Glass Highlights from Sculpture in Context 2015

Louise Murphy - Arderin

If you have not ventured to Glassnevin this autumn to see the gardens in all of their glory, this is the time to do so. Once again talented glass artists have made themselves known at the Sculpture in Context exhibition at The National Botanic Gardens in Glassnevin. This year’s exhibition had the highest amount of entries to date. It was a challenge for the judicators to choose just 160 of artworks from 384 submissions. Congratulations to all artists who have participated in Irelands largest and most prestigious annual outdoor sculpture exhibition. Here is just a glimpse of works from this year’s show. (All photographs by Karl Jordan).

George Walsh - Spirit of the Harvest

Classically trained stained glass artist George Walsh shows two exquisitely made pieces Fishermen, (painted and fused glass) and Spirit of the Harvest, (Painted Antique Glass) greeting you as you enter the gallery space. 

Also in the gallery is some emerging talent from NCAD glass student Louise Murphy. Arderin, is a sculpted mountainscape that displays the reflective and optical qualities of shot glass. Just beginning her final degree year, this is the first time Louise has shown in this exhibition. 

Gwyn Grace - Sundew Sparkle

There are quite a few familiar names in this year’s exhibition: It is exciting to see the work of recent NCAD graduate Gwyn Grace, this year returning with Sundew Sparkle (cast bronze, glass and bog oak). 

Sinead Brennan - Gone to Pot

Sinead Brennan, GSoI board member and Waterford the Glass City project coordinator is showing some beautiful hot sculpted pieces in a mini installation, Gone to Pot. Both artists’ works this year are finely displayed in the gallery window directly in front of Whole world in your Hands, a piece by Beth Newman Maguire (bronze and Cavan Crystal).

Whole world in your Hands, a piece by Beth Newman Maguire

Another returning exhibitor in the gallery, Dublin artist Eva Kelly shows her vibrant and colourful wall mounted glassworks ‘Oranges and Lemons’. Last but not least, before we venture outside, Willie Foley shows Gilded Cage made from glass and steel.

Eva Kelly - Oranges and Lemons 

Willie Foley - Gilded Cage

Out in the gardens don’t forget to stop and smell the Deise Daisies by William Harvey made with glass and bronze.  

Deise Daisies - William Harvey

Mags O’Dea is dressing up the trees again (you might remember her award winning glass piece from 2013 so we thought we'd bend the rules and mention her again).Another recent graduate from the glass department at NCAD, she is currently studying an MA in sculpture. Mags’ Burlesque (coloured waxes and textiles) can be also found as you venture through the gardens. 

Mags O'Dea - Burlesque 

Of course, there are over one hundred more pieces to be found as you explore the exhibition nevertheless I hope we have given you a showcase of this year’s glassy entries.

Be sure to check out Sculpture in Context 2015 at The National Botanical Gardens, which will run until 16 October 2015. Admission is free and it's a great visit for all the family to enjoy. Opening times are 9-5 weekdays and 10-6 weekends and bank holidays. Free tours of the exhibition every Tuesday 10.30am - 11.30am and every Saturday 3pm - 4pm. Full programme of all the artists and works is available at the reception. More details and contact info see their website. 

Written by: Louise Murphy

Photographer: Karl Jordan

(Thank You to Jackie Ball for your help!)

RDS Christmas Craft fair 2014 - The Glass Edit

It’s all over now but I was delighted to get out to the RDS Craft Fair last weekend for both Christmas shopping and GSoI journalistic reasons. Maybe I was just more attentive but there seemed to be more glass on offer than there was the last year I attended in 2012.

Word amongst the stalls was generally quite positive, there seems to be more buyer confidence this Christmas than in recent years and  I was told by many that weekend was especially good for sales.

Here’s  the lowdown on all the lovely traders I had a chat with:  

First up was Terrence McSweeney from Kerry Crafted Glass. I had met Terry before once at NCAD and once at an RDS Craft fair from Christmases past - He's a yearly staple at this stage, generally to be  found in the main hall along the perimeter.  All of Kerry Crafted Glass is made using recycled glass and his priduct range covers, lamps, mirrors, all kind of table wear and decorative ornaments. 

Tara Crystal Chandeliers: Here again we see more of the former Waterford Crystal employees that are putting their long earned skills to use. Tara Crystal specialise in bespoke lighting and occasionally do other commissions such a trophies. All their woks uses traditional Irish lead crystal for brilliant clarity and optics. 

 

Jonathan Ball: Jonathan is an artist and craftsman who described himself to me as being 'into too many processes'. His primary materials are glass, metal and wood. Glass is the newest of his passions, having recently graduated from the glass programme at Edinburgh College of Art.  Amazingly Jonathan only set up his new glass studio in Leitrim this September and has managed to produce the huge quantity of work he had on show in a few short months. 

 

Catherine Keenan's stall had a beautiful display of her both her jewellery and her decorative sculptures. Her colourscape necklaces and matching earnings were doing particularly well and were also featured in The Gloss magazine last week. 

 

 Jerpoint Glass is another yearly staple at the RDS and was looking delicious always with a great variety of colourful vessels and also some decorative pieces. Jerpoint Glass is a family business in Kilkenny started by Keith and Kathleen in 1997 which now delivers to customers worldwide. The new Zest Collection pictured below, was particularly eye-catching.

I didn't get a chance to speak to Ruzica Ruane of Cadenza Glass Beads because she was too busy with customers which can only be a good thing but I think this was her first year at the RDS. Ruzica's lampworked beads create beautiful statement jewellery pieces and if you're interested in leanring some of her techniques she also offers workshops for small groups at her lovely custom built studio in Dun Laoghaire. 

Some more glass jewellery - kiln-formed this time - from Shards of Design . Based in Dundrum in Dublin and operated by Fergus Quearney, this company had lots of playful fused glass jewellery, decorative wall pictures and clocks.

I had a great chat with Richard Parish who's been working with fused glass for a number of years now from his studio in Edenderry, Co Offaly.Richard was mostly selling decorative Christmas pieces at the RDS but he also works to commission on architectural pieces and special awards. 

Some more glassy exhibitors I didnt have a chance to talk to were Agnes Preece Stained Glass Lamps, Celtic Heritage Kinsale and Rainbow Stained Glass. 

Well done to all the exhibitors and we hope you all had great successes from your time at the RDS. 

PS: Also on display over the 5 days were the award winning works from the RDS Craft Awards 2014 - Here's some photography that does them no justice, but it was great that so many people got the opportunity to see them - congratulations again Dennis and Sadhbh! 

Dennis Brown - calligraphy on glass, winner in both the RDS Glass and RDS Calligraphy categories 

Sadhbh Mowlds 'Into the witches eye' - winner of the GSoI award 2014

Written by Meadhbh McIlgorm
GSoI Media and Communications Officer 

Glass in the Gardens @Sculpture in Context 2014

Benjamin Just, 'Bonsai Model', Glass Wood Pvc, 20x40x10

Hard as it is to believe that a whole year has gone by since I told you about ‘GLASS GALORE @Sculpture in Context2013' - I’m delighted to say that we have done it again and glass art is once more making a big impression at Ireland’s largest and most prestigious annual outdoor sculpture event Sculpture in Context.

Madeleine Hellier, 'Jinny Joe, Jinny Joe Bring me back an Egg', Engraved Watch Faces

Gracing the gardens and glasshouses Dublin’s Botanical Gardens every September/October since 2002 this exhibition features over 150 pieces from both Irish and International artists.There is always fantastic variety with works in all mediums from both established and emerging artists. 

We have counted an amazing fifteen lovely pieces made with glass this year.

 Here's the list of their creators:  

Gwyn Grace, 'Bog Sundew Tentacles', Glass

Benjamin Just

Eva Kelly

Gwyn Grace

Lisa Sarsfield

Madeleine Hellier

Mags O'Dea

Margaret Tuffy 

Merce Canadell

Rose Sinclair-Doyle

Sadhbh Mowlds

Michelle Maher

Susan Cuffe

Rose Sinclair-Doyle, 'Past Whisper', Glass, 35x25x8

Margaret Tuffy, 'Small Breaths', Blown Glass

Continuing the theme of glassy excellence, I'm delighted to report that one of the three cash prizes for an Outdoor Work of Distinction in Any Medium’ was awarded to Merce Canadell, a final year student in the National College of Art and Design glass department, for her piece Embracing Water. Her cast glass piece is partly submerged in the water feature in one of the greenhouses where the running water makes the sculpture glisten and seem to come alive. (Though you should obviously try to see it in person – there is a great shot of it at the end of this short youtube video).

Merce Canadell, 'Embracing Water', Cast Glass, 150x40x35

Some returning stars from last year’s exhibition are recent NCAD graduates Gwyn Grace, Mag’s O’Dea (who was awarded a prize last year) and Sadhbh Mowlds (The GSoI Prize winner at the RDS awards this year). The NCAD students are ones to be watched in this exhibition for sure!

Sadhbh Mowlds, 'The Good People', Blown Enamelled Glass Wood

Mags O'Dea, 'Nurturing The Seed Within', Blown Glass, 10x10x26 

Another familiar face from last years show is Eva Kelly - whose mixed media piece 'Buried Treasure' features some very sweet cast glass dog bones. Well done also to Benjamin Just, who has not one but two glass pieces chosen for this years exhibition.

Benjamin Just, 'Tree Rings', Glass, 40x10x10

Eva Kelly, 'Buried Treasure', Cast Glass and Mixed Media, 25x19x10

Sculpture in Context 2014 at The National Botanical Gardens will run till 17 October 2014. Admission is free and it's a great visit for all the family to enjoy. Opening times are 9-5 weekdays and 10-6 weekends and bank holidays. Free tours of the exhibition every Tuesday 10.30am - 11.30am and every Saturday 3pm - 4pm. Full programme of all  the artists and works is available at reception. More details and contact info see their website. 

Lisa Sarsfield, 'Accumulate I', Acetate Silk Glass, 10x30x25

Written by Meadhbh McIlgorm

Photos by Eva Reddy 

Ulysses Cylinders Public Lecture

by Fiona Byrne

In the lead up to the opening of the Ulysses Cylinders exhibition by Dale Chilhuly and Seaver Leslie with Flora C. Mace and Joey Kirkpatrick a lecture was held at Dublin Castle. This lecture looked at the making of the exhibition, glass in Ulysses and also gave an insight into why the artists and organisers decided, almost forty years after the exhibition’s original conception, to recreate this iconic show.

The evening began with introductions from Paula Stokes and Róisín de Buitléar, who have both been instrumental in getting this exhibition to Ireland for its very fitting launch to coincide with the Bloomsday festivities. A screening of the making process of these beautiful pieces took place and the complexities of the artistic process were clear. These pieces have been lavished in gold, had delicate and intricate glass drawings melted into their surface, and then skilfully blown to their final shape. This labour intensive process encapsulates the love and effort on the part of everyone on this project to make the vision of the Ulysses Cylinders a reality.

The passion for the project is infectious. Seaver Leslie gave a wonderful talk about his role in the project and his respect for his fellow artists, including Joyce himself, is worn on his sleeve. His modesty is such that he comes across as a man who is proud to have been allowed to be part of this project and not as one of its main characters. However, once he began to speak you can feel the connection and depth of knowledge that he has for his subject matter.

He stressed the links with Ulysses and Joyce that go beyond a mere visual representation of the book. ‘Proportion is everything in the making of art’, Leslie tells us, echoing the harmonics of proportion in Ulysses. The joy of discovery also links these two artists we learn as Leslie recounts the story of finding a description of glass blowing in Ulysses and describes the emotion and pride he felt at his discovery. This is something which translates to the objects in the exhibition, as Róisín de Buitléar pointed out, you have to walk around each piece to get the full picture, you have to actively seek it.

Relationships are important in this project and ownership is not seen as an issue. Leslie expresses how all art steals and borrows inspiration from others. This exhibition is about collaboration and creation, using the ideas and talents of a group to push the art form to new levels. His collaboration with Chihuly began a long time ago when Leslie first encountered Chihuly working the hot work shop in college. He described how Chihuly’s vibrancy attracted an entourage of fun, creative people.

The contrast between the more singular process of a painter and this very team orientated process of glass blowing served to draw Leslie in to the world of Chihuly. He describes himself as being hidden in a forest and Chihuly being out there causing a storm. I for one am glad he chose to come out of his metaphorical hiding place and add his talents to the Ulysses Cylinders project.

Soul is the word which occurred again and again, finding something deep and essential within art, taking it, and making it your own. Leslie leaves us with the thought that Ulysses is a spiritual book and not to be daunted as, ‘you will find what you need’ from it.

After Leslie has spoken Dr. Luke Gibbons takes us ‘Through the glass darkly’ in his talk about the importance of glass in Joyce’s writing. He tells us that Joyce asked us to look at the glass and not just through the glass. To illustrate this he described the first scene of the Dubliners where there is a young boy looking up at the stained glass windows in a church.

Joyce used glass as a carrier of meaning in various ways, once saying that ‘only a transparent sheet separates me from madness’. Gibbons informs us of the fortuitous meeting of Joyce with Thomas Pugh of Pugh’s glass manufacturers. In Pugh he found a man who had claimed Ulysses as a seminal work but who operated outside of the academic circles, this, Gibbons tells us, was Joyce’s intended audience.

Though if seems artistic collaborations can sometimes go awry. Gibbons tells us of the mix up with a commission involving the artist Matisse who was asked to illustrate Ulysses. However misunderstanding the commission he illustrated Homer's Odyssey instead, leaving Ulysses without illustrations.

This project has had its set back also. Thirty nine years ago a tragic car accident stopped the original exhibition in its tracks and resulted in Chihuly losing the sight of his left eye.  Today the Ulysses Cylinders exhibition is on display at Dublin Castle after a long time in the making. This beautiful collection of objects holds more stories than those illustrated on their surface. They are alive with narratives waiting to be unlocked by the viewer.

GSoI Dublin Events 17th of June _ #chihulysses

To celebrate the arrival of Dale Chihuly in Dublin, the GSoI is hosting a number of events in the city on June 17^th to coincide with his lecture and exhibition of the ‘Ulysses Cylinders’ at Dublin Castle. 

We hope that our satellite events will encourage even more of you to come and make a day of this event. Follow #chihulysses on facebook and twitter to keep up with events as they happen. 

After the lecture at Dublin Castle we will also be hosting an informal get-together with drinks, food and a small glass display for anyone interested at Bagots Hutton Bar (28 South William Street, 15min walk away from Dublin Castle) which will be a lovely chance to catch up with old friends and maybe make some new ones. 

 Here’s what will be happening on the day:

Historical Glass at the National Museum of Decorative Arts

Debbie Dawson will lead a group around the Visible Storage section of Collins’ Barracks. Debbie will look at the historical collection which consists of Irish, American and European glass dating from the 18th to the 20th Century. Traditional collecting centered on the industrial manufacture of Belfast, Cork, Dublin and Waterford in the late 18th to mid 19th Century. Debbie will also discuss the important collection of high quality Irish/Irish-related contemporary works that were purchased in association with the Crafts Council of Ireland.

The stained glass windows of St. Teresa’s Church

Peadar Lamb will give a talk on the series of stained glass windows in St. Teresa’s Church on Clarendon Street, Dublin. The stained glass windows date back to the 1960’s; some of which were executed by the Abbey Stained Glass Studio. In 1989 a series of windows for the nave were commissioned and executed by Irish artist Phyllis Burke. The windows depict scenes ranging from of the Resurrection to portrayals of various saints.

The Blaschka Collection at the Museum of Natural History

Emma Bourke will lead a tour of the Blaschka glass models of sea creatures in the Museum of Natural History. This unique collection of Blaschka glass is one of the largest in the world and is still displayed in its original 19th century cabinets Researcher of Blaschka glass and trained as a scientific lampworker, Emma has an intuitive understanding of this work. At 3pm she will lead a group up to the restricted third floor balcony, where she will explain the importance of these pieces to our national collection, the creation of the work and the restoration of the exhibits. Spaces are limited on this tour so registration is essential to be guaranteed a space, contact emma.glasssocietyofireland@gmail.com to reserve a space. 

Who's Buying? - Glass at Showcase Ireland

Filigrana Vases, BTU Studio Production line 2014

2013 was another good year for Irish craft.
According to CCoI statistics the number of people buying craft has been rising in recent years which is good news for all the Irish-Glassies.
As well as the usual suspects (Jerpoint Glass Studio, Irish Handmade Glass and Kerry Crafted Glass who we caught up with last year) there were some new faces at Showcase Ireland this year including the familiar faces of Scott Benefield and Catherine Keenan. 

Albion - Scott's personal work

Scott was there representing the BTU studio which he founded with his wife and fellow glass artist, Andrea Spencer in 2011. They are based in Randelstown in Northern Ireland. The studio is named after a dated measure of energy, the British Thermal Unit and they produce and annual line of blown glassware and decorative objects. Here’s what Scott had to say about selling at Showcase this year:

"I had really good experience. I thought that the buyers were much more open to looking at something new and even committing to an order in comparison to, say, the British Craft Trade Fair. It was great to meet other exhibitors and staff from the Crafts Council; it gave me an expanded sense of the handcraft scene in Ireland.  

Andrea Spencer, Temporal Properties

The offerings in glass were absurdly few- besides me, there were only three other studios in the Creative Island section. It's far from critical mass levels and so the market in Ireland for contemporary glass remains undeveloped, in my opinion. But the good news is that there seems to be plenty of room for new designers and makers who are working with glass."

BTU's Stand at Showcase 

'Eye candy' - Catherine Keenan

Catherine Keenan was also an exhibitor there, selected as part of the Craft Northern Ireland group. Catherine received her BA in Glass from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin and continued her studies in the UK. Since graduating, has continued to work from her native Northern Ireland producing decorative blown vessels and lamp-worked glass jewellery. She is currently based at Flowerfield Arts Centre in Portstewart.

Catherine's Stand at Showcase 

"I was in an area that was mostly fashion accessories and jewellery, as I was focusing on getting wholesale orders for my lamp worked glass jewellery. However I also brought my blown glass in order to draw people to my stand and also make clear the connection between the blown glass and my jewellery. I got a great response to my work, people were instantly drawn to the colours, particularly in my new 'Colourscape' range of jewellery.  I gained a substantial number of new stockists mostly throughout Ireland, also one on Iona.
In terms of the market for glass in Ireland: I found a lot of shops liked my blown glass and I had some good discussions with higher-end galleries but it is a rather small and select group of buyers who have a particular interest in glass. I think is the main issue that people often don't understand the cost of producing a piece of glass and therefore don’t understand the value.
That said however, when I have exhibited through the Crafts Council of Ireland, or at the RDS National Crafts Competition, I have tended to sell.  It seems clear to me that they are getting the select audience for high end craft, who appreciate the work and quality of blown glass."

'Colourscape' Necklaces and 'Eye Candy' Blown Glass

So there you have it folks, word from the experts is that there's plenty of room for more glass in the Irish market place, especially if we can communicate the production costs more effectively to the average buyers. Thank you Catherine and Scott for sharing your experience with us.

Well done to all the glass-practitioners at Showcase this year - lets double our numbers for next year! 

Written by Meadhbh McIlgorm
GSoI Media and Communications