07/04/2009
 

We handed over the keys to an empty Studio Ramp on June 30th.....

...however, it wasn't before throwing a Bon Voyage party at the shop for all the friends and family who have helped us have a such a great and successful studio.
 
 

Howdy, I just got back from the Corning GAS conference and am now get to visit with folks coming in for the BeCon conference, finish projects, continue the purge, finish Wheaton work, and enjoy Portland.

Go here to see some conference pics:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=131344&id=690691604&l=f9cffb9ead

 
 

ABOVE: This is the final month before the big move to Australia. The studio is starting to empty out. While I was off in the UK, Mel began the purge and sale of anything that could use a better home than storage or a shipping Container.

BELOW: We have a couple studio jobs left on the board. Namely, a triptych piece for Richard Jolley. On the side, I am preparing for Wheaton Glass Weekend and whittling my tools down to just the necessities...

 
 
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I have just gotten back from a great trip to the UK. You can see some shots at:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125110&id=690691604&l=a8c3a583aa

With the break over, I am trying to  work on getting pieces out to the Blue Rain Gallery (http://www.blueraingallery.com/artists/jeremy_lepisto) for a show, and also for the Wheaton Glass Weekend (http://www.contempglass.org/events/glassweekend.html) sponsored by the Riley Galleries (http://www.rileygalleries.com/artist/a102218.html).

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It is official, we are moving to Australia in July. My wife, Mel George, got an awesome job at the Canberra Glassworks as Manager of Programs and Artist Services in her hometown. We will take a hiatus from our studio in Portland to explore life together down under. Please check out how cool the Glassworks is at www.canberraglassworks.com.

 
 

The Bridge Series was my first kilnformed series. It led me into the kilnforming work that I am doing now. It was also the first body of my work that I thought I could stand behind and approach a gallery with.

This series was developed from the years I spent at Bullseye Glass working in the factory and with their visiting artists. During my time there I didn't make any personal artwork except for the sketches in my sketch book. I instead focused on learning about my craft and helping some of the leading talents in the game create their own work.

I was lucky to have had the job I had. I knew if the artists I had helped had had their choice, I would have not necessarily been the one they wanted as their assistant. My position at Bullseye forced me to tackle many different tasks and expand my understanding of glass and art.

Near the end of my time at Bullseye, the company decided to have a show of the employees' personal artwork. I had been sketching bridge forms and thought I would make one for the show. Here is the original sketch from my sketch book:

The bridges are about connecting a situation with an outcome. Each one deals with a certain personal situation that is abstracted into a contained form. Some situations are built and connect well and some can not span the distance. The lines inside the pieces are firm and distinct. Their surfaces are gently burnished to give a sense of time and memory.

I started the series in 2001. This also was the same year that I left Bullseye. This series helped me define my focus with glass and also provided my start showing with the Traver Gallery and others.

However, my life changed and my focus shifted. I started a new chapter building my own studio. With a studio, my focus and periphery was filled. I could no longer just react to separate small situations. I began building Towers.

 
 

Howdy,

You can check out more images of the Traver show at their website and of the install at:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=114849&id=690691604&l=77ed286222

more soon...