Lorraine Glessner Fiber & Encaustic
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Contact  lorigles@earthlink.net


Experience is never limited and it is never complete; it is an immense sensibility,
a kind of huge spiderweb of the finest silken threads suspended in the chamber of
consciousness and catching every airborne particle in its tissue.
-Henry James

All living things leave a physical mark, a stain or an imprint. The cyclic nature of the earth and our bodies serve to jog the mind, to remind us of the propensity to seek progress within cycle, and to measure that progress against the repetitive constant. Layers of holes, cracks, smudges, graffiti and signage on the surfaces of the earth, the body and within urban environments speak to this cycle and read as a palimpsest on which personal, political and cultural histories are written. I see the marks as maps, leading the way, telling a story and giving us a sense of place.

My recent work has been inspired by a photographic exploration involving ideas of the mark, narrative and life cycles as it relates to the urban landscape and environments of the city. By reading these marks, one gets a sense of a neighborhood, it’s past and the people who live there. I'm struck by the way in which the best people will prevail in even the worst circumstances, like the woman who lives next to a boarded up crack house, yet paints her house pink and plants fake flowers! In row after row of homes, it’s the contrasts of color, texture, pattern, ambiance, form and mood that have affected my work since collecting these photographs. With these contrasts in mind, I combine layers of encaustic medium with fabric and found paper that has been subjected to branding and staining. Recorded marks, in the form of rubbings, drawings, and images taken from surfaces of the city are merged together with the stained materials along with my intuitive responses to them in paint. Through these materials, my intent is to follow and record these marks as evidence of the spectacle, the vulnerability and complexity of human activity and the poetic violence that is life. 

 

 

 

 

 



EDUCATION

Tyler School of Art, Temple University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Master of Fine Arts Degree, 2003
Fiber

Moore College of Art and Design
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Certificate of Completion, 1996
Desktop Publishing/Computer Graphics Program

Philadelphia University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Bachelor of Science Degree, 1989
Textile Design


SOLO SHOWS

2010

Grace and Joseph Gorevin Fine Arts Gallery, Cabrini College, Radnor, Pennsylvania

2008

St Asaph Gallery, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania

2007

Joan Derryberry Art Gallery, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, Tennessee
Strata, Kelly Writers House Gallery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2006

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Django, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2005

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2004

The Other Journal, www.theotherjournal.com

 
TWO-PERSON SHOWS

2009

Clay Scot Gallery, Birmingham, Alabama

2008

Passages, Gallery One, Nashville, Tennessee

2007

Nexus, Red Star Studio Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri
Layer Kake, Exhibit A Gallery, Asbury Park, New Jersey

2005

Sykes Gallery, Millersville University, Millersville, Pennsylvania

2003

MFA Thesis Exhibition, Temple University Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1997

Roche-Bobois Showroom, Marketplace Design Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

 
GROUP SHOWS

2010

Waxing Lyrical, Mercy Gallery, Windsor, Connecticut
Collective Thread, University of Central Missouri Gallery of Art & Design, Warrensburg, Missouri
Pushing the Limits, Artspace, Richmond, Virginia
The Inaugural Exhibition at The Gallery at City Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2009

The Divas and Iron Chefs of Encaustic, Stanier Gallery, Washington & Lee University, Lexington, Virginia
Rare Pleasures, Parlor Gallery, Asbury Park, New Jersey
Art of the State Exhibition, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
10x10, Inliquid, 10th Anniversary Benefit Auction, The Crane Building, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Second Skin, New Hope Arts Center, New Hope, Pennsylvania
Asher Neiman Art in the Home, New York, New York
Holiday Show, Asher Neiman Gallery, Red Bank, New Jersey

2008

Annual Juried Show, Abington Art Center, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
The Divas and Iron Chefs of Encaustic, UTSA Gallery, University of Texas, San Antonio, Texas
68th Annual Juried Exhibition, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Organics, Robert Peck Gallery, Central Wyoming College, Riverton, Wyoming
The Natural World Unveiled, Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
Contemporary Repetition: Soft Sculptural Media, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences, Loveladies, NJ
New Faces, Art in City Hall Juried Exhibition, City Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tyler School of Art Alumni Exhibition, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Art of the State Exhibition, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Annual Faculty Exhibition, Peters Valley Craft Center, Layton, New Jersey
Dear Fleisher: Invitational Exhibition of Small Works, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Inaugural Group Exhibition, Clay Scot Gallery, Birmingham, Alabama
On the Edge, 301 Gallery, Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, Massachusetts

2007

Victory for Tyler, Alumni Exhibition Series, Crane Arts Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Fiberart International, Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Second Annual Encaustic Invitational, Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, Arizona
Art of the State Exhibition, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Invitational Salon Exhibition of Small Works, New Arts Program, Kutztown, Pennsylvania
A Show of Hands Art Auction, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
First National Encaustic Painting Conference Exhibit, Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, Massachusetts
Painted Bride Summer in the City Fundraiser, Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Layer Kake, Exhibit A Gallery, Asbury Park, New Jersey
The Divas and Iron Chefs of Encaustic, UTSA Gallery, University of Texas, San Antonio, Texas

2006

Exhibit 3, Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nancie Mattice Emerging Artist Award Winners Exhibition, Dangenart Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee
A Show of Hands Art Auction, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Invitational Salon Exhibition of Small Works, New Arts Program, Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Dear Fleisher: Invitational Exhibition of Small Works, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sixth Annual Silent Auction, Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Annual Faculty Exhibition, Peters Valley Craft Center, Layton, New Jersey
Art of the State Exhibition, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Goldman Properties, White Building, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Elemental, Wired Gallery, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
The Divas and Iron Chefs of Encaustic, SECAC/MACAA Conference Exhibition, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
Hot Wax Encaustic Exhibition, Lauryn Taylor Gallery, Carmel, California
InLiquid Silent Auction, Crane Arts Building, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Across the Line, Gallery at St. Asaph's Church, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania

2005

Second Miniature Art Textiles Exhibit, Invitational, Ocean County Artist's Guild, Island Heights, New Jersey
A Tribute to Fiber Art, Juried Exhibition, APEX Gallery, Washington, DC
Invitational Salon Exhibition of Small Works, New Arts Program, Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Constants & Variables, The Surface Design Association's Conference Membership Exhibition, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
A Show of Hands Art Auction, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May Juried Exhibition, EP Designworks Gallery, www.epdesignworks.com
CIVA Small Works Auction, Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California
Sixth Annual Silent Auction, Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Annual Summer Faculty Exhibition, Peters Valley Craft Center, Layton, New Jersey
Embracing the Gift, Juried Exhibition, Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California
Art by Textiles, Invitational Exhibition, The Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts, Millville, New Jersey
From the Studio 2: Selections from the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours, The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Across the City Line: POST Preview, Gallery at St. Asaph's Church, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
35th Annual Peter's Valley Benefit Auction, Lafayette, New Jersey

2004

Fiber Artists: Philadelphia, A Juried Exhibition, DaVinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Beyond the Stitch: A Regional Fiber Art Invitational, Ocean County Artist's Guild, Island Heights, New Jersey
ArtHouston, Mixed Bag Gallery Invitational, Houston, Texas

2003

My World in Black and White, Fiber and Mixed-Media Juried Online Show
Images of the Body: Sacred, Personal, and Public, CIVA's Conference Juried Exhibition, Boston, Massachusetts
Next Wave, The Surface Design Association's Conference Juried Student Competition, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri

2002

Six Degrees in Cold Storage, College Art Association Juried MFA Exhibition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1999

Embellished Truths, University of Toledo Juried Photography Exhibition, Toledo, Ohio
Fine Focus, Small Quilts Juried Traveling Exhibition

1998

Annual Juried Photography Exhibit, Phillips Mill Gallery, New Hope, Pennsylvania
Crossing Boundaries, Temple University Conference Art Exhibition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Exquisite Corpse, Women's Caucus for Art National Conference Exhibition, Toronto, Canada
Land-Escapes, Bradley University and Peoria Art Guild Juried Digital Art Exhibition, Peoria, Illinois
Manipulated Photographic Image, FACET National Juried Exhibition, Taos, New Mexico

1997

SCAN Exhibition Juried Show, Silicon Gallery, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaAnnual Juried Photography Exhibit, Phillips Mill Gallery, New Hope, Pennsylvania

 
TEACHING EXPERIENCE

2003-present
Assistant Professor
TylerSchool of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Courses:Surface Pattern and Image I & II, Alternative Materials I & II, Silkscreen on Fabric I & II, Digital Printing I & II

2009
Workshop Instructor
Mark-making & Encaustic, Jackson Hole Art Association
Alternative Embellishment, Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Encaustic, Textile Art Alliance, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio  

2008
Workshop Instructor

Mark-making & Encaustic, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina
Divas & Iron Chefs of Encaustic, College Art Association Annual Conference, Dallas, Texas
Divas & Iron Chefs of Encaustic, VCU Arts Symposium, VCU, Richmond, Virginia
Alternative Embellishment, Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA
Explorations in Mark-making, Peters Valley Craft Center, Layton, New Jersey
Alternative Embellishment & Encaustic, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN

2007
Workshop Instructor
Peters Valley Craft Center, Layton, New Jersey, Contemporary Encaustic Techniques
Surface Design International Conference, Kansas City, Missouri, Experimental Drawing
Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA, Adventures in Mark-making

2006
Workshop Instructor
Peters Valley Craft Center, Layton, New Jersey, Contemporary Encaustic Techniques
Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
Branding, Rusting and Encaustic on Fabric

2005
Fibers Area Head (Acting)

Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Workshop Instructor
Peters Valley Craft Center, Layton, New Jersey, Experimental Drawing

2003
Instructor
TylerSchool of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Structural Embellishment

2001-2002
Teaching Assistant
TylerSchool of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Courses: Silkscreen on Fabric, Surface Pattern and Image

2001-2003
Technical Assistant
TylerSchool of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2009
Fibers Department Head 
Peters Valley Craft Center, Layton, New Jersey
Juror
Peters Valley Craft Fair, Layton, New Jersey
Award Judge
Weaving, New Jersey State Fair, Sussex County, New Jersey

2003
Studio Assistant

Sharyn O’Mara, Untitled (Corner), Solo Show, Nexxus Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sharyn O’Mara, Eagle’s Nest Project for Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Astrid Bowlby, Gallery Joe Solo Show, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2002
Studio Assistant
Nicholas Kripal, Genesis Project, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1998
Decorative Painter
Carole Gordon/The Painted Garden, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1998-2000
Chapter Treasurer
Women’s Caucus for Art, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

1993-1998
Manager/Display Artist
Baker, Knapp & Tubbs, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1989-1993
Textile Designer
Jacquard Fabrics, Inc., Lakewood, New Jersey

 
LECTURES AND DEMONSTRATIONS

2010
Gallery Talk, Grace and Joseph Gorevin Fine Arts Gallery, Cabrini College, Radnor, Pennsylvania

2009
Lecture, Textile Art Alliance, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio

2008
Invited Speaker, Second Annual Encaustic Painting Conference, Monserrat College of Art, Beverly, Massachusetts
Visiting Artist Lecture, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina
Divas & Iron Chefs of Encaustic, Panel Speaker, College Art Association Annual Conference, Dallas, Texas
Divas & Iron Chefs of Encaustic, Panel Speaker, VCU Arts Symposium, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

2007
Gallery Talk, Joan Derryberry Art Gallery, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, Tennessee
Lecture and Encaustic Demonstration, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2006
Encaustic and Collage, SECAC/MACAA Conference, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee

2005
Composting, Encaustic & Branding, Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Gallery Talk, Sykes Gallery, Millersville University, Millersville, Pennsylvania

2003
Alternative Materials: Tyvek, Spring Open House, Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Gallery Talk, Temple Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2002
Polaroid Transfers on Fabric, Spring Open House, Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Computers for Fabric Design, Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1997
Computers and Opportunities, Women's Caucus for Art, Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania


GRANTS AND AWARDS


2008
Anne K. Allison Award, 68th Annual Juried Exhibition, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Montserrat Award, On the Edge, 301 Gallery, Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, Massachusetts

2007
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Individual Creative Artist Fellowship in Crafts

2006
Third Place, Painting, Art of the State Exhibition, The State Museum of Pennsylvania
Nancie Mattice Emerging Artist Award, Dangenart Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee
Nominee, NICHE Arts Educator of the Year Award

2005
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Individual Creative Artist Fellowship in Crafts
Nominee, NICHE Arts Educator of the Year Award

2003
Teaching Assistantship, Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2001-2002
Technical/Teaching Assistantship, Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania


BIBLIOGRAPHY

2010
Prendergast, Holly, Holy Spirit Library Showcases Contemporary Art, Cabrini College Loquitur, March 12, Issue 20

2009
Surface Design Newslettter, Volume 22, No 4, Winter, p12-13
Nelson, James R, New Gallery Sets High Standards, Birmingham News, Visual Arts Column, November
Pelfrey, David, A Sampling of Noteworthy Exhibits, Birmingham City Paper, November 26, Cover, p 26

2008
Surface Design Journal, Fall, Front Cover Image
Malarcher, Patricia, Emerging Voices: Artfully Young, Surface Design Journal, Fall, p 2
Ruyak, Jacqueline, Layers of Meaning, Surface Design Journal, Fall, p 34-37
Slupe, Ellen, Art of the State, Art Matters, August, p 20
Surface Design Newsletter, Volume 21, No 4, Fall, Back Cover
O’Sullivan, Michael, Artists Wax Eloquent in an Ancient Medium, Washington Post, April 25, WE45
Venart, Lynne, The Divas & Iron Chefs of Encaustic @ Mclean Project for the Arts, DCist Weblog, April 24
Moyer, Dale, The Surface Design Association Web Site, Home Page Image, 2008-2009
Gestures, Issue 47, Summer, p 12

2007
Harrison, Holly, Mixed-Media Collage, Quayside Publishing Group, Beverly, Massachusetts, pp 90-91
Good, Liz, Sampling, Fiberarts Magazine, September/October, Vol 34, No 2, pp 1, 34
Fiberart International 2007 Catalog,
Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh, Inc., p 40
Pollen, Jason, Letter From the President, Surface Design Newsletter, Volume 20, No 3, Summer, 2007, p 3
Slupe, Ellen, Art of the State, Art Matters, August, p 16

2006
Gustavson, Peter, Reviews, Gallery Guide Online, July
Baizerman, Susan, Breaking New Ground, Surface Design Journal, Vol 30, No 5, Fall 2006, p 9
Watson, Lisa Crawford, Hot Wax, Monterey County Herald, GO! Magazine, September 7, 2006
Surface Design Journal Gallery Issue, Volume 30, No 5, Fall 2006, p 61
Donohoe, Victoria, State Exhibit Has Talent to Spare, Philadelphia Inquirer, July 16
Slupe, Ellen, Stately Exhibitions, Art Matters, August, p 14
Kirsh, Andrea, Philadelphia Introductions: Lorraine Glessner, Inliquid Commentary, Inliquid.com, October

2005
Exposure, Surface Design Journal, Volume 29, No 3, Spring, 2005, p 55

2004
Montgomery, Susan, Fruit of the Fiber, Ocean County Observer, February 29, p C1-C2

2003
Catalog 2003-2005, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, p 18-19 and pullout section

2001
Gikow, Jacqueline, Polymer Clay: Creating Functional and Decorative Objects, Krause Publications, New York, New York

1999
Slowinski, Tim, New Art International, Book Art Press, Ltd., New York, New York

1998
Date Book Calendar, Metacreations, Inc., Metacreations, New York, New York