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Averill Shepps
American, born 1933
b. 1933
I want my work to look as free and spontaneous as possible. I hope that the viewer will respond to the simplicity of the design or the lushness of a brush stroke frozen in enamel as he or she would to a Sumi-e painting. Yet enameling is such an exacting craft that a true sense of freedom in design is almost impossible using traditional techniques.
Averill Shepps is best known for her richly colored trays and wall-mounted plaques with quietly evocative natural subjects such as trees, flowers, and plant forms. These subjects are often rendered in silver foils or paillons which form a brilliant contrast to the subtle colors of her enamel palette. Shepps recently created a series of work in which the pure beauty of enamel is contrasted to high fired areas of glass and metal. Some of these pieces were done as a tribute to the people of Japan, reeling in the wake of a catastrophic earthquake, tsunami, and the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. These works are among the most powerfully expressive Shepps has ever produced.
Shepps received her bachelor of arts degree from Smith College in 1953 where she majored in geology and minored in art. She continued her studies in geology at the University of Illinois but soon realized that, because she was a woman, there would be few professional opportunities available to her. Instead she decided to pursue her interest in art. She took her first class in enameling in 1958 at the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen where she studied with James Frape. After the birth of her son in 1963 and the untimely death of her husband in 1967, Shepps decided to pursue enameling as a full time professional career.
While Shepps has participated in a number of workshops – both as a student and as an instructor – she was largely self taught as an enamelist. Her investigations into the process led to her unique approach to her medium.
Very early in my development as an enamelist I found that I had to develop my own ways of working in order to obtain the results I desired. I now work backwards. I fire the design onto the piece first, building it in a series of firings or layers of enamel. Only after the design is completed do I apply a coat of enamel over the entire surface,
Shepps has participated in numerous exhibitions including the second American Craft Council exhibition in 1966, where she met the renowned enamelist Harold B. “Bill” Helwig. She served as President of the Harrisburg Craftsmen in 1969 and worked for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts from 1973 to 1976. She currently serves as President of the Enamelist Society, an association of artists, collectors, and enthusiasts interested in the enamels field.
https://www.enamelarts.org/averill-shepps/
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