STEPHEN ROLFE POWELL

© 2011 Ken Saunders Gallery Printed and bound in the United States of America, all rights reserved. Photography by David Harpe Book Design by Jo-Nell SierenFirst Edition: June 2011

230 West Superior Street Chicago, IL 60654 | T 312.573.1400 F 312.573.0575

www.kensaundersgallery.com | Info@kensaundersgallery.com

STEPHEN ROLFE POWELL

Copious Coy Pirouette, 20114.5 x 17.5 x 17.5 inches

4

The works by Stephen Powell that we are all familiar with have always been over the top blown glass creations that are a sly mix of humor and slight of hand vir-tuosity. With their suggestive figurative features and impossibly ambitious scale these works were Stephen’s signature creations. The acclaim these works received was truly deserved. Powell’s consummate skills as an artist and craftsman have been acknowledged.

Now challenged to create something fresh for a new audience Powell has returned to a far smaller form, more intimate in scale but even more intense in his use of color. These new works are varied in shape, more so than at any point in his career but they remain absolutely signature work, ranking with his best efforts.

I am personally thrilled to be able to present this exhibition of Stephen Powell’s latest work and publish this catalogue documenting the show.

Ken Saunders

Lascivious Manic Gaze, 201123 x 11 x 4.5 inches

8

Swirling Cherry Tickle, 20119.125 x 14.75 x 14.75 inches

12

Omnious Blue Vertigo, 20104.5 x 17.5 x 17.5 inches

14

Teasing Rainbow Slicker, 20117.125 x 19.5 x 19.5 inches

16

Honey Nippled Gaze, 201140.25 x 26.5 x 16.25 inches

18

Dawning Topaz Shrug, 201019.5 x 15.5 x 5.5 inches

20

Dawning Coy Bang, 20109.75 x 16.5 x 16.5 inches

23

Frenetic Crying Truth, 201140.25 x 24.25 x 13.25 inches

26

Slithering Lime Blaze, 20118 x 20.5 x 19.5 inches

30

Laconic Aqua Secret, 201112 x 12 x 12 inches

32

Blue Twister Dusk, 201112 x 12.5 x 12.5 inches

35

Naive Vertigo Glare, 20115.75 x 19.25 x 19.25 inches

36

Bodacious Peeking Striper, 201138.75 x 27.5 x 17.25 inches

38

Flirting Torrid Swoon, 201121.5 x 14 x 3.75 inches

42

Nurturing Bombastic Gig, 201010.5 x 9.5 x 9.5 inches

44

Buttery Spanking Breeze, 201037.5 x 23.5 x 13 inches

46

Torrid Citrus Nudge, 201126.5 x 20.5 x 19 inches

50

Cherry Puffy Puff, 201126 x 21.5 x 18.75 inches

52

Jealous Frantic Striker, 201041.25 x 24.25 x 15.75 inches

56

My life has become more symmetrical or balanced in the last ten years as I have gotten married, had two sons and aged. In contrast, my work has be-come asymmetrical and a little bit out of control. Before that much of my life was in flux and I depended on the symmetry and balance in my work to keep me grounded or centered. Having children also influenced my work towards more dynamic pieces that are less formal and more sculptural.

I am intrigued by shapes that are formed by growth or other forces of nature that are swollen or puffed in to irregular shapes. I am as fascinated by the shapes of okra and tomatoes from my garden as I am by the shapes of peo-ple’s heads and bodies. I particularly notice the shape of the human forehead.

With these newest pieces we are pushing the limits of the hot-making process that we have developed. We are exaggerating the shapes to an extreme that has resulted in new postures and gestures. The piec-es are about life, movement, color and beauty. In this troubled time with so many natural disasters and war, I hope my work can furnish a refuge or, at least, a temporary escape to a life affirming experience.

My work is mostly about color. The artists that have the most influ-ence on my work are Mark Rothko, Kenneth Noland, Claude Monet, and Georges Seurat. In addition to these influences, I have always been drawn to the physicalness and directness of Jackson Pollock.

I was drawn to the process of glassblowing because of the immediacy and intensity. I have always been something of a pyromaniac, as my background in ceramics was mostly involved with the raku firing. I do have a love of fire.

As for the pieces, I hope that my color combinations are unique and that they trigger emotive reactions. The shapes of my pieces are influenced by the gestures and postures of the human figure. A final element of my work that is often overlooked is the texture created by the thousands of colored beads applied to the surface. Museums and galleries may not like it, but I encourage viewers to touch my pieces. I must admit that I take a certain delight in catching a viewer fondling a piece of mine.

This newest work reflects a blend of the asymmetry and sculptural con-cerns of my recent work with the vessel tradition of my older work. I am hoping to maintain the gestural, more dynamic feel of the previ-ous work and combine it with a more classical pose. The asymmetry is freeing and allows for more expressive forms. This asymmetry is tem-pered by the order of the pattern and the physical balance of the piece.

Lino Tagliapietra and Stephen Powell.

69

Stephen, his wife, Shelly, and sons, Zachary Hawk and Oliver Blue.

71

STEPHEN ROLFE POWELLBorn: 1951 Birmingham, Alabama

EDUCATION

1983 MFA Louisiana State University 1980 Teaching Certificate, Birmingham-Southern College 1974 BFA, Centre College

MUSEUM COLLECTIONS Racine Art Museum Racine, WisconsinHunter Museum of American Art Chattanooga, TennesseeMuskegon Museum of Art Muskegon, MichiganMontgomery Museum of Fine Art Montgomery, AlabamaThe Corning Museum of Glass Corning, New YorkCincinnati Art Museum Cincinnati, OhioGrounds For Sculpture Hamilton, New JerseyWustum Museum of Fine Arts Racine, WisconsinCleveland Museum of Art Cleveland, OhioDetroit Institute of Arts Detroit, MichiganWagga Wagga City Art Gallery Wagga Wagga, AustraliaSydney College of Art Sydney, AustraliaThe Auckland Museum Auckland, New ZealandHuntsville Museum of Art Huntsville, AlabamaBaptist Hospital/Desoto South Haven, MississippiRegent Hotel Le Plume, Hong KongMobile Museum of Fine Art Mobile, AlabamaBirmingham Museum of Art Birmingham, AlabamaHermitage Museum St. Petersburg, RussiaRed May Glass Museum Vishny Volochok, RussiaLvov Art Institute Lvov, UkraineHaystack Mountain School Deer Isle, MaineLamar Dodd Art Center LaGrange, GeorgiaCentre College Danville, KentuckyAdele and Leonard Leight Collection Louisville, KentuckyProvidian Corporation Louisville, KentuckyHumana Corporation Louisville, KentuckyTropican Corporation St. Petersburg, FloridaDonnelley Printing Corporation Chicago, Illinois

KEN SAUNDERS GALLERY

U.S. $65.95