For the month of February, Russo Lee Gallery is pleased to present Itself and Not Itself by Geoffrey Pagen. This exhibition features a variety of materials and mediums, highlighting the artist’s fluid facility acquired over decades of rigorous and inventive studio practice. Paint, ceramic, enamel, steel, and wood are transformed into works which blend both painting and sculpture, on and off the wall. Contrasting textures in poetic color stories and organic shapes are hallmarks of Pagen’s work. An accompanying catalog with an essay by Sabrina Ullmann is also available.
Geoffrey Pagen received his MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1975. He has received awards from both the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the arts. He has been the Director of Ceramics at Reed College in Portland since 1979. His roster of commissions and public projects is impressive and includes Eastern Oregon State College, LaGrande; Heathman Hotel, Portland; Kaiser Permanente Hospital, Vancouver, WA; Nissho Iwai American Corp., Portland; Port of Seattle, Sea-Tac Int'l Airport, WA; Portland State University, OR; Rhode Island School of Design, Providence; Stanford Hospital, CA; and University of Oregon, Eugene.