Paul Lewing
Artist's Statement
The world is an incredibly beautiful place. We tend to forget this in our daily lives, but it's true. I choose to paint landscapes and animals because they remind my viewers of this and, more importantly, they remind me. Each image recalls for me a day spent with my wife, my friends, or my dog in the mountains, on the trails, or at the beach. Seeing mountains for the first time was more like a religious conversion for me than anything else that's ever happened to me, and while I have a crush on all mountains, Mount Rainier is my true love. The expansive vistas always inspire me, but I also like to focus attention on small intimate details: moving grasses, rippling water, or rough rocks.
I supported myself for over twenty years as a potter, (I've made my 10,000 coffee cups) but I've always been a painter at heart. I started painting in oils when I was eight, and I wanted to be Thomas Moran when I grew up, although I didn't know his name. Even when I was a potter, my real strength was decoration. I developed my style of painting landscapes in glaze on porcelain pots, and began making tile to have larger scale. Several years ago, my wife bought me some water-soluble colored pencils, thinking they would make better proposal drawings for tile commissions. They did that, but they also recalled for me the joy of making finished two-dimensional artworks. Since then I've drawn many of the same landscapes and animals in pencil and in tile. More recently, I have returned even more to my painting roots, this time using acrylic paint. I like the quick drying time of acrylic paint, and enjoy trying to make acrylic paint do things it doesn't really want to do, such as depict mist or clear water. It's hard to describe the pure visceral joy of making marks, but part of it is the joy of returning to exactly what I wanted to do when I was ten years old. It really is like being a kid again.
Bio
Paul Lewing always knew he wanted to be an artist. He started painting in oils at the age of eight, and continued into college at the University of Montana in Missoula. There he discovered clay, studying with Rudy Autio, one of America's best known clay artists and muralists, and earned both a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Arts degree. After graduate school, Paul moved to Seattle, and has been a professional clay artist there since 1972, first making functional pottery and, since 1986, working exclusively on ceramic tile. Paul is known for his painterly style of glazing, and for the wide diversity of imagery, styles and techniques he employs in his tile art. A former mule packer, horse wrangler, and hunting and fishing guide, Paul often shows his love of mountains and the outdoors in his landscape, floral, animal and fish murals. He is also widely respected for his expertise in glaze chemistry. In recent years, Paul has returned to roots in painting and is building a second reputation as a painter, working in acrylics.
Paul is the author of "China Paint & Overglaze", published by American Ceramic Society in 2007, and star of the companion DVD "New Directions in China Painting", issued in 2010. Articles by Paul have appeared in Ceramics Monthly, Studio Potter, The Crafts Report, Clay Times, Pottery Making Illustrated and other magazines, and his work has been featured in a number of textbooks. Paul is also active in the crafts community, and has been President of both the Washington Potters' Association and Northwest Designer-Craftsmen, and a member of the Studio Potter Network National Advisory Board. In 2018, he was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Montana. He has taught at Pottery Northwest, the Factory of Visual Arts, Highline Community College, and at over 170 workshops across the United States, including at least one in every state.
Paul's work has been shown in many regional and national exhibitions and is included in the collections of the Montana Institute of the Arts, Colorado Springs Art Museum, the Archie Bray Foundation, and Pacific NW Bell. The Mayor of Seattle once presented pieces of his work to, among others, the King of Sweden and the Queen of Denmark.
Education:
1969 BFA, Art, University of Montana, Missoula
1972 MFA, Ceramics, University of Montana, Missoula
Selected Individual & Juried Exhibitions:
2019 Gallery at the Park, Richland, WA. Three Person
2017 The Good Stuff Arts, Anacortes, WA
2016 Edmonds Arts Festival, Edmonds, WA
Beauty of the Northwest, Gallery North, Edmonds, WA
2015 Belltown Community Center, Seattle, WA
Auburn City Hall Gallery, Auburn, WA
Beauty of the Northwest, Gallery North, Edmonds, WA
Edmonds Arts Festival, Edmonds, WA
2014 NW Landscapes Intimate, ArtEAST Art Center, Issaquah, WA
NW Landscapes Grand, ArtEAST Gallery at Blakely Hall, Issaquah, WA
Edmonds Arts Festival, Edmonds, WA
Kenmore Art Show, Kenmore, WA
2013 Nature Walk, Allied Arts of Whatcom County, Bellingham, WA. Four Person
Edmonds Arts Festival, Edmonds, WA
West Seattle Art Walk, Seattle
2012 Shoreline City Hall Gallery, Shoreline, WA. Two Person
Vashon Allied Arts Blue Heron Gallery, Vashon, WA. Two Person
Edmonds Art Walk, Edmonds, WA
2011 Call of the Wild, Ciao Gallery, Jackson, Wyoming
Connectivity, Oasis Gallery, Seattle. Five Person
Edmonds Art Walk, Edmonds, WA
Featured July 1st Thursday Artwalk, Millstream NW, Seattle
2009 Mini-Masterpieces & Small Works Invitational, Kaewyn Gallery, Bothell, WA
Commissions & Collections:
Providence Hospital, Everett, WA
Skagit Regional Clinics/ Riverbend, Mt. Vernon, WA
Tacoma General Hospital Rainier Tower, Tacoma, WA
Wards Cove Ketchikan Lofts Building, Seattle
AllCare Pet Hospital of Harbour Pointe, Mukilteo, WA
Author (Book):
"China Paint & Overglaze" (Westerville, Ohio; American Ceramic Society) 2007
"Water Based Mediums for China Painting", Self-Published, 2010
Author (DVD):
"New Directions in China painting", (Westerville, Ohio; Ceramic Arts Daily Presents) 2011
Experience & Organizations:
1972-76 Studio Potter, Pottery Northwest, Seattle
1977- Present, Private Studio, Seattle
1973-79 Pottery Northwest Board of Directors
1982-84 President, Northwest Designer-Craftsmen
1988 President, Washington Potters' Association
1992 Studio Potter Network Workshop Leaders' File, Nat'l Coordinator
1996- 2000, Studio Potter Network National Advisory Board
Teaching Experience:
1985-89 Highline Community College, Midway, WA
1981-82 Factory of Visual Arts, Seattle. Chair, Ceramics Dept.
1973-76 Pottery Northwest, Seattle
1972 U of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha. Ceramics & 3-D Design
Artist's Statement
I supported myself for over twenty years as a potter, (I've made my 10,000 coffee cups) but I've always been a painter at heart. I started painting in oils when I was eight, and I wanted to be Thomas Moran when I grew up, although I didn't know his name. Even when I was a potter, my real strength was decoration. I developed my style of painting landscapes in glaze on porcelain pots, and began making tile to have larger scale. Several years ago, my wife bought me some water-soluble colored pencils, thinking they would make better proposal drawings for tile commissions. They did that, but they also recalled for me the joy of making finished two-dimensional artworks. Since then I've drawn many of the same landscapes and animals in pencil and in tile. More recently, I have returned even more to my painting roots, this time using acrylic paint. I like the quick drying time of acrylic paint, and enjoy trying to make acrylic paint do things it doesn't really want to do, such as depict mist or clear water. It's hard to describe the pure visceral joy of making marks, but part of it is the joy of returning to exactly what I wanted to do when I was ten years old. It really is like being a kid again.
Bio
Paul Lewing always knew he wanted to be an artist. He started painting in oils at the age of eight, and continued into college at the University of Montana in Missoula. There he discovered clay, studying with Rudy Autio, one of America's best known clay artists and muralists, and earned both a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Arts degree. After graduate school, Paul moved to Seattle, and has been a professional clay artist there since 1972, first making functional pottery and, since 1986, working exclusively on ceramic tile. Paul is known for his painterly style of glazing, and for the wide diversity of imagery, styles and techniques he employs in his tile art. A former mule packer, horse wrangler, and hunting and fishing guide, Paul often shows his love of mountains and the outdoors in his landscape, floral, animal and fish murals. He is also widely respected for his expertise in glaze chemistry. In recent years, Paul has returned to roots in painting and is building a second reputation as a painter, working in acrylics.
Paul is the author of "China Paint & Overglaze", published by American Ceramic Society in 2007, and star of the companion DVD "New Directions in China Painting", issued in 2010. Articles by Paul have appeared in Ceramics Monthly, Studio Potter, The Crafts Report, Clay Times, Pottery Making Illustrated and other magazines, and his work has been featured in a number of textbooks. Paul is also active in the crafts community, and has been President of both the Washington Potters' Association and Northwest Designer-Craftsmen, and a member of the Studio Potter Network National Advisory Board. In 2018, he was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Montana. He has taught at Pottery Northwest, the Factory of Visual Arts, Highline Community College, and at over 170 workshops across the United States, including at least one in every state.
Paul's work has been shown in many regional and national exhibitions and is included in the collections of the Montana Institute of the Arts, Colorado Springs Art Museum, the Archie Bray Foundation, and Pacific NW Bell. The Mayor of Seattle once presented pieces of his work to, among others, the King of Sweden and the Queen of Denmark.
Education:
1969 BFA, Art, University of Montana, Missoula
1972 MFA, Ceramics, University of Montana, Missoula
Selected Individual & Juried Exhibitions:
2019 Gallery at the Park, Richland, WA. Three Person
2017 The Good Stuff Arts, Anacortes, WA
2016 Edmonds Arts Festival, Edmonds, WA
Beauty of the Northwest, Gallery North, Edmonds, WA
2015 Belltown Community Center, Seattle, WA
Auburn City Hall Gallery, Auburn, WA
Beauty of the Northwest, Gallery North, Edmonds, WA
Edmonds Arts Festival, Edmonds, WA
2014 NW Landscapes Intimate, ArtEAST Art Center, Issaquah, WA
NW Landscapes Grand, ArtEAST Gallery at Blakely Hall, Issaquah, WA
Edmonds Arts Festival, Edmonds, WA
Kenmore Art Show, Kenmore, WA
2013 Nature Walk, Allied Arts of Whatcom County, Bellingham, WA. Four Person
Edmonds Arts Festival, Edmonds, WA
West Seattle Art Walk, Seattle
2012 Shoreline City Hall Gallery, Shoreline, WA. Two Person
Vashon Allied Arts Blue Heron Gallery, Vashon, WA. Two Person
Edmonds Art Walk, Edmonds, WA
2011 Call of the Wild, Ciao Gallery, Jackson, Wyoming
Connectivity, Oasis Gallery, Seattle. Five Person
Edmonds Art Walk, Edmonds, WA
Featured July 1st Thursday Artwalk, Millstream NW, Seattle
2009 Mini-Masterpieces & Small Works Invitational, Kaewyn Gallery, Bothell, WA
Commissions & Collections:
Providence Hospital, Everett, WA
Skagit Regional Clinics/ Riverbend, Mt. Vernon, WA
Tacoma General Hospital Rainier Tower, Tacoma, WA
Wards Cove Ketchikan Lofts Building, Seattle
AllCare Pet Hospital of Harbour Pointe, Mukilteo, WA
Author (Book):
"China Paint & Overglaze" (Westerville, Ohio; American Ceramic Society) 2007
"Water Based Mediums for China Painting", Self-Published, 2010
Author (DVD):
"New Directions in China painting", (Westerville, Ohio; Ceramic Arts Daily Presents) 2011
Experience & Organizations:
1972-76 Studio Potter, Pottery Northwest, Seattle
1977- Present, Private Studio, Seattle
1973-79 Pottery Northwest Board of Directors
1982-84 President, Northwest Designer-Craftsmen
1988 President, Washington Potters' Association
1992 Studio Potter Network Workshop Leaders' File, Nat'l Coordinator
1996- 2000, Studio Potter Network National Advisory Board
Teaching Experience:
1985-89 Highline Community College, Midway, WA
1981-82 Factory of Visual Arts, Seattle. Chair, Ceramics Dept.
1973-76 Pottery Northwest, Seattle
1972 U of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha. Ceramics & 3-D Design
