An Exhibition of Ceramics by Terry Shepherd
and Paintings by Dan Logé
Sponsored by Chuck and Patti Shear / Shear Inc.
December 4 – January 28
Terry Shepherd, The Art Center’s Director of Ceramics, has led The Art Center of Western Colorado’s ceramic studio since 1984. With a career spanning over 49 years, he is a respected ceramic artist and educator, and has studied and worked with Paul Soldner and many other accomplished ceramic artists. Each December, Shepherd exhibits new work alongside a selected artist working in a 2-D medium. This year he will be exhibiting with Dan Logé. Logé is highly respected for his oil paintings that feature landscapes and wildlife subjects.
Shepherd will have on display a wide variety of vessel forms and platters for this exhibition, some purely functional and others with a subtle sculptural stance inspired by natural forms such as river rock, plant forms, and stylized figurative contours. His firing process is extensive, incorporating reduction-fired stoneware, porcelain, Raku, saggar firing, and salt-vapored ceramic work. Shepherd draws inspiration from Chinese, Japanese, British, and American stoneware traditions as well as Native American ceramic practices. Shepherd’s curiosity and pursuit of serendipitous results leads him to take risks and embrace alternative firing methods. His personal approach to firing some work includes deliberate placement of pieces in the direct flame path of the kiln where the vapors from sodium and copper metal oxides result in sublime and dramatic embellishments. The contrasting colors of Shepherd’s over/under glazes combined with his gestural brush strokes form a counterpoint to the energy of his throwing and the softened geometry of slab forms. This year Shepherd is featuring a series of wall platters which are a departure from his familiar vividly colored use of Shino glaze. He is revisiting a more restrained and minimal mode of working while featuring a subtle essence of form glazed in white with the only embellishment being bold, abstract, energetic brush strokes in black.
Shepherd states, “I like the work to communicate a personal visual language while celebrating the strength and essence of form and the lively spirit of clay and its ability to dress up, titillate our senses, and embellish life as enhanced by the hand! I especially like to embrace the unexpected and serendipitous results of the firing process, as it can embellish the work beyond my intent!”
Terry says of Logé, “I’ve known Dan and his wife, Ellen, for many years. Dan taught painting classes for The Art Center before relocating to Las Vegas. When I heard he had moved back to Grand Junction this past year, I was excited to have his work exhibited alongside mine. I’m honored to have him as a part of the exhibition. Dan is a masterful painter and excellent draftsman. His landscapes resonate with light and project a mood indicative of the moment. Some of the wildlife renditions are more than just static realistic depictions of animal life. He has an uncanny ability to depict animals in their natural environment and imbue them with a depth of emotion.”
Logé states, “The paintings I have on display here are just a reflection or an attempt at explaining how I felt when observing the world around me. My paintings carry with them traces of the places I’ve been and the things I have experienced on a personal level. They are passing thoughts and emotions materialized on canvas.
"Sometimes paintings succeed where words fall short. It’s my choice of communication. There are many reasons why I paint, but for me it’s a life journey to discover my relationship with nature. The joy of creating great art is to engage in a learning process. The simple act of constructing a painting from the first brushstroke to the last has to do with responding to the subject directly and with immediacy. There needs to be a connection between the artist and the subject; otherwise, why bother? My 'good ones' happen when I was present in the moment and responding to the flow of nature. You could call that 'the art spirit,' if you like. Nature teaches us, as long as we pay attention to the lesson in front of us.”