GLASS ART

DEFINITIONS of GLASS SKILLS

HOT
Most people are familiar with the image of the glassblower at the furnace manipulating a gob of 'hot' glass. It is not difficult to understand why glassblowing is known as the 'Hot glass ' technique with all the heat surrounding this craft.
Temperature of glass approx 1,300°C.

COLD
On the opposite side of the coin is the stained glass artist, who usually works at room temperature fitting together pieces of coloured glass held together by lead came. This craft is commonly known as the 'Cold Glass' technique.
Obviously there are other cold working skills e.g. etching and sandblasting.

WARM
In between these two there are the Kiln workers, this is the type of glass work produced in my studio.
They work with glass at temperatures ranging from 590-900°C.

There are some glass artists who use a combination of all 3 of the above, but you'll have to use your imagination as they are too many and varied to mention them all here. I will concentrate on the main areas.

THREE MAIN AREAS OF 'WARM GLASS'

1.FUSING - Joining glass pieces together by melting them in a kiln.

2. SLUMPING - Shaping glass by heating it over or into a mould in
a kiln.

3.CASTING - Using kiln heat to melt glass inside a mould.

There are many variations and interpretations of these definitions, this is just a basic description

BRIEF HISTORY OF KILNFORMED GLASS

It is generally agreed that the Mesopotamians did the first fusing and casting in the 2nd millennium B.C.
Early warm glass processes evolved from ceramics/metalworking techniques.
Glass was classed as a precious material alongside gold and silver.
Next came the Egyptians, who by the later half of the 2nd millennium B.C. were proficient in both casting and fusing. They also developed the technique of working with glass rods (now known as lampworking).
Romans and Greeks adapted and improved on early techniques from the 3rd century B.C. till the birth of Christ.
The development of kiln forming was put on hold when a new approach - Glassblowing was developed by the Romans.
Blowing became popular due to its greater efficiency, repeatability and lower cost.
Warm glass techniques were forgotten until they were rediscovered in Europe during the 19th Century.
One of the first areas to be developed was the 'Pate de Verre' movement in France.
Henri Cros, Albert Dammouse and Gabriel Argy-Rousseau developed methods for casting with a paste made from small glass particles.
In the early 20th century The Studio Glass movement, led by Harvey Littleton and centered on blowing brought respectability to working with glass.
The Bullseye Glass Co. formed by 3 glassblowers, played a significant role in the development of 'Warm glass'. They led the first major research in the development of 'tested compatible' glass made specifically for fusing.
Today, after nearly 2 centuries of re-discovery, warm glass continues to develop and grow as a viable artistic discipline. The increasing availability of better materials and the continued experimentation of artists leaves warm glass poised for continuing growth during the 21st Century and beyond.

Glass church

The exterior of St Matthew's Church at Millbrook scarcely merits a second glance.

Its rectilinear structure and plain outside walls compare very poorly indeed with the rich, warm granite of most of the parish churches. Closer inspection, however, reveals that the drab shell of St Matthew's is there merely to protect an interior that is glorious in every respect.

The glass front doors are the first clue, but even these fail to prepare new visitors for what lies beyond them, namely the luminous creations of Rene Lalique which give St Matthew's its more popular name - the Glass Church.

Opalescent panels, a magnificent altar cross, a glass font - perhaps the only one to be found anywhere - the Jersey lily motif, and truly wonderful, perfectly angelic Art Deco angels make the church one of the Island's treasures.

Lalique, whose name remains synonymous with fine glasswork, made his name as a designer and maker of jewellery and objets d'art.

Fortunately for Jersey - and indeed the world - his house in the South of France was next to that of Florence Boot, Lady Trent, the widow of Jesse Boot, Baron Trent, the founder of Boot's the Chemists.

Lady Trent, whose principal residence was Villa Millbrook in Jersey, encouraged her artist and craftsman neighbour to design and then create new fixtures and fittings for the interior of St Matthew's, which lies just across the road from Villa Millbrook.

The refurbished church was to be dedicated to the memory of her illustrious husband.

Lalique, who began the work in 1932, needed little persuasion. He had wanted for some time to extend his repertoire into the architectural field. The peerless results of his endeavours, which were completed in 1934, are still there to be seen, and marvelled at, today.

Lalique, who was born in 1860 and died in 1945, was noted for the elegance of the forms he designed. Form is certainly important in the Glass Church, but much of the magic of the effect created there comes from the material chosen, verre blanc moule-presse.

This milky opaque glass makes light behave strangely, bathing the interior of the church in a soft, serene, ethereal glow entirely fitting for a place of reverence, worship and commemoration.

Although the Glass Church is most readily associated with the names of Lalique and his patron, Lady Trent, we should not forget that another important figure played a part in its design.

The Jersey architect A B Grayson is perhaps best known for his Art Deco private houses, many examples of which are still to be seen around the Island.

At St Matthew's his designs for the oak pews, the pulpit and the lectern complement the glass and make their own contribution to what can only be regarded as the Island's most remarkable piece of interior design.

This article first appeared in the Jersey Evening Post as part of the Pride in Jersey series, marking the Island's 1204-2004 celebrations.

By Kellie B. Gormly, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Hanging out in the garden Red House Communications
Garden gnomes
Red House Communication

Nearly 200 intricate, handmade glass creations from German artist Hans Godo Frabel will decorate the rooms of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens for the next eight months.
"Life in the Gardens: Frabel Glass at Phipps," which opens Wednesday at the Oakland conservatory, features 185 artsy glass pieces carved in shapes that often look convincingly like the real thing: for instance, frogs and lilies, officials say. Other shapes include whimsical clowns, flower goblets, humanistic vines, reptiles, geometric shapes and aliens. Visitors will love the exhibit, says Richard Piacentini, executive director of Phipps.

"I think they're going to have a lot of fun with it -- the figures and the characters, and the way they interact," he says. "It's just a fun exhibit; it's really exciting. ... These things actually look like they're real."

Frabel's glass comes from boron crystal, which has a more intricate look than the fluid appearance of blown glass. Frabel -- a native of Germany who now lives and works in Atlanta -- is known for pioneering the lampwork technique. This type of glasswork uses a gas-fueled torch to melt rods and tubes of clear and colored glass. Boron glass sculptures take several weeks to create, whereas blown-glass pieces can be completed in about an hour, Frabel says.

"Glass is a magical -- and at the same time, very difficult -- material," Frabel says in an e-mail interview. "The interesting thing of glass, especially clear glass, is that you do not really know what your sculpture is going to look like until you have finished it and see what effect you will get when the light hits it.

"Glass is just a magical medium -- the translucency, the way the sun 'plays' with the sculpture -- that always attracted me," he says.

Frabel, an avid gardener, says he is excited to display his work at Phipps, which he calls a good fit.

"Although it is nice to see your work in museums and galleries, it is always very exciting to me to display my work in a natural setting," he says. "I believe that both art and nature enhance each other and make for a great exhibition. For over 30 years, I have had several of my glass works in my own yard, really just to please myself."

Piacentini says the enormous success of the Dale Chihuly glass exhibit two years ago made Frabel's exhibit especially appealing. The Chihuly works were displayed at Phipps from May 2007 through February 2008, and drew more than 375,000 visitors from around the globe to Phipps, officials say.

"The Chihuly exhibit was an extraordinary experience for us at Phipps. It put Phipps on the map for a lot of people in Pittsburgh," Piacentini says. "We've been looking around for another exhibit that we think would be of great interest to the community.

"I think we learned something really important a couple of years ago -- that glass and plants in a garden are really an extraordinary experience," he says.

About the writer
Kellie B. Gormly can be reached via e-mail or at 412-320-7824.

Joshua Hershman wrote today: Dan Klein was a force of nature 1938-2009.

The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the richest contemporary art glass communities in the United States. The birthplace of the West Coast studio glass movement, it is home to the most prestigious glass study programs in the world, among them California College of the Arts (CCA), University of California (Berkeley), San Francisco State University, San Jose State University, as well as community glass programs, and public glass blowing and kiln facilities, such as those found as San Francisco's Public Glass, San Jose's Bay Area Glass Institute, Oakland's The Crucible. Hershman, a 2008 graduate of CCA, is one of the many, many local artists enriched with a residency at the glass summer school, North Lands Creative Glass in Lybster, Scotland, founded by Dan Klein, and his partner, Alan J. Poole.

A world authority on contemporary glass, Dan Klein has written and lectured extensively on the subject, and with Alan J. Poole, curated important exhibitions. His curatorial practice included staging two Venice Glass Biennales - 'Venezia Aperto Vetro' in 1996 and 1998, 21st Century British Glass in association with Daniel Katz Limited in 2005, and Lucio Bubacco's extraordinary installation entitled 'Eternal Temptation' at SOFA Chicago in 2008. Unbeknown to those of us who met him, his last exhibition, an intimate show of exquisite sculpture, Contrasts & Collaborations was staged from 13 May to 17 June, 2009, and presented individual and collaborative works by Sally Fawkes and Richard Jackson, two of Britain's leading young artists in glass, following their exhibition at the Museo de Arte en Vidrio De Alcorcon in Madrid.

Lastly, Dan Klein curated the successful Modern and Contemporary Glass auction with Bonhams, London, on Tuesday, May 19, 2009. A well-known auctioneer, his career began with Christie's auction house in London (he was the former international director of 20th century decorative arts). Among the highlights to his celebrated career in Contemporary Glass, Klein was International Executive Director of Phillips from 1998-2001 prior to its merger with Bonhams. A collector, curator, and writer specializing in contemporary glass, Dan Klein, was an ardent supporter of glass artists, who proved this like no other when he and his partner, Alan J. Poole, helped found a registered charity, the prestigious glass summer school, North Lands Creative Glass.

I met Dan Klein only twice. First at the Glass Art Society's Portland meeting last year, and last just a little over 2 weeks ago, when I was visiting in London. Since my first meeting with Dan wasn't too encouraging, I was hesitant about meeting him again, especially on his own turf. But as soon as my 13 year old daughter and I crossed the threshold into his home, he was beautifully warm and hospitable. Proud of his exhibition of Fawkes and Richard's work, he spoke warmly of the artists he admired, among them, Joshua Hershman, one of the most recent to complete a residency from the North Glass School. He was proud of his friendships with important contributors to the Contemporary Glass movement, especially that of Berkeley resident, Marvin Lipofsky, whom he admired greatly and wrote an essay for his Oakland Museum retrospective in 2006. Apologizing for not being his usual spry self, Dan was very generous with his conversation and kind remarks to my daughter. We departed with warm farewells and promises to renew acquaintances when he returned to San Francisco. I left his home delighted with my host's courtesies, grateful for his time and respectful of his knowledge. The world of Contemporary Glass has lost today its most devoted supporter. - Micaela Van Zwoll, July 1, 2009