Glass… March 2024
New glasswork is the focus of my upcoming exhibit
at Studio Alm in Sydney... more details below.
Last May when exhibiting at the Melbourne Design Fair with Studio Alm, I met Aimee Frodsham, Artistic Director of the Canberra Glassworks. I am always keen to try a new medium [almost to a fault ] and talked to Aimee about working together to make a glass version of my ceramic Penny Vase.
Later, in September, I was wandering through the Wallace Collection in London when I happened upon a 600-year-old Venetian goblet which I thought to be a deeply beautiful ceramic— only to discover it was glass.
I then visited the Victoria and Albert Museum and found similar molten liquid-looking pieces from the same period. I was drawn to their opaque quality and saw them as a perfect starting point for my venture into the realm of glass.
The Penny Vase is a tribute to my late, great friend, Penny Galwey, and her Libran love of history, abundance, and beauty. So Venice circa 1500AD seemed a good starting place.
The glass Penny... each piece is a unique interpretation.
Glass and textile work in the studio.
My inspiration... a 15th-century glass goblet at the Wallace Collection in London.
Canberra Glassworks.
At the Glassworks in Canberra, I have been working with Tom Rowney, one of Australia's most accomplished glass blowers. Much of his practice has been based on learning, refining, and adapting Venetian glass blowing. The sheer effort involved in the glassblowing process is daunting... like running a marathon, each piece is a physical journey. There is a seeming magic too in the metamorphosis. Slowly the Penny found her new form characterized in a curvier expression, exaggerated and refined.
Wherever there is a colour chart involved I am happy. I consider colour the centerpiece of my work. The vases are formed of swirls of russet, mustard, and all the tones of a chocolate-sprinkled cappuccino plus a touch of cool pistachio. I was busy finding colours to put together and Tom found a way to interpret the molten effect of the Venetian pieces into a whirly marbelized finish.....We found an easy working rhythm and I am rather delighted with the results.
Heading to the annealing kiln.
Glasswork in progress with master glassblower Tom Rowney at Canberra Glassworks.
Swirly whirly glass and some ceramic pieces for the Studio Alm exhibit.
The new glasswork is the focus of my upcoming exhibit at the recently opened Studio Alm Design Gallery in Potts Point, Sydney
Beginning March 15th through to April 12th, the show is titled ‘Pennies from Heaven’, and is an immersive exhibition showcasing glass, textiles, ceramics, and furniture.
Opening times - Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm
Studio Alm Design Gallery - 109b Macleay St, Potts Point 2011
Happy March,
xm
Juggling act...Glass and textile work for the Studio Alm exhibit.