Artist Statement
My clay works are sculptural and functional, with the focus on texture, movement and balance. One sees in these slab built vessels a torso that pulsates while being supported by a relatively small cylindrical foot. It is a balancing act, having each throbbing cavity stay stationary as it spins up and out towards the viewer. Each beats with its own while remaining steadfast and resolute. These vessels are metaphors for our lives in this energy charged world that calls us to lose ourselves in its chaos. Nevertheless, we have the power to stay centered, by setting our own rhythm and finding our personal voice, even if we are standing on one foot.
Biography Nicholas Lepore is a New England ceramic artist with a master's degree in fine art and has taught ceramics and sculpture to high school and college students for twenty-five years. The winner of a number of travel grants has allowed him to research ceramics abroad and study at various ceramic art centers throughout the United States. He presently lives in North Stamford, Connecticut, where he has his studio and Rippowam Gallery.
His high fire stoneware and porcelain vessels have been exhibited in local and regional juried art shows and are presently represented in various galleries throughout the country. He is a regular participant at Art On The Avenue in Greenwich Connecticut.
Nicholas' art is functional, sculptural and decorative with the focus on texture, movement and balance. He concentrates on large vessels, wall hangings and tiles, along with functional ware. The forms are classical and the tactile surfaces articulate elements and patterns in nature, which offer the viewer an invitation to touch and embrace each piece. Nicholas continues to refine his signature use of textures along with the application of a mixed palette of formal and abstract glaze finishes.