Jeff Wallin, Transform Boundary, 2008
kilnformed glass
27.25 x 17.375 x 1.25 inches installed
Photo: M. Schmitt
Portland, OR - Bullseye Gallery is pleased to announce new work by emerging artist Jeff Wallin. The exhibit, Tension, will be exhibited from December 2, 2008 – January 31, 2009.
During a four-week residency this year in Amsterdam, Wallin devoted his time to “exploring the dynamic interaction between artist and model.” He explains that, “working directly in glass, my goal was to preserve the raw, spontaneous gesture of an early sketch while resolving the composition with the clarity and focus that comes from careful consideration of color and texture.” Accordingly, Wallin’s art is marked by contrasts; in his words, he is concerned with “the differences between image and illustration, spontaneity and deliberation, perception and observation.” This tension is further reflected in his medium, as Wallin captures the immediate qualities of a charcoal drawing in fused glass.
“What is seen on first glance?” Wallin asks, “What catches the eye before interruption of thought and reason? What single detail expresses the whole? Those questions, along with my family’s experience in the Netherlands, resonated within my work during the course of the residency.” As he recounts it, “nonessentials were left behind as we were given a rare opportunity to step outside of the familiar and see the crucial elements of our family life and of my art, before returning home with different eyes.” “We can be affected by where we are,” he reflects, “as well as where we are not."
Since studying art at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, Wallin has refined his glass skills working at Fireart Glass in Portland, Oregon. In 2004, he won the First Place (Nonfunctional) Prize in the e-merge competition for up-and-coming glass artists. In 2007, he was awarded the Sybren Valkema Prize from the Young Glass competition held in Ebeltoft, Denmark. Most recently, Wallin has completed his stay as a 2008 Artist-In-Residence at Vrij Glas Studio in Zaandam, Netherlands.
Download: Jeff Wallin November 4, 2008