Hi everyone!

Portland based artists Jeremy Lepisto and Mel George (husband and wife) will close the Summer Series for us this week.

Mel received her BFA with honors, majoring in glass, from the Canberra School of Art in 1998 and shortly thereafter was awarded a grant from the Australian/American Assn. to work at Bullseye Glass factory in Portland. In 2001, Mel and Jeremy Lepisto co-founded Studio Ramp LLC, a Portland based fabrication studio that helps artists and architects translate their designs into glass.

Jeremy is a graduate of Alfred University. He also held a position at Bullseye Glass Company in production and in the visiting artist program. Jeremy is currently on the board of directors for the Glass Art Society and is a key organizer for the 2008 GAS conference in Portland.

This summer, Jeremy and Mel co-taught CONSTRUCTING CONCEPTS at Pilchuck Glass School for students of fusing, slumping and casting.

In the Museum Hot Shop, they will combine their kilncasting skills with the teams blowing skills to create new work:

taking Jeremy’s water tower drawings from flat panels into the round;

blowing a number of basic domestic vessels (salt shakers, lidded bowls and platters) for Mel to use in creating mixed media vignettes;

and a joint project. Rolling up drawings in glass by both Mel and Jeremy into cylinders and distorting the imagery while hot. The annealed cylinders will be cut and sliced, re-fired and flattened into sheets that will be used as components in fused patchwork vignettes.

Walter Lieberman will be the MC for this residency.

See you in the Hot Shop.

Liz Stockhausen Cepanec
Visiting Artist Program Manager