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

The Glass Society of Ireland in association with the National College of Art and Design present:
An evening of lectures on Wednesday 7th November 2012
 
Andrea McKay

International Art Projects Adviser & Co-ordinator for Derix Glasstudios, Germany
(5:45pm)



 Architectural art glass in public and ecclesiastical settings

Andrea McKay has been  working with Derix Glasstudios for over seven years. She is responsible for projects in the UK, Benelux and Scandinavia. Projects she has managed range from small-scale to large-scale public art. Andrea describes herself as the link between the artist and the studio.

Clifford Rainey

Professor of Fine Art and Chair of the Glass Program at California College of the Arts, USA
(6:30pm)

 

Clifford Rainey is an artist whose work has been exhibited internationally for thirty-five years. Born in Whitehead, Co. Antrim in 1948, he later received a Master of Arts from the Royal College of Art, London in 1973 and later lectured there for seven years. Principally a sculptor who employs cast glass and drawing as primary methodologies, his work is interdisciplinary, incorporating a wide spectrum of materials and processes.

Rainey is a passionate traveller and his work is full of references to the things he has seen and experienced. Celtic mythologies, classical Greek architecture, the blue of the Turkish Aegean, Globalization and the iconic American Coca-Cola bottle, the red of the African earth, the human figure combined with cultural diversity all intermingle to provide sculptural imagery charged with emotion.

Rainey’s work has been exhibited internationally including the Ulster Museum in Northern Ireland, The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, The Kunstmuseum in Dusseldorf, Germany, The Millennium Museum in Beijing, China, and the Museo de Arts Contemporaneo in Monterrey, Mexico. His work is in the permanent collections of numerous museums including: The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, Ireland, The DeYoung Museum, San Francisco, California, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Museum of Art and Design, New York, The Fine Arts Museum of Boston, and The Montreal Museum of Fine Art, Canada. He is presently a Professor of Fine Art and Chair of the Glass Program at The California College of the Arts. He is a recipient of the Virginia A. Groot Foundation Award, Chicago, and the 2009 UrbanGlass Outstanding Achievement Award, New York.

JERPOINT GLASS FEATURED IN LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL 2012 VIDEO

A Place To Gather is a 5 minute film about Irish craft created by emerging Dublin based film producers Jamie & Keith, which was launched during London Design Festival 2012. A Place to Gather is about an approach and craft’s relationship to a wider culture. It is about a maker, a practical person in an often bewildering world. It is about a person; rooted and aware, drenched in the weather and materials of the land, part of a community, local and global, hedgerows and cables, influenced from inside and out, time’s power being respected and the materials’ better nature drawn forth. It is about a holistic way of thinking, an approach that creates objects of use - be that practical, emotional or intellectual. Objects that hold the tactility of their construction and through their use add value.

The video features Horizon Furniture, Studio Donegal, Basketbarn, Jerpoint Glass and Derek Wilson Ceramics.

W: http://www.aplacetogather.ie/

CRAFT WRITERS’ MEETING

The next meeting of the Craft Writers Group will take place on 5th November, 7pm - 9pm at the Design Tower, Pearse Street. We are hoping to have a guest speaker (to be announced).

Readings; the two pieces we are reading for this month are both by Bruce Metcalfe and available on his website. Please print them out and bring them with you for discussion:

http://www.brucemetcalf.com/pages/essays/diy_websites_energy.html
and
http://www.brucemetcalf.com/pages/essays/craft_education.html

Writing: Please bring an extract of your work in progress (up to 500 words) for discussion and feedback. Alternatively, you can write a piece of a similar length about a craft object that you really dislike. It might help if you brought a picture...
NB: you are most welcome even if you haven't done the homework!

E: eleanorflegg@gmail.com

MASTERCLASSES IN THE APPLIED ARTS, UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER

The Masterclass programme 2012/ 2013 offers a unique insight into the work of six internationally renowned artists each at the peak of their practice. The masterclass programme is organised on an annual basis by the Applied Arts Ulster group and is supported by Craft NI. All Masterclass lectures are free to attend but booking is advised to avoid disappointment.

Claire Twomey - Ceramics - Thursday 15th November 2012 (1-2pm, Ulster Museum)

Jeremy Lepisto - Glass - Thursday 31st January 2013 (1-2pm, Ulster Museum)

Matthew Blakely - Ceramics - Thursday 21st February (1-2pm, Ulster Museum)

Jorunn Veiteberg - Critical Writing - Thursday 14th March (1-2pm, Ulster Museum)

Bettina Dittlmann - Jewellery - Thursday 21st March (1-2pm, Ulster Museum)

T: 028 9044 0051
W: http://craftni.org/events/masterclasses-in-the-applied-arts-20122013/

FROM PUPIL TO MASTER, SOLOMON FINE ART GALLERY, DUBLIN

From Pupil to Master is a contemporary glass exhibition at Solomon Fine Art, Balfe Street, Dublin 2 from 12th to 27th October 2012. The exhibition will feature new works by Roisin de Buitlear, Sinead Brennan, Karen Donnellan, Peadar Lamb, Caroline Madden, Elizabeth McClure, Sara McEvoy, Charlene McFarland, Fiona Murphy, Paula Stokes, James Toal and Suzannah Vaughan.

Solomon Fine Art have been supporting contemporary glass in Ireland for four decades and are delighted to present this exciting exhibition of artists working in glass. From Pupil to Master will feature the work of 12 artists in a celebration of mastery, mentorship and method. An exciting mix of emerging and established artists will exhibit together for the first time, showing the diversity and alchemy of glass as a material for expression. The exhibition includes work by graduates and senior lecturers, past and present, of the School of Glass Design at the National College of Art and Design Dublin, the majority of whom live and work in Ireland.

The exhibition comprises of figurative sculpture, abstract compositions, drawings in colour and line, encapsulated mark making. Studies in transparency, shadow or light celebrate the innate qualities of glass; luscious colour, fluid form, intricate refractions, translucent liquidity each piece a personal dialogue with the material.

With only a few graduates each year it is interesting to note how this particular school has figured in the world of contemporary glass. Of the exhibiting artists many have become dynamic personalities in the international glass movement, mentors, educators and influential artists in the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Some, although at the very beginning of their careers, are already being heralded internationally with awards and exhibitions. This exhibition relays the diversity of this medium and the complexity with which Irish Artists are creating work in glass. It remains to be seen if this exhibition reveals a visual link or style between all of these artists whose lives have been interwoven through material and origin. What is evident is a poetic evocative exhibition of masterful new forms of expression.

From Pupil to Master will be opened by Louise Kennedy on Thursday 11th October from 6pm to 8pm. A lecture and tour of the gallery (with some of the exhibiting artists) will be held on Thursday 18th October at 6.30pm - booking is essential. The gallery is open Monday to Friday 10am – 5:30pm, and Saturdays 10am – 1pm.

W: www.solomonfineart.ie
E:    086 8142380

ANDREA SPENCER EXHIBITING IN METAMORPHOSIS, BELFAST

Curated by Rowan Sexton, Metamorphosis is an exhibition showing work by Andrea Spencer (UK), Stephen Brandes (UK), Vanessa Donoso López (ES), Priscila Fernandes (PT), Cainneach Lennon (IE), Tom Molloy (IE), Ann Murphy (IE) and Magnhild Opdøl (NO).

Metamorphosis alludes to the process of transformation, where a profound change of form, structure or substance occurs. This exhibition aims to establish clear associations between art and the natural sciences, and to contextualize these dual frameworks, where significant cultural common ground exists. The biological mechanisms of growth, change and evolution are examined in tandem with material, philosophical and conceptual concerns within the visual arts. Highlighting the mutual elements in these distinct disciplines opens up a discourse, which emphasizes experimental overlaps, perception and interpretation, in an historical and contemporary context.

At its core, Metamorphosis aims to explore the dynamic relationship between art and the natural sciences. Each of the artists involved has a unique approach to the dual topics under consideration, and their diverse interpretations encompass a multitude of styles and methodologies. The exhibition encourages a deep integration between both disciplines, and incorporates artworks that investigate experimentation, hybridity, physiological studies, psychoanalytical models, musical interpretation, the historically traditional métier of taxidermy, the specialised craft of glass blowing and sculptural interventions within the space.

Metamorphosis will open at PS2 on Friday 19th October from 6 – 9pm and the exhibition will continue until 10th November 2012. The gallery opening hours are Tuesday to Friday 1pm -5pm, Saturday 11am-3pm.

W: www.andreaspencerglass.com
W: www.pssquared.org

ALVA GALLAGHER EXHIBITING AT THE MALL GALLERIES, LONDON

Alva Gallagher has been chosen to exhibit at The Mall Galleries London in this year’s RSMA Exhibition. The exhibition opens to the public on Wednesday 17th October and will show until Sunday 28th October 2012

W: http://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/index.php?pid=2&subid=114
W: www.alvagallagher.com
E: info@alvagallagher.com