Narrating Process - a Northlands Glass Experience

Remember back when it was summer and some of us lucky few got the chance to travel and take some amazing glass classes? GSoI member Catherine Keenan travelled to our friends at Nothlands Creative Glass, an amazing glassy place not too far away from us - find out about her experience!

'The Worst Journey in the World' James Maskrey

My first experience of Northlands was in 2008 when I got the opportunity of being a teaching assistant for american hot glass sculptor Richard Jolley.  It was one of those complete shot in the dark applications that surprisingly, and dauntingly paid off!  Luckily I wasn’t the only TA, seasoned Northlands gaffer James Maskrey was also there.  This put me in the comfortable position of being Richards second assistant and also to work directly with the beginners to glassblowing.  It couldn’t have been a better experience to build up my confidence in the studio and also in teaching.

I had forgotten what a special place Northlands is and this time I was the student and James Maskrey the teacher.  Since I last saw him in Scotland in James has become a leading figure in British glass, and deservedly so.  He masterfully marries his virtuosity in a variety of glassblowing techniques with his talent for storytelling to make sublimely elegant vessels that subtly suggest narratives in the form of marks, colour, text, and figurative glass miniatures.  A large body of his work brings to light fascinating details of historical journeys such as that of Cook, Scott and Shackleton.

“Narrating Process” was the course title and we had nine packed days to explore themes and means of employing storytelling in blown glass pieces.  There was a clear structure to the course, we had two projects to complete, a short ‘one-liner’ and a more substantially researched final project.  The first day was spent exploring the local area to gain inspiration, we then had allotted ‘bench time’ (glass blowing) and also the opportunity to see demonstrations by Jim.  I was particularly interested in seeing incalmo and murrini and also his ‘Working Solo for Sad Singletons' - how to blow glass without an assistant.  

making murrini

For me this was the first time since I was a college student, seven years ago, to really indulge in the creative process.  Since then I have hired studios to make my work and therefore experimentation has been very limited.  The nine days at Northlands was a chance to play with the material, to be less precious and not worry if the piece ended up in the bin.  It was a chance to generate new ideas and approaches, to be challenged and thereby consolidate what I do and why I do it.  It was essentially a more intense and condensed art college experience, and I loved it!

Catherine's class experiments 

As our masterclass leader, James set the tone for the group dynamic.  There were six in our class, of a variety of ages, skills and backgrounds.  I’m not sure whether it was due to being so closely involved with previous masterclasses at Northlands, or because he was in a rugby team in his youth, but James made great efforts for our group to bond.  One particularly clever ploy was a game he devised, we each had to choose our favourite music track, tell this only to Emma Baker our TA, who made a list of tracks at random and then we had to guess who’s track was whose.  We each threw some money in the pot and the winner got the lot...although they had to take everyone else to the pub and buy the drinks!  I think this investment in the social side of the class was very insightful on James’ part.  It made for a very pleasant working environment, we all enjoyed and benefited from hearing each other’s ideas and half of the experience of going away to do a class should be the time spent with new people. 

The class group

The staff of Northlands are also obviously aware of the essential social aspect to the experience, with amazing dinners arranged every night, a programme of students and tutors giving presentations of their work in the evening, and a day in the middle of the course to explore the local area in groups (I joined the boat trip that followed the breathtaking coast from Lybster up to Wick)

The studio experience was brilliant, with unlimited access to materials and more than enough bench time to make work.  Just being at Northlands however, meeting interesting people in a ruggedly beautiful landscape, was equally enjoyable...and I even saw the northern lights!

Written by GSoI Member, Catherine Keenan

COLLECT London 2014

Kari Hakonsen - blown, cut and polished glass

Earlier this month London’s Satchi Gallery was once again home to ‘The International Art Fair for Contemporary Objects’, better known to everyone as ‘Collect’. A weekend trip across the pond to London is a bit of an extravagance for most at this busy time of year but since I’m now living a short(ish) train journey away I thought I’d share some of this year’s glassy highlights with you.

One of the very first exhibits featured Scandinavian glass work, including this beautiful transparent blown glass by Kari Hakonsen. Glass is never the most represented material at craft shows like this but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality (then again maybe we’re just biased). 

Steffan Damn

Some familiar names from the UK and elsewhere pop up every year at collect: Danish artist Steffen Dam and his impossibly realistic hot sculpted jellyfish jars still fascinate me even more now I know how many stages and intricate processes creating them requires. Katherine Coleman, one of the best known glass engravers in the UK had some of her beautiful, optical vases on display and across the room another big name on in UK glass, Burno Romanelli showed some super precise and expertly polished kiln work.
  

Katharine Coleman - wheel-engraved crystal

Bruno Romanelli - Kilncast and polished glass

Unfortunately there wasn’t much in the way of an Irish glass representation this year. To the best of my knowledge we can only claim Dubliner Edmond Bryne, who is now based in the UK, as the sole Irish glass participant. Edmond, represented by the FLOW gallery, displayed a number of his signature textured mould-blown forms.  Inside the catalogue cover was Scott Benefield’s familiar canework advertising the Scottish Gallery but the actual work was not on display. 

Edmond Byrne 

Scott Benefield occupying the first page of the catalogue

Pia Raeymaekers 

Chantal Delporte 

'The Flanders Gallery' featured some interesting work from Belgian glass artists Pia Raeymaekers and Chantal Delporte. I thought Chantal’s work was particular interesting; she seems to be using pate-de-verre and lost-wax casting to create very detailed, natural looking forms. On some of them the frit seems to blend into the solid cast glass, creating an impressive mix of texture on the one sculpture. I would love to know how she does it.

Niyoko Ikuta - cut and laminated sheet glass 

One of my favourite pieces was from Japanese glass artist Niyoko Ikuta. Made of cut and laminated sheet glass, it caught the light beautifully and provided an interesting view from all angles. 

Niyoko Ikuta  (front view)

Some exhibits at 'The Gallery' at London Glassblowing 

The vast majority of the glassworks on show were shown in special exhibit from The National Glass Centre and ‘The Gallery’ at London Glassblowing. There were far more delightful objects on show than I could even photograph. As always there were some fantastic examples of contemporary jewellery in a huge variety of materials, ceramics ranging from the sculptural to the functional, metalwork, finely crafted wood, textiles and so much more. I really recommend a visit next year for inspiration and visual delights abound and with any luck maybe there’ll be a few more familiar pieces from our friends and members too! 

Louis Thompson - DNA Markers: Thermodynamics hot

London Glassblowing's exhibition space 

Written by Meadhbh McIlgorm
GSoI Media Officer 

ORIENTATE Symposium: Online booking now opening

​

Great news! Tickets for our Oct/Nov events are on sale now. We have a fantastic line up of international presenters for the Orientate Symposium in Cork including our keynote speaker Francesca Giubilei from GLASSTRESS (IT). There are also places available on our workshops in Cork and Dublin! Angela Thwaites will be leading a Glass Casting workshop in the National College of Art and Design (Dublin) and Cappy Thompson will teach a Glass Painting workshop at the National Sculpture Factory (Cork).

Buy Tickets HERE

GSoI Nov Events 2013

So we have had a very busy year so far at GSoI but its not over yet! In Nov we will be having  a series of exciting events in both Dublin and Cork - workshops, an exhibition and a conference with a fantastic line up of speakers...

 Here's a little taster so you can be sure to put us in your dairy!

CultureCraft: Craft in the Making @ The London Street Gallery, Derry

(If you haven't seen it yet there's still time, but hurry the final day, August 22nd is fast approaching!)

 CultureCraft: Craft in the Making is an engaging exhibition at the London Street Gallery that challenged 37 craft artists to create an original work in response to the question of culture and how that may or may not play a role in their practice. 

Derry-Londonderry has been named as the inaugural UK City of Culture 2013. CultureCraft is part of a series of events across the city that is both a response to and a celebration of the city's great achievement. The exhibition venue is located in the old part of the city, near the iconic walls so central to the political and cultural heritage of the city. The temporary gallery can be seen as a key symbol in the regeneration of a city with a rich but not always rosy history. It aims to promote both established and emerging artists and preform a social role within the arts community of the city.

Seliena Cloyle at CultureCraft

Derry native and contemporary jeweller Seliena Coyle curated the exhibition and it is safe to say that its outstanding success is a direct result of her passion and enthusiasm in the cause of promoting Irish craft and culture. Seliena's personal work is heavily involved with developing a new jewellery aesthetic that is sensitive to Irish heritage and cultural traditions. Asked about the exhibition she remarked that, 'People involved in craft will be surprised by this exhibition. Nothing of this standard in craft has ever happened before in the North West. It is going to be a real showcase for craft in Derry, and hopefully will inspire and create an environment where contemporary craft will be embedded in the city.'

The artists own cultural identities and backgrounds are as diverse as the materials they work with. Ranging from recent graduates to established professionals and educators in the fields of textiles, jewellery, glass, ceramics, felting, metalwork and mixed  media they are the crème de la crème of contemporary Irish craft-artists. CultureCraft aims to introduce the concept of craft as a vehicle for creative expression equal to the traditional 'fine arts' so both the artistic intention and the highly skilled craftsmanship are highlighted in the exhibition. 

Participating artists with the mayor of Derry

Here's a full list of participating artists: 

Glass work from Scott Benefield @CultureCraft

Tom Agnew, Neil Read, Alex Scott, Adam Frew, Peter Meanley, Gail Mahon, Peter Fulop (Glass) Scott Benefield, Caroline Madden, Peadar Lamb, Alva Gallagher, James Toal, Charlene McFarland Stuart Cairns, Rachel McKnight, Eily O Connell, Sabrina Meyns, Justyna Truchanowska, Cara Murphy, Angela O Kelly, Grainne Morton, Nigel Cheney, Helen McAllister,  Mary Cullen, Tara Ní Nuáillan, Liz Nilson, Caroline Schofield, Logan McLain, Brigitta Varadi, Liam Flynn, Joe Hogan, Richard Sinclair, Seliena Coyle, Deirdre O Callaghan, Suzanne Woods  

Nigel Cheeny's  printed and embroidered
tape measure @CultureCraft

It is often said that one of the reasons contemporary craft has a difficult time competing in the art market is the lack of critical and academic writing on the subject. Thankfully, the exhibition is contextualised by essays from a number of  leading academics, including Dr Audrey Whitty, Dr Jessica Hemmings, Dr Joseph McBrinn and Professor Declan McGonagle. Their essays will all feature in the CultureCraft catalogue, which will be available soon. 

Well done to all involved with this excellent exhibition and lets hope to see more like it soon.  

The project is sponsored by; Derry City Council, The Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Craft NI, Crafts Council of Ireland, Creative Village Arts, Inner City Trust and The Culture Company.

Check out this exhibition: London Street Gallery opening times: Tuesday - Saturday; 11am-4pm until August 22nd. Free entry, all welcome! 

For further information about the exhibition please contact:

culturecraftinthecity@gmail.com

londonstreetgallery@gmail.com

Web-links:  

http://www.londonstreetgallery.org

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/CultureCraft/145233802309679?fref=

http://pinterest.com/seliena/culturecraft/

Written by: Meadhbh McIlgorm 

Glassblowing in Stourbridge

The following article has been written by GSoI member Catherine Keenan. Catherine Keenan is a glass artist based on the lovely north coast of Ireland, in Portstewart.

Finding a glassblowing studio whose hiring rates are reasonably priced, with a skilled assistant on hand, if desired, and the studio is always up and running and available has proven difficult to find over the years.  Since 2009 I had travelled to Sunderland to hire at the National Glass Centre, but with their major renovations last summer I was forced to find a new venue.  So I took a chance on the ‘Stourbridge Glassblowing Studio’, at the Ruskin Glass Centre.  It is part run by my ‘old’ teacher from the International Glass Centre, Stephen Foster who shares it with Peter Fricker and brothers Ian and Vic Bamforth.

A major draw for me to hire their studio is the fact that Ian Bamforth assists me, therefore he knows all the workings of the space and as a skilled maker can offer helpful advice.  He’s also easy going and a good laugh...that always helps when under pressure due to the expense and time restraints of hiring!

Although you will need to bring your own hand tools, with a some prior communication, the studio has everything else you would need.  I would suggest to other irish makers who are flying over to order your glass colour so it is delivered directly to the studio. 

There is an introductory offer for your first day of hiring; £135 and subsequent days are 

£170 each.  It’s £80 per day for an assistant.

If you can spare some time to see the area there are several museums and quite a few studios to visit.  The Ruskin Glass Centre, which hosts the British Glass Festival and Biennale, has many glass artists based there and also the recently opened Webb Corbett Visitor Centre.  I was fortunate enough to be personally shown around the museum by former factory master glassblower Malcolm Andrews.  He also happened to teach at the International Glass Centre, Brierley Hill (before my time) and had very fond memories of a young Paedar Lamb!

Not far up the road (it’s called the ‘Crystal Mile’) is the Red House Glass Cone, which is the only fully intact example of the18th century red brick glass cones that used to be dotted all over the area.  There’s a museum display and glassblowing studio with live demos.  Then, just a bit further still, is Broadfield House Glass Museum which has a huge glass collection ranging from the 17th century to the present day.  You can also watch skilled glassblower Allister Malcolm at work.

If you like real ale I can’t imagine there’s a better place in England to sample a wide variety of great beer in real pubs...that’s another reason to enlist Ian as an assistant as he’s a wealth of knowledge on decent pubs!

It’s easy enough to get to Stourbridge from Birmingham airport, there is a train station at the terminal (connected by a monorail), you get the train to Birmingham New Street, then walk to Moore Street Station (5 mins) and get the train to Stourbridge Junction, and finally get a connecting train to Stourbridge Town.  You can get a taxi from there, or ask at the bus station for a stop by the Ruby Cantonese Chinese Restaurant which is beside the Ruskin Glass Centre.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me via email: catherinekeenan126@gmail.com

Links:
http://www.catherinekeenanglass.com/

http://ruskinglasscentre.co.uk

http://ruskinglasscentre.co.uk/tennants/stourbridge-glassblowing-studio/

http://www.ianbamforthglass.com

http://www.dudley.gov.uk/see-and-do/museums/red-house-glass-cone/

by Catherine Kennan

Karen Donnellan writes about Jeff Zimmer for GAS Newsletter

Jeff Zimmer’s background in acting retains a strong influence over his work. The series, Theatres of Glass (2010-2011) is an obvious offshoot, but even the newest works from the whitewash series feel like a scene, set for action. After completing a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies, Zimmer realised the vulnerability inherent in acting in the rehearsal stage was too much for a lifetime’s pursuit. Conversely, creating an object separate from the artist allowed him to experiment with creative abandon in the privacy of his own studio. Thus began his career as a visual artist and maker.

The artist’s current series, whitewash, is decidedly political in content. In each of these beautiful snow-scapes, the debris and reminders of death are only partially hidden from view. It is an anti-war statement, but is made in a way that “those who supported the war can look at it and appreciate it.” Jeff employs a Taoist approach in the assertions he makes
within the work. Being very conscious of the growing polarization of politics and society in the US, his work is an empathetic communication of his ideals. While consciously making them as beautiful as possible, it allows for the ugly message to be put across in a more digestible way. In doing so, he hopes for the audience to appreciate the duality without judgment. In his own words, the work alludes to “the way in which we all try to whitewash something of ourselves, as individuals and as nations. It’s a human need to see oneself as someone who is good on some fundamental level, so that tension between the desire to present ourselves as good, is in conflict with the knowledge we have of the bad things we have done.” 

The key moment that redirected his creative energies towards painting in particular, came to pass at an exhibition of cubist art at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Jeff describes this as “an incredible damascene moment where I suddenly started to see the world rendered in flat planes of three-dimensional stained glass. It was unlike anything I had seen in my life, but I knew then that I was going to work with flat glass.” Following several years of researching and solitary experimentation on the kitchen table with a 7” square kiln, Jeff came across a work by Judith Schaechter called Little Torcher at Renwick Gallery in DC. This pivotal discovery brought about some drastic technical and visual changes in Zimmer’s work and Schaechter later became a mentor.

 He also recognizes Tim Tate and Michael Janis of the Washington Glass School among those who inspired and supported him early on in his glass career. “Tim Tate was there at the beginning, being able to share a studio with him as he set up the Washington glass school opened so many doors, and the fact that he was so interested in taking glass and pushing it forward in terms of content was significant,” Zimmer says.

In 2004, Zimmer began working towards a Master’s to allow for a more focused and full-time exploration of the technique. His research of programs on both sides of the Atlantic lead him to the Edinburgh College of Art (now part of the University of Edinburgh). The program, then lead by Ray Flavell and Alec Galloway, was one of few that offered Architectural glass on a full time basis. It was here that his ideas on perception and ambiguity developed, which remain strong themes in his work to date. Upon graduation, he was offered a position as Artist in Residence, in addition to teaching architectural and stained glass to part-time students in conjunction with the college’s Office of Lifelong Learning Program. Jeff still runs the part-time stained glass course and is presently a Temporary Lecturer in Glass within the main Glass Department.

A residency at North Lands Creative Glass in 2006 brought about another shift in artistic direction for Jeff. Having arrived in this remote landscape at the Northern tip of Scotland with a very cerebral proposal for new work, it proved difficult to resolve. However, he couldn’t help but respond to the 360-degree horizon he found there, which his first landscapes. The impetus of the series was in part, “to capture that elemental feeling of such vast space.” Previous to that opportunity, Jeff’s work had been strongly figurative, but as I found out, his military father painted landscapes as a hobby. Jeff’s work does stem from a very different emotional place, but even so, perhaps it is no surprise that he has been drawn to the genre.

Despite these references and the suggestive title, we were All wrong, the work retains an element of ambiguity. As for the frames, those are scoured from second-hand shops and auctions. The more ostentatious and grandiose, the better. As a classic marker of important and perhaps conservative art, Jeff conciously utilizes them to undermine the cosy nature that the patina of time gives to older art, implying a feeling of safety.

The notions of borders will be explored in Jeff’s next body of work, which is particularly relevant as the Scottish Independence Referendum is coming up in 2014. Where, as the artist notes, “We will have the whole country deciding how we define ourselves... Who is in? Who is out?”

Jeff is the editor of the Scottish Glass Society newsletter, which is published on
a quarterly basis. His work is represented by The wexler Gallery in Philadelphia and Maurine Littleton Gallery in washington, DC a quarterly basis. 

Jeff Zimmer will be teaching a glass painting workshop at the National Sculpture Factory this April, for more info see the NSF website: HERE 

This article was first published in GAS News, January 2013

The GSoI would like to thank  the GAS for allowing the reproduction of the above article for our blog

By Karen Donnellan

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

JERWOOD MAKERS CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Jerwood Makers Open is designed to commission and showcase new work by emerging artists working in the applied arts. Emerging applied artists working across craft disciplines are invited to apply for Jerwood Makers Open 2013. The deadline for applications is 5pm on the 12th of November 2012.

Five commissions of £7,500 will be awarded to artists to create new work, which will then be exhibited as part of the Jerwood Visual Arts programme at Jerwood Space, London 10 July - 25 August 2013. Artists will be chosen by an independent selection panel and must be UK resident and within 10 years of graduating or setting up their practice.

W: http://jerwoodvisualarts.org/3088/Artist-Opportunities

W: http://craftni.org/opportunities/jerwood-makers-open-2013-call-for-entries/

ANDREA SPENCER AT THE BRITISH GLASS BIENNALE

The UK's major exhibition of contemporary glass has announced its exhibitors for 2012. This year 71 artists will exhibit at the fifth British Glass Biennale, including Andrea Spencer. She will be the only representative from Northern Ireland. The exhibition will take place from 24th August until 15th September 2012 at Stourbridge, West Midlands.

W: www.biennale.org.uk

WARM GLASS PRIZE 2011: PUBLIC VOTING NOW OPEN

The shortlisted entries for this year's Warm Glass prize are now online for viewing. There are a number of entries from Irish and Irish-based artists. The public is invited to vote for your favourites in the student category, and two NCAD Glass students have work in the final. View Conor O'Toole's work here: http://www.warmglassprize.com/conor-o-toole-p-344.html and Grainne Dunne's work here: http://www.warmglassprize.com/grainne-dunne-p-357.html