Bio

Originally from Wisconsin, John Oliver Lewis currently lives and works in San Diego, CA.  He earned a BFA in Ceramics from University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire and an MFA in Ceramics from the University of North Texas, School of Visual Arts.  Currently, Lewis is an Assistant Professor of Art at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, CA.

The work was most recently featured at the First International Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary Ceramics in Xi'an, China and at the Santa Monica Museum of Art. Lewis’ sculptures, drawings and installations have also been exhibited nationally at venues such as 500X Gallery, Gallery 414, good good things, Garage Gallery, My House Gallery and in the prestigious Amarillo Biennial 600 – CLAY at the Amarillo Museum of Art.

Lewis’ latest work will be available for view in upcoming exhibitions at IGLOO in Portland, OR and Overload in San Diego, CA.  In 2009, his ceramic sculpture will also be featured in 500 Ceramic Sculptures by Lark Books.



Statement

My current body of work employs the disciplines of painting, drawing and ceramics to create sculptures and installations that generate an erratic sense of purpose. These flights of imagination are supported by the inspection of architecture, natural land formations and vehicles of travel, as well as cartoons, caricature, knick-knacks, and candy. The resulting individuals are often arranged into groupings and “gangs” based on observed formal and narrative relationships.  Occasionally, these “gangs” and the resulting relationships between the pieces may shift and change, thereby causing the creation of new groupings and arrangements.  

The importance of whimsy and playfulness in the work is further present in the process.  Each form is hand-built through an intuitive assemblage of various shapes, textures and components.  Once the forms are fired, the tradition of ceramics is confronted and challenged by replacing the customary glazes with acrylic paint on the surfaces.   The application of brightly colored acrylic paint on fired clay illustrates interest in maintaining the illusion of the malleability and softness of the material in its original state.  The resulting surfaces reference the feel and appearance of “Play-Doh”.  

In my installations, the process of creating sculptures is expanded through scale and through the temporal aspect of the project.  The installations are free from the “object-ness” of sculpture, thereby allowing me to manipulate materials differently.  Using approximately 1000 pounds of clay, “Career Winning” hair products integrates the delicacy of repeated graphite lines with the sheer mass of piles of unfired clay “toupees”.  Throughout the duration of the exhibition, while the somewhat fragile lines of graphite remained fixed, the massive piles of unfired clay were mutable.  These forms cracked, shifted, slid and shrunk with each day that passed.  This evidence of time passing in the work is a characteristic of the material in and of itself.  While this quality is usually avoided via a more traditional process, there is honesty in allowing a material to react to its environment.