Megan and Corey Jefferson initially met in a high school art class in their native Ohio. Bachelors degrees, a master’s degree, and two kids later, they now both have bustling creative careers in Indianapolis. Megan has been a resident artist at the Harrison Center for three years. For nineteen years, Corey has been a ceramics instructor at IUPUI’s Herron School of Art and Design. This month, they come together for a show in Speck Gallery titled Another Look Outside.

In the exhibition, the artists explore nature –especially as it relates to water– through their respective mediums: painting and ceramics. Megan uses oil paint and gold leaf to realize serene compositions, while Corey explores his admiration for the aquatic through raku ceramics mounted cleanly within reclaimed cedar and poplar frames. Their work is disparate in medium yet harmonious in style and message.

Megan Jefferson, *Rest and Manifest*, oil on canvas

Being among nature prompts renewal for both artists, but Megan especially seeks to harness the calming energy that time outdoors inspires. This series of work shows influence from her recent month-long stay in Florida, where the artist had unfettered viewing access to an estuary just outside of her studio. As such, you will find numerous sweeping vistas rendered throughout the show, with a sprinkling of flora-related pieces as well.

Rest and Manifest encapsulates Megan’s vision for these waterscapes: to create work that inspires tranquility. The calming scene invites the viewer to meditate on the depth of field portrayed. The scene’s location is ambiguous; even if it was initially inspired by Floridian scenery, the captured image could very well be a foggy lake view in Indiana. Megan adds, “When focusing the eyes on a distant point and allowing the eyes to blur, physiological changes can occur. Breathing is often slowed, and heart rate lowered. The autonomic nervous system activates and healing can happen – cells regenerate, toxins get expelled, and hormones help to create feelings of peace.”

Corey Jefferson, *Fish I*, raku ceramic, reclaimed cedar and reclaimed poplar frame

The calming blues and greens of Megan’s Rest and Manifest echo brilliantly in Corey’s Fish I. This fish is one in a series of eighteen that Corey refers to playfully as “cabin art,” perhaps in reference to their “Big Mouth Billy Bass” likeness. However, these fish don’t sing campy tunes, and their detailed renderings could adorn the walls of a home study just as well as those of a remote cabin. The fish represent Corey’s decades of ceramic experience and his desire to insert a lighthearted personality into what is often a formal medium.

Corey writes that fishing “is a pastime that brings him peace and fills him in ways that only being in nature can.” The fish he created for Another Look Outside were each originally cast, and some were then cut into separate pieces, glazed, raku fired, and placed within a wooden frame. Raku firing is a Japanese ceramic technique that leads to unpredictable colorways and a glimmering finish (mimicking the natural sheen you might find on fish scales). Each of the almost two dozen fish Corey created for this show are truly unique. Some are predominantly green or blue, some possess a metallic gleam, and quite a few are segmented into still-recognizable pieces.

Taken together, the works of Megan and Corey Jefferson speak to a wonderfully talented couple who have great reverence for the natural world. Another Look Outside is on display in Speck Gallery until the last week of February. All works are available for purchase and can be viewed through our online gallery and in-person during regular gallery hours from 9 AM - 5 PM, Monday through Friday.