Spring Fling Open Studios Taster Exhibition 2013

 
After selling my duo piece at the Dumfries Spring Fling Taster, a new piece (on the right above) is currently on show at Stranraer Museum - Large kiln formed vessel - Expansion Theories II

More information to come on the Spring Fling Open Studio event happening at the end of May....to see who is opening their studio this year go to www.spring-fling.co.uk

2013 Taster Pop-up & Exhibitions 

With 93 artists and makers participating in Spring Fling 2013, Spring Fling Open Studio Taster exhibitions are a perfect opportunity to preview and purchase art work and offers a unique chance to begin to plan your Spring Fling weekend. Most of the artists work is for sale, unless otherwise stated. The exhibitions’ dates are as follows:

 

20 April - 11 May
Stranraer Museum
The Old Town Hall, George Street, Stranraer, DG9 7JP. Call 01776 705088.
Private View Friday 19 April 7pm

18 May - 15 June
Annan Museum
Bank Street, Town Centre, Annan, DG12 6AA. Call 01461 201384.
Private View Friday 17 May 7pm

D&G at Bianco Nero Gallery

My first time showing at Bianco Nero Gallery in Stokesley. I was invited along with 5 other artists from Dumfries and Galloway, Pamela Grace, Lisa Hooper, Jane Blair, Maggie Savage and Andy Priestman. A new collection of 'Lost at Sea' in images.

Bianco Nero Gallery

22 March - 4th May

Stokesley, North Yorkshire

(great PDF of all the work on show available on their website)



Colour at New Brewery Arts

 

 

“Colour is a power that directly influences the soul. Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammer, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hands which play, touching one key or another, purposively, to cause vibrations in the Soul.” Kandinsky 

 

From New Brewery Arts Website for 'Colour'

23 March - 12 May

 

 

2013 Catch Up

April has come round so quickly but I do feel this has been a very long three months. Instead of trying to get a winter hibernation in after a very turbulent, busy, exhausting but successful year, I managed to start the year off way too quickly in a show at Peter Laytons gallery in Southwark in London. I sent my three biggest pieces to date and was very happy to finish these pieces in such harsh but expected conditions.

I spent a week in January teaching a Masterclass at Warm Glass in Wrington near Bristol. My second time teaching there, good to be familiar with the workshop this time and have a better grip on what happens in their kilns (opposed to what happens in my kilns at the same temperature....kilns are wonderful things with very different temperaments,but it does take a while to work out whats going on with a unfamiliar kiln). Great assistance from all at Warm Glass but especially Claire and Megan (thanks for the late night kiln watching!) who both helped the course run so smoothly.

February and March I've mainly been designing, making and sending off new work to three exhibitions (as well as getting completely hooked on etching and engraving on plates and learning much more about the huge varitey of print techniques there are....but that will be another post sometime).

Over Winter I have completely cleared out my workshop, 7 years worth of collected rubbish, dust, old work I think I can save and so many bits of wood...i'd thought 'they'll come in useful'. Had a great mezzanine floor put in and changed some roof panels to bring in the light. Not quite finished yet but it's already a much bigger joy going to work in my shed and the design lay-out makes working practices easier, with many moveable trolleys for lots more working space.

(Images: Top two images 'Travelling Light' Platter, large kiln formed gravity formed platter. Middle three - workshop in progress. Bottom two images 'Expansion' duo of kiln formed glass vessels)

Lost at Sea in CAA Makers Auction

 

Contemporary Applied Arts in London are on the move to a beautiful building in Southwark. There they will build on the huge success of a dedicated applied arts centre, representing many contemporary makers in the UK. To help raise funds for the move makers are donating pieces for a live Auction on 14 March.

 

You can see a list of the participating makers here and nore about the move to Southwark here.

 

The piece I've donated was one of my favourites from last year....a change in form and construction of my work and fulfilled a long term ambition of getting the pieces to be light enough to float on water but with enough mass to physically drop through gravity to create the form. It's also my favourite image of the year by Shannon Tofts.....he understood immediately about how I was playing with the fragility of glass and balanced it on the edge of the plinth and caught the light shadows through the vessel perfectly. Fingers crossed it will sell in the auction......

 





Teaching at Warm Glass

I had a wonderful week (despite breaking down, snow and ice) at Warm Glass teaching the 'drop out' technique. They have posted lots of images of the course and students work here....

https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.479529588770584.106572.121265261263687&type=3

That's my last teaching gig for sometime as I really need to spend time on my own work and developing new ideas but hopefully back and International in 2014....please sign up on my Facebook Page or newsletter sign up on my website to be the first to hear about new courses.

Coalesce - The Gallery at London Glassblowing

My first show of 2013 and first time exhibiting at Peter Layton's London Glassblowing. 

Work at Contemporary Applied Arts

In November I went down to London to visit Contemporary Applied Arts opening of this years Xmas show 'Gifted' and alongside this focus shows of several CAA members including me. A chance for me to put quite a large body of work together on show in a great applied arts gallery. I decided to focus on ideas that formed on residency at North Lands Creative Glass in 2011 (see my series of posts about the residency starting here).

It influenced my colour choices, forms and textures and continued my experimentation with glass powders (above: North Lands Platter - a double sided large kiln formed glass platter. Formed in the same way as my smaller pieces, but just taken to the extreme).

A whole 'host' of Buoy Boy medium vessels.....

The piece below 'Lost at Sea' is probably one of my favourite vessels as I love the bold powder designs, the contrasts between the inside and out and how very fragile the rim is (not much thicker than 1mm....the joys of glass powders!).

 A medium sized 'Lost at Sea' (below) .....thinking about the buoys in the harbour, the end of the big fishing industry in Lybster and the perils of being out at sea....fragility, buoyancy and visibility. These pieces float on water, which was quite important considering I was originally inspired by buoys.

'Bird and Bone' series (below) was again thinking about fragility but in animal form this time. I wanted to achieve work that felt as light as a tiny bird in your hand....continuing my work with birds, going under the skin to reveal the lightweight skulls and bones. These are the lightest versions of my slumped vessels achieved to date.

It was great to see all the work on display at CAA and to meet some wonderful 'glassy' visitors at the private view night. I found the process of having an exhibition to focus on all year an excellent way to keep from straying onto other projects and I was able to spend a lot of time developing the vessels made with powders and all the technical challenges that arose.

The work is on show through til January.