ASLA Oregon

August 15, 2011 Edit

in Calendar, Community, General

FUSED

FROM: Mark Woolley, PRESENTspace Curator

CONTACT: Mark Woolley (503) 998-4152 mawoolley@comcast.net

RE: AUGUST/SEPTEMBER Exhibition at PRESENTspace in the heart of the Pearl. (Location: 939 NW Glisan, entrance at NW 10th and Glisan diagonal from SILK, street level in the modernist 937 Building)

“FUSED”
New Welded Steel Sculpture by JILL TORBERSON and
New Encaustic Paintings by JEFF SCHNABEL,
Both of Portland, in Special Two Month Show
(10% of show proceeds donated to the innovative
PlayWrite program, which works with youth “at the edge” to create original plays performed by theatre professionals)

SHOW DATES: AUGUST 3-OCTOBER 1, 2011

PREVIEW PARTY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3
(6-9 PM)

FIRST THURSDAY OPENINGS AUGUST 4/SEPTEMBER 1
(6-9 PM)

In August and September, 2011, the cavernous (3500 sq ft) exhibition space known as PRESENTspace in the heart of the Pearl (939 NW Glisan in the 937 condo building) features the work of two exciting artists in “FUSED”: JILL TORBERSON, who creates unique welded steel and mixed media works and JEFF SCHNABEL, whose gorgeous encaustic paintings also utilize heat to create striking abstractions. The two artists are also “fused” in that, as good friends and faculty members at Portland State University, each has enthusiastically followed and challenged the work of the other.

Jill Torberson has turned a lifelong fascination with “garbage” and surplus materials into a unique form of expression. Deconstruction plays a large role in her design concepts. The art involves transforming existing objects into smaller or different piece and reconstructing the parts into new objects that focus on form over function. While in Portland, Jill has studied printmaking, ceramics, mixed media sculpture, as well as welding and blacksmithing.

Currently, Jill is working on several commissions in the Portland area. Her work can be seen throughout Portland as custom railings, fences, gates, balconies and art features at a variety on homes and businesses. Jill’s work can also be seen at the Boise Art Museum in Idaho and the Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale, Washington. Portland venues have included Dig garden shop in the Pearl District, the Mark Woolley Gallery, Guardino Gallery and Paxton Gate on North Mississippi Avenue. In Salem, Jill has work at the Zeek Gallery.

Jill was commissioned in the fall of 2005 by the Portland General Electric Company to create a sculpture for their corporate offices using surplus material from their stations and metal shop. This piece can be seen in downtown Portland at their office in the World Trade Center Building. Jill has also had the honor to have two sculptures at the Maryhill Museum Outdoor Sculpture Invitational Exhibition in 2007. These two works were specifically made to fit the landscape of the Columbia River Gorge. One work, “Fertility Petroglyph”, remains in the museum’s permanent collection. Currently Jill is on the faculty at Portland State University, teaching welding in the School of Architecture. Aside from her work in art and fabrication, Jill is a musician and plays the horn in several groups in Portland, including the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Portland Festival Symphony, Bravo Symphony in Vancouver, Washington, and the Northwest Horn Orchestra.

Arts writers may contact Jill at 2sporty@earthlink.net and obtain more information at www.weldmetalworks.com.

Jeff Schnabel’s encaustic work owes much of its influence to his education in architecture and landscape architecture. His studio is the place for patters in art and design to converge. Since 1985 Jeff has designed buildings and landscapes throughout the U.S., always exploring and challenging the media used to develop and present design ideas. Painting, collage, and printmaking are constantly part of his work. Encaustic is a relatively new means of expression for Jeff. He has been manipulating beeswax with a torch and knife for only three years, but in that time has fully embraced the qualities of the material.

In addition to his art explorations, Jeff is an assistant professor in the Architecture Department at Portland State University where he teaches design studios, site planning and contemporary design theory. His research is currently focused on spatial and narrative light strategies for the built environment. Jeff has done multiple collaborations with other artists on temporary light installations that take light away from neutral surfaces to spaces that transform the experiential qualities of the projected light. He recently returned to Portland from Baltimore where has principal in a practice that specialized in transforming abandoned industrial sites into new mixed use developments and landscapes. When not in the studio or teaching, Jeff spends much of his time exploring the documenting Oregon’s industrial places. Regarding his art, Jeff provided this statement:

“While living in Baltimore our yard became the site of an urban archaeological excavation. I was fascinated by the subsurface layers that suggested patterns of human activity that sometimes aligned with (but more often did not) the contemporary organization of buildings, paving, and landscapes. The deep layers of wax in my work allows me to make marks that sometimes influence the final surface of the work and just as often remain faintly visible, even invisible. In addition to building up layers of beeswax and assorted other materials, I am constantly scraping away the wax. The excavations in the wax give a glimpse into the work’s history. I have long been passionate about Jill Torberson’s work. Wels and rust are expressed honestly as a meaningful part of her sculpture. I have followed her sensibility by using beeswax in uncolored forms. Variations in tone are achieved primarily by using wax in various stages of refinement. The textures of the tools and torch are allowed to remain in the work. Jill’s influence has led to found steel objects being incorporated into the surfaces. The fact that both materials, wax and steel, are liquid under heat makes them fascinating partners in the pieces.”

Arts writers may contact Jeff at jjsch@pdx.edu.

A key aspect of the mission of PRESENTspace is to not only highlight exceptional art works, but use a portion of sales to benefit diverse and worthy causes in the Portland metro area. Prior shows have benefitted Outside In, Body Vox, and the Portland Public Art Murals Program. For this two month exhibition, which will feature some new works during the September time frame, 10% of show proceeds will be donated to PlayWrite. This unique program was formed in 2003 and works with youth “at the edge” to create original plays, powerful vehicles through which their voices are heard. PlayWrite coaches are drawn from the Oregon theater community and are trained to work one-on-one with each young person. Within the intense structured activities of PlayWrite workshops, these young writers create originals art. In the process they learn to trust, manage and heal their own emotional experiences; to work collaboratively, and to contribute positively to their communities. The plays are ultimately performed by professional actors, a thrilling finale to the entire process.

Please go to paywriteinc.org for more information.