Showcase 2013

Recently I got the opportunity to visit Showcase at the RDS and talk to some of the makers there. Here is a quick summary of the glass that was on display this year:

Louise Rice

Rice Glass

Rice is based at the Leitrim Sculpture Centre. She is known best for her sculptural work which consists of life like mould-blown forms often combining found objects. Rice’s work at Showcase is a new range of wall art which uses bullseye glass and powdered enamels to depict natural flora. The work is elegant and well presented with an affordable price point. This series is sure to be a hit.

http://louiserice.net/

louisericeglass@gmail.com

Jerpoint Glass Studio

Jerpoint glass is a family run glass studio based in Killkenny making quality home wear products. The studio and gallery are open all year round to visitors and you can watch skilled glass blowers at their trade. At showcase this year Jerpoint brought a selection of their production range which is full of multiple colours. They have also just released a new range called Cherry Blossom with is a soft pale pink and uses optic moulds for a delicate, vintage feel; a great product for Valentine’s Day and springtime.

 www.jerpointglass.com

enquiries@jerpointglass.com

Jonathon Ball

Glass and Metal Artist

Trained as a blacksmith Ball studied glass blowing at Edinburgh college of art. He is now based at the Leitrim Sculpture Factory. Ball combines his knowledge of blacksmithing with his glass skills to create bespoke pieces of sculpture. The pieces on display at Showcase this week include a triptych of large glass anvils. The sides of these pieces are left with an opaque finish and the tops polished to a transparent window through which one can peer inside. The large glass and metal sculpture uses blown pieces of glass and is a striking feature as one walks up the stairs to the top level of the building.

 www.glass_metal_artist.com

Jonathonball323@hotmail.com

The Irish Handmade Glass Company

The Irish Handmade Glass Company was set up in Waterford after the closure of the Waterford Crystal Factory in 2009. They have a passion for continuing the tradition of glass blowing in the area and all the work is handmade at the studio. Their work at showcase was highly colourful, the most memorable pieces being their large spun glass plates. They are also releasing a special Emblems of Ireland range for the 2013 Gathering.

www.IrishHandmadeGlass.com

info@irishhandmadeglass.com

Terence MacSweeney

Kerry Crafted Glass

Kerry Crafted Glass is based in Killarney and is also open to visitors, they offer free glass blowing demos but to avoid disappointment you should contact them in advance of your trip. Their work uses an earthy colour pallet to create functional home wear such as vases, plates and candle sticks. Their glass lamps use coloured firts to create soft coloured shadows in a room. As well as their blown work they have some fused pieces, a range of glass mirrors. 

www.irishkerryglass.com

kerrycraftedglaass@eircom.net

  by Fiona Byrne

Dr Vanessa Cutler at the National College of Art and Design

Dr. Vanessa Cutler recently visited the National College of Art and Design in Dublin to speak about her recently published book ‘New Technologies in Glass’. The Glass Society of Ireland was invited to attend and we also got the chance to have a few words with Cutler after the talk.

Cutler’s dedication to her chosen medium and technique is clear. Utilising the technique of

waterjet cutting in her sculpture, she pushes the limits of glass and stretches the technology to its boundaries. She challenges herself and those she mentors and collaborates with to look at things inside out and upside down, she turns our perceptions of craft, design and the applied arts on its head.

Although Cutler does not define herself as an engineer, she shares an engineer’s mentality in striving to achieve a specific desired outcome, whilst as an artist she finds freedom in sometimes allowing the equipment to dictate the final aesthetic of the work. She fully acknowledges the tension that exists in her work between art and engineering. This is not surprising when you hear of her father’s influence in her life, himself an engineer, from whom she developed an early interest in the workings of the world around her. It seems natural then that her interest in glass would meet her love of technology and waterjet manufacturing has allowed this to happen for her.

Taking risks with glass is a huge part of Cutler’s practice: seeing how close to the edge she can cut, how close together can the cuts be? This constant pushing of the process and material has resulted in some innovative pieces of glass (although she laughs about the resulting transportation issues). “Don’t stay within the compounds of what you know” is Cutler’s motto. True to her word, she has spent the last decade finding answers to questions, often with triumphant and unexpected results. This is seen in her series Fingertips, which proved that blown glass can successfully be cut by waterjet.

When asked about her influences Cutler noted the great respect she holds for other contemporary makers she has collaborated with. Stemming from the beginnings of her career in stained glass, architecture is a key stimulus to the development of her work. Her pieces employ simplicity in their aesthetic. She deals with composition with a minimalist approach, often repeating a shape within a formal arrangement which tests her technical knowledge to the limit.

Her pieces are also sparked from a sense of place and memory. She rarely takes photographs of her travels but uses the impressions of the places retained in her visual memory to inform her practice. Shapes stay with her, sometimes for years after a visit, until they find their way into an artwork. In this way, she believes that, “glass can say more about you than you can say yourself”.

For more information on Cutler and her work visit her webpage HERE

To purchase her book 'New Technologies in Glass' CLICK HERE

(by Fiona Byrne & Emer Lynch)

New Year - New Team

We hope that all out members had a wonderful 2012 and we would would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your support throughout the year. We hope that 2013 will be a great year for glass!
We have recently had a change of staff and would like to introduce you to the new team:

    

CHAIR PERSON: Debbie DawsonDebbie has been working in stained glass for over 20 years. Her work is held in both public and private collections. She is passionate about glass and has worked as a curator and an educator. We are delighted to have her as our new chair for 2013.http://www.debbiedawsonstainedglass.com/

    

VICE CHAIR: Deirdre RogersDeirdre has worked with both Cavan Crystal and Waterford Crystal while building up a wide and varied portfolio. She set up her own contemporary glass studio in 1996 under the name Various Vessels. She now works under her own name and has received many awards for her work and has exhibited throughout Ireland and abroad.http://www.deirdrerogers.com/

    

TREASURER: Gerlinde KuglerGerlinde is located in the Garden of Ireland in Co. Wicklow. She is a glass artist whos work incorporates colour, light, texture and where possible smell and sound. As well as making her own work she runs a series of workshops sharing her skills with others.http://www.gerlinde.ie 

     

EDUCATION OFFICER: Dr. Caroline MaddenDr. Caroline Madden is an educator/artist who teaches at the National College of Art and Design and serves on the Executive Committee of the Glass Art Society.  Madden received a PhD in Educational Leadership from Barry University, Florida (2010); an MFA in 3D Sculpture from Massachusetts College of Art, Boston (1992) and a BA (Hons.) in 3D Design from Stourbridge College of Technology (1987). She was Professor of Art at Jacksonville University (1992-2007) where she co-founded and directed the Glass Institute of the Southeast (1997-2000); directed the Governors High School Summer Program for Gifted and High Achieving Students (2001, 2003); mentored students presenting at the annual  National Conference for Undergraduate Research.  Madden has work in the collections of the National Museum of Ireland, the Ulster Museum, Belfast, and completed public works Lyrical Lighthttp://www.glassart.org/CarolineMadden.htmlhttp://www.culturalcouncil.org/gallery/lyrical-light

    

EDUCATION OFFICER: Emma BourkeEmma graduated with Honours from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin and where she learned the techniques of glassblowing and hot sculpting. Self-taught in the technique of flameworking, she was able to translate these previously acquired skills to create work on the torch. Through extensive research and through trial and error she has taught herself how to create intricate flameworked flowers such as snow drops and daisies. The transparency of clear glass is intentionally maintained in order to heighten the ambiguity of an organic ecosystem. Adding a little colour to some petals allows each piece to become characteristically unique like the environment which inspires its conception.http://www.emmabourke.com/

    

MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER: Fiona ByrneFiona studied Glass and Visual Culture at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. She then went to work for the development director at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop in Lumsden. Following this she worked as a studio assistant at Glasstorm Contemporary Glass Studio in Tain, Scotland. During her time in Scotland she was awarded a Talent Scotland graduate placement, Friends of Northlands Funding to partake in a NCG master class in surface treatments and Contemporary Glass Society funding to attend the NCG conference. She has her own glass jewellery range called fifi loves jewellery. Currently she is studying for a MA in Arts Management and Cultural Policy at UCD.http://www.risecreatives.com/fionabyrne/index.aspxhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Fi-Fi-Loves-Jewellery/105337326212813

   DEVELOPMENT OFFICER: Emer LynchEmer Lynch graduated with Honours in Glass and History of Art and Design from the National College of and is currently a Masters in Visual Arts Practices candidate at the Institute of Art, Design & Technology in Dun Laoighre. She completed an International Student Exchange Programme at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2008. Lynch was awarded a prestigious Leonardo Programme Placement at Derix Glas Studios, Germany, in 2009, was Artist in Residence at the University of Sunderland in 2011 and is currently Artist in Residence at NCAD.http://www.facebook.com/Emer.Lynch.Glasshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfggRjI4xpA
   

DEVELOPMENT OFFICER: Anike Tyrrell Anike is CEO of Waterford County Enterprise Board and her work involves daily commitment to both enterprise development and creating a positiveenvironment for the creation of new business in the region.  As such she has been actively championing the revitalization of the glass making industry in the area with a number of strong projects on the go.  With just a few makers still active in the industry and the last blower of crystal glass operating on a part time basis, great focus is required both from Government agencies and local interests to ensure this extraordinary heritage is not lost.http://www.enterpriseboard.ie/aboutus.shtml


   STUDENT REP DUBLIN:Meadhbh McIlgorm is a final year glass student at NCAD. She likes glass and likes talking and think we should all talk more about glass! Also she deeply wishes more students of NCAD would embrace glass as a medium and is doing her up most to promote the material within the college. 


   STUDENT REP CORK:Róisín lives and works in Cork. She is in her third year of a Fine Art degree at the Crawford College. Her interest is in the development of artistic practice through sculpture with glass and mixed materials. Róisín enjoys classic rock and sci-fi novels in her spare time.www.roisinfoley.wordpress.com