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For_Immediate_Release:

October 09 — Laguna Hills

In December of 2009, Artist, Photographer Jeff leFever departed to Israel to document the consecrated. Upon setting foot in the Old City of Jerusalem, LeFever changed his plans to stay for 30 days in the Holy City alone. As part of his ongoing photo study of the consecrated space and the consecrated life, LeFever raised the money necessary for his mission through KickStarter. By the contributions of friends and family, LeFever was able to make his budget. Sponsors giving $250. or more received a print of their choice from the trip. Sponsors of $500 and up also received a PDF version of LeFever’s In+Sight Journal from the Czech Republic as an electronic download. The real gift of the sponsorships however went to teh 4 $1000. + donors: a printed copy of Jeff’s In+Sight Jerusalem Journal.

The In+Sight Jerusalem Journal is 180 pages of photos, memoirs, and poignant observations on the consecrated. It is almost 2 years in the making (due in part to life and work, delays continued to interrupt progress). LeFever finally took a month away to Steamboat Springs, renting a townhouse near the Ski Gondola and amidst the changing Fall colors of the Colorado Aspen to concentrate and finish his Jerusalem Journal for his major sponsors.

LeFever hired and worked with editor/writing coach Beth Jusino, who basically checked for writing and grammatical errors and with a little fact checking. “Beth gave me the confidence to publish the work,” says Jeff. “Though my ideas may be considered visionary and timely, I am a bit of an ox when it comes to writing them down clearly let alone eloquently. Beth helped clarify my observations so that they made better sense.”

The first proof from Blurb was reviewed by LeFever mid September and the images  found to be black heavy. LeFever made corrections to every photo and re-uploaded his Journal to Blurb. Upon review of the second proof, the printing was approved and the Sponsor Editions were ordered.

“Finishing the Jerusalem Journal was quite the landmark and will serve as the template for the next two 80 page Journals” LeFever explains. The 160 page sponsor edition will be reduced to 80 pages, (removing the personal aspects of his travels, concentrating solely on the dialog of visual beauty and the enchantment of the consecrated spaces in our communities) and will be one of three 80 page In+Sight publications offered freely for viewing as online flip-books through the Foundation for the Biblical Arts: In+Sight Jerusalem, In+Sight United States I, In+Sight Europe I.

The 80 page trilogy of observations will also be printed through Blurb’s premium service as part of a Vatican proposal. LeFever states he will release information about that once the proposal is complete in February 2012.

A full preview of all 160 pages is available at Blurb.  ( http://www.blurb.com/books/2509005 )

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Foundation for the Biblical Arts (Journals)

Beth Jusino

BLURBbooks / LeFever

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For_Immediate_Release:

Sept. 13 — Steamboat Springs Colorado

Artist/ Photographer Jeff LeFever’s photographic triptych “Homeless” is hanging in the foyer of Little Church By The Sea in Laguna Beach California. LeFever’s work will be on the wall until the end of October in correlation with the church’s biblical study of Ecclesiastes.

LeFever’s work touches on the fine line that humanity walks: the line between entropy and heaven.

Dale Fincher, co-founder of Soulation with his wife Jonalyn, picked up on the artwork and was inspired to write a meditation on “Homeless” and homelessness. The writing is posted on the Soulation website under Breakfast Reading: Homeless Hands that God Made

Dale and Jonalyn Fincher engage thoughtfully with people around the world through public speaking, performances, books, blogs, and their website, Soulation.org : they help expand human souls, continuing soul care with the conversation on what it means to live “appropriately human.”

Also related to LeFever’s ‘Homeless”, Jeff LeFever will be speaking at Little Church By The Sea October 15. LeFever was asked to speak about his work and how it ties into the state of man especially in regards to Ecclesiastes. LeFever has chosen to present a performance in partnership with Bernard Chadwick, a simple performance that will include a slide show of his work, the music of Bernie in three interludes, readings of Ecclesiastes, and the artist performing as himself in reflection.

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Jeff LeFever

Soulation

Little Church By The Sea

Announcements : End of 2011

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For_Immediate_Release:

July 30 — Laguna Hills

LeFever’s photography continues to be used in Chicago by worship leader Brad Colemean. Plans are being discussed with worship leader collaboratives on bringing the visual arts back to worship space.

Jeff LeFever announces continued work on his long awaited Jerusalem Journal. Nearly finished, this 160 page fully photo illustrated journal, is planned as a special Premium Blurb Book gift to the donors of his 20o9/10 travel to Jerusalem. The book will be paired down for online presentation along with a journal for the USA, and Europe. The journal will be completed in Steamboat California where the artist is renting a retreat specifically to complete this work.

October 15th presentation of the artists work at Little Church by the Seal in Laguna Beach will be tied in with the churches study of Ecclesiastes. Admission is free.

October November consecrated space documentary travels begin in Germany with selected cities and finishes in Poland with a documentary of the Death Camps as consecrated space. This is a non sponsor supported documentary. Returning to teh USA, LeFever will document the National Shrine in Washington D.C. on way to Chicago to finish his study of Chicago churches. The trip can be followed at the LeFever Travelog site.

December, LeFever pairs up again with Benjamin Makino, founder  and conductor of the Blackbird Music Project to illustrate the performance of Paul Hindemith’s monumental Rilke cycle Das Marienleben (The Life of Mary). Their previous collaboration was Schoenberg’s Opus 21: Pierrot Lunaire with Julieanne Kline performing

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Jeff LeFever

Travelogue

FBA

SNAPSHOTS

DIALOG

Blackbird Music Project

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For_Immediate_Release:

July 30 — Laguna Hills

Artist/ Photographer Jeff LeFever, Guest Photographer at Creative Motion Design (CMD), after returning from three weeks in France touring eight cities has launched his newest website, www.jefflefever.net

The new website is a flash based template provided by Creative Motion Design. Creative Motion Design (CMD) makes flash enabled design templates primarily (but not exclusively) for the photography market.

LeFever says that this 12th website of his is the first Flash based website he has launched. Recognizing this will be a problem on Apple products such as iPad, and iPhones, LeFever is confident that CMD will make better html based extension templates to satisfy those growing markets.

  Interestingly, LeFever has chosen to pair up the vertical images offering interesting juxtapositions in meaning, and in aesthetic. The artist mentions that these juxtapositions are becoming his preferred way of displaying his images in live presentations and print publications. The new website expands ideas and images presented at his main web site, www.lefever.com pulling from the same categories of the artist’s interest: Consecrated Spaces, People, Flora (FloraGlossia).

Consecrated Space is an ongoing interest of work that LeFever lends to his non-profit organization, the Foundation for the Biblical Arts . On his CMD website LeFever has chosen to group images based on location. The freshest work comes from his most recent trip to France. “Grouping the images this way,” Jeff explains, “allows for future updates as I continue to travel and document the experience and encounter of faith and aesthetic in consecrated spaces.”

The photographer comments, “I am rather excited, actually, with the launch of this flash site. The CMD template makes updating easy now that the site is finally designed. The graphics and functionality offer a new aesthetic to my other sites. People have often asked me for larger images: now they have them.”

People is another group on the new CMD site. LeFever’s interest in people is born out of curiosity to people living their lives. Cherub like children scuttle the sands of Laguna Beach along with other bold expressions of flesh. Beggers pray, people walk and run, read and train, sling guns, and drink beer: people the artist says, “happen to be where he is at whenever he is out…” – cryptic as that sounds.

A third category of images that LeFever has offered are a dazzling look at flora and fauna. The section is called FloraGlossia (“Flower Speak”, derived from a mix of latin and greek), LeFever’s title for his Flower Photography. LeFever adds, “we have three categories: the man made, man, and nature – I thought that would be a nice narrative for starts.” In the FloraGlossia section, Jeff gives some of his monochromes (and a tester in color… which he says he threw in to see if anyone was paying attention…) and his popular Wet Leafs as he says (or Wet Leaves if one wants to be language correct to English usage). LeFever mentions that he finds the comparison of architecture visually fascinating between the churches and the flora.

This public launch of  the CMD site is phase 1. LeFever says that CMD offers a proofing cart and a blog. Plans to offer prints for sale are on their way and the proofing cart will be instrumental. LeFever, who already writes a travel log when he is on documentary travel, and his encounters of sacred space in a column called SNAPSHOTS at the FBA website says he will write about photography and seeing for his CMD blog. More on that when Phase 2 is launched.

The site is online and ready to view: www.jefflefever.net

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Jeff LeFever

Travelogue

FBA

SNAPSHOTS

DIALOG

Commercial Work

Consecration Blog

History

Creative Motion Design selects Jeff LeFever as Guest Photographer

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For_Immediate_Release:

February 1st — Laguna Hills

Artist/ Photographer Jeff LeFever, Guest Photographer at CMD, answers questions and offers free advice concerning photographic art at Creative Motion Design Blog.

Andrew Trovaioli first met Jeff LeFever at a lunch line for a BBQ vendor stand in the open area by the Palledium in Prague. Trovaioli, in line for lunch, had bumped into one of LeFever’s camera’s as LeFever was “scoping” the scene. A “sorry bro” led into a discussion as the two realized they were both from California (originally). Andrew lived in London working as an Advertising Creative Director traveling to Czech and back. With mutual backgrounds the two took an instant liking, meeting a couple more times during LeFever’s sacred space documentary in Prague, Brno, Kutna Hora, and Olemouc.

A year and a half later, Trovaioli, as head of global branding for Creative Motion Design, selected LeFever to be Guest Photographer in the company’s new global campaign. “I was surprised and honored,” recalls LeFever. “Andrew is one of the most creative people I have met – his ideas are cutting edge and memorable, very engaging and interactive – especially his Fashion industry work! I am a huge fan.”

Creative Motion Design (CMD) makes flash enabled design templates primarily (but not exclusively) for the photography market. Their designs are fresh and competitive offering a blog and developing photographic community. “I am considering a CMD designed site – the only problem is choosing a template – they are all excellent!” exclaims LeFever. “2011 is already marked for excessive travel and photo documntia… I think one of the CMD templates would be an exciting solution to highlighting the documentary in real time… I am working out the methodology now before the arduous task of selecting a design – how does one choose?”

LeFever as guest photographer is available to CMD clients and blog participants to answer questions and offer free advice concerning photographic artwork.

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Jeff LeFever

Creative Motion Design

CMD Blog

Andrew Trovaioli (see more of Andrew’s creativity in recent work: for Wranglers Jeans: http://www.wrangler-europe.com/blue-bell/collection-fw10/ & for Heattech http://www.uniqlo.com/heattech/us/ ) Andrew is also finalizing his work on the film, REWIND, with executive producer Clive Owen.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
People of Faith, and ye of little faith,
I am pleased
To announce
The long awaited website for the Foundation for the Biblical Arts (FBA)
Is here!

(No, it is here: www.foundationforthebiblicalarts.org )I like this quote of Gaudi, “Originality is returning to the origin”

I hope you are ready to be inspired…we are in the conversation for reclaiming the original and high arts. If you are feeling a lack in the church arts, it is because there is a lack. It is time we change that.

The online website is now active, available, and ready for you to get involved and interact, tell your story, learn new things, see things differently, grow, build, make a difference in a changing faith community.
The FBA is a U.S. 501c3 Not For Profit Corporation, advancing consecrated space through awareness, dialog, and practice.

Some of the highlights online are:

• Weekly “SNAPSHOTS” (snapshot ideas, considerations of the consecrated from my travels documenting sacred spaces)–less than 500 words and with pictures (our favorite–we love the visual image) http://foundationforthebiblicalarts.org/dialog/category/snapshots/
• “DIALOG” (Our blog – currently discussing the indelible experience people have had with Beauty… [one of the blog posts] – An Encounter: http://foundationforthebiblicalarts.org/dialog/hello-world/ Tell us your story…. Was there ever in your life a time that you had an indelible experience like this from a church or religious art you saw?
• Want to know more about the blogs in Dialog? Read about it here: http://foundationforthebiblicalarts.org/dialog/about-the-fba-blog/
• Like to read? Gander our “LIBRARY” : an expanding resource of ideas concerning art, faith, the consecrated…this is just the start…  http://www.foundationforthebiblicalarts.org/library.php
• How about “LINKS” – we have them and plan on getting more as this movement toward the divine aesthetic grows. Explore more here: http://www.foundationforthebiblicalarts.org/links.php

Well – you get the idea. Go online and take a look – feel free to forward this email to all you think would be interested in the arts and faith – what it is to express Beauty as worship…

LIKE us at out Face Book Page: http://www.facebook.com/biblicalarts
Follow us as we develop new things to share, teach, expand in our aesthetic awareness: http://twitter.com/BiblicalArts

More to come – I am excited to finally get this up and running so we can be inspired, for God is good.

Happy New Year – this is a great start.
Come play with me,
Let’s talk,
Let’s create smart and glorious original things,
That speak of Him who is our origin.

Jeff

Niagara Bottling LLC selects Jeff LeFever as Photographer

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For_Immediate_Release:

January 1st — Laguna Hills

Artist/ Photographer Jeff LeFever, recommended to the new Marketing Manager for Niagara Bottling LLC, Julia Buchanan, by designer Jack Fearing, takes freelance photographer position with Niagara giving face to their 2011 branding campaign .

Niagara Bottling, LLC is the largest Privately owned bottler in the United states.

LeFever. mostly known for his documentary work with sacred space and the topic of people’s self expression, is also adept in commercial photography, specializing in table top studio product photography.

Images for Niagara began with newsletter supplementals: portrait shots of management, personnel and candid factory shots. “The idea was to begin a stock library of usable images that Julia and the marketing team would have access to… like stock photography, but customized to Niagara’s actual facility,” states LeFever, “it is a more honest approach than most corporations use when they simply take from online stock photo agencies.”

This suits Niagara well as a privately owned family corporation built on honesty, quality service, quality product, and family value. A history of Niagara can be found online HERE.

After the initial photo shoot at the Ontario California location, LeFever was given the New Niagara product line to photograph for simple sell sheets and catalog, both web and print.

“I really enjoy shooting product,” offers Lefever, “I always have. It is a different kind of challenge working with the lighting and inanimate objects – in the case of Niagara, creating jewels out of plastic and water.”

LeFever says the product shoots are two part. The first is the digital capture, laying the foundation – the real “magic” according to LeFever, is in the post production retouch. LeFever, who counsels and teaches Graphic Design departments on post production says that post is the critical part of making an image “pop” commercially, but that it is always best to start with an excellent foundational photo capture. “However,” adds LeFever, sometimes the product is damaged in shipping, or it just isn’t beautiful to start with… too many production flaws especially in mass produced packaging.” The photographer is quick to point out that knowing where to go in post and what can be done can inform the actual shoot set up, especially if the final image will be a composite.

Niagara and LeFever continue to represent the value of the company with outstanding photographic imagery.

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LeFever Product Photography online site

LeFever personal work online site

Niagara Bottling, LLC online

The Niagara Experience

LAGUNA COLLEGE OF ART + DESIGN & Fairhaven Memorial Park

5th Annual Juried LCAD Alumni + MFA Student Art Exhibition

A Three-day Installation Continuing the Tradition of Art in Sacred Spaces

From Friday, November 5th at 6PM through Sunday, November 7th (closing at 5PM)

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For_Immediate_Release:

November. 2nd — Laguna Hills

On October 15th, 2010 at an old First Church of Christ Science , now a theater for the Orange County High School of the Arts in Santa Ana California, Benjamin Makino and Jeff LeFever collaborated on a performance of Pierrot Lunaire Op. 21 by Arnold  Schoenberg.

From that performance a Blurbbook was created. The book is a  printed collection of twenty-one  show images  created by artist/ photographer Jeff LeFever including some thoughts behind the images, and the 21 rondels of Giraud’s selected by  Schoenberg  for his historic Op. 21.

Coming up as soon as November 5th, these images can be seen again in a new light. A selection of over 40 images from the Schoenberg performance collaboration have been “re-purposed” into a single slide presentation to be shown at the November 5th – 7th Fine Art Showing in Santa Ana at the Fairhaven Mausoleum. This is the 5th Annual Juried exhibition and collector sale showing sponsored by the Laguna College of Art and Design and Fairhaven Memorial Park. The main curator of the show is Artist Regina Jacobson whom Fairhaven contacted in 2005 to help put up an exhibition of her work at the Mausoleum facility, a beautifully architected marble building over one hundred years old.

LeFever has had the privilege of showing for the past 5 years of the Fairhaven/LCAD Mausoleum show as an invited guest artist. His slide shows of the past have been silent meditations from the “Architecture of Beauty” to “Life: A Reflection”. This years offering is LeFever Pierrot Lunaire Op. 21 (san-Schoenberg), transition~reconciliation.

Images on this page are transitional images or “in-betweeners” from the show.

The artists says, “The music at the Fairhaven show is usually reflective and ambient. It will be interesting to see how the images in my presentation, which were created as a synergetic aspect to the whole of the Schoenberg performance of Pierrot Lunnaire Op. 21 – dependent on the Schoenberg music for their emotional charge – will appear and react with the audience given the music selection chosen to compliment the entire evenings and days at Fairhaven. It will create an entirely different interpretation intellectually and emotionally sans-Schoenberg. I am excited to see how it turns out. Also, the rondels of Giraud were added to the images for Fairhaven, so the experience requires active reading. I will guess that people attending will watch it through, more than once.”

Friday, November 5, 6PM – 10PM

Candlelight Artists’ Reception

Wine and Cheese

Juried Awards Presentation (7PM)

Contemplative Slide Presentation (continuous)

Saturday, November 6, 10AM – 8PM

Contemplative Slide Presentation (continuous)

Evening Candlelight Viewing

Sunday, November 7, 10AM – 5PM

Panel Discussion (1-2:30 PM) “Art & The Sacred Space”

Closing Artists’ Reception (3 PM)

Wine and Cheese

Live Music: Duo-Absinth

LeFever is also one of the panelists to be speaking on Sunday afternoon from 1PM-2:30PM discussing “Art & The Sacred Space.” At this time it is to be determined if there will be another slide presentation of his images from the artist/ photographer’s series on Consecrated Spaces. or if he will be giving a Key note presentation on the value of the arts and consecration. LeFever notes, ” I am ready for either.”

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When: Friday, November 5 to Sunday, November 7, 2010

Admission: $5 Donation per Person

Location: Fairhaven Memorial Park + Mausoleum

1702 Fairhaven Avenue

Santa Ana, CA 92705

All three days offer opportunities to purchase displayed art.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the

Alumni Scholarship Fund for LCAD undergraduates.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION

About the LeFever Images created for the September 15th performance with Benjamin Makino, Julieanne Klein and the Blackbird Music Project, read the production blog at: http://pierrot1015.wordpress.com/

My idea is to reveal the FAITH held in the hearts of those that are poor with simple portraits. The images (not all, but many) will be projected during the performance of teh Bryars interpretation performed by the Blackbird Music Project, Benjamin Makino conducting. This will also possibly be grown into a book if the funding can be raised and part of a continuing educational outreach to students studying music in the BMP educational service to the arts and music.

It is a simple premise really – I was struck by James 2, in particular, v. 5. Of course, referencing James 1, v. 9, v. 12, this project is to document those who are POOR at this time, suffering in this economy.

The working title for this project is, ” Heirs to the King” (based on James 2:5 and Matt 5:3), thought this title may change by production.

I am currently in Orange County, California and so this call is for people living in California.

Many who are oor and struck down in this economy have not access to email or the internet – so if you read this, and know of some incredibly FAITH RICH individuals, or families, please pass this info on and if they would be willing to participate, pass their info on to me so I can come and interview them.

Thank you.

PLEASE CONTACT me: Jeff LeFever, lefever@lefever.com

Bringing Pierrot Into The 21st Century…

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For_Immediate_Release:

Sept. 15th — Laguna Hills

Jeff LeFever has entered into collaboration with conductor Benjamin Makino to create the visual projections for Makino’s Blackbird Music Project ensemble’s Oct. 15th 2010 performance of Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire Op 21, one of the seminal musical compositions of the 20th century.

With her earthy and dynamic vocals, soprano Julieanne Klein will breath life into the 21 Giraud rondels that Schoenberg ordered to narrate his Pierrot fueled allegory that came to represent the modern artist in a piece announcing the end of modernism.

LeFever has opted to take the direction of the work into a more experiential direction saying, “It would be my hope that the audience, rather than viewing the metamorphosis of Pierrot’s reconciliation journey, would indeed have the experience of being Pierrot, experiencing the piece, through the visuals, from inside pierrot’s mind.”

Using his photography  rather than his painting skills, the California artist is incorporating images from our lives, especially the media that a Pierrot character might be surrounded by and feel moralistically moved to denounce, being the representative artist that Pierrot thinks he is… insulating himself from the pain of isolation by imagining his own appropriations from the images around him. In this complex psychological dissection, LeFever probes our own psychology and the psychology of ego paradigm, carnally and spiritually.

For more information about this production and to help support the financing of the performance, Benjamin Makino has started a Kickstarter fundraising campaign offering all sorts of incentives at every level. READ ABOUT it HERE at Kickstarter.com.  Benjamin Makino is known for bringing obscure works of classical music to light and offering the experience of discovery that would otherwise not be available. “Everyone is encouraged to support the making and performance of this extraordinary piece of history.” offers LeFever,  ”with as little as a dollar. Check out the Kickstarter offers, come and contribute,  join in the making of a new Pierrot.”

For more on LeFever’s thoughts and progress, LeFever has started a blog with his production notes, giving insight to his creative process: LeFever Pierrot Journal.

Pierrot Lunaire Op 21
Benjamin Makino, Conductor
Julieanne Klein, Soprano
Jeff LeFever, Visuals
Orange County High School of the Arts
Santa Ana, CA

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Jeff LeFever

Benjamin Makino & The Blackbird Music Project

Julieanne Klein

Contribute to the Performance