Act 2 the glass track A group show of kilnformed glass created during residencies by artists in the second stage of their careers
ACT 2 THE GLASS TRACK A group show of kilnformed glass created during residencies by artists in the second stage of their careers
3722 SE 21st Avenue Portland, Oregon 97202 503-232-8887 phone 503-238-9963 fax sales@bullseyeglass.com www.bullseyeglass.com
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ORIGINATING MUSEUM Museum of Northwest Art La Conner, Washington Co-curated by Kathleen Moles, Steve Klein and Richard Parrish Curated for touring by Lloyd Herman Director Emeritus, Renwick Gallery Smithsonian American Art Museum © 2012 BULLSEYE GLASS CO. Design by Nicole Leaper Production by Jerry Sayer Cover photo by Steve Immerman ISBN-13 978-1-935299-18-9
exhibition dates MUSEUM OF NORTHWEST ART La Conner, Washington March 12 - June 12, 2011 http://www.museumofnwart.org BULLSEYE RESOURCE CENTER Emeryville, California May 12 – July 28, 2012 http://www.bullseyeglass.com
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BREAK OUT People only get really interesting when they start to rattle the bars of their cages. ALAIN DE BOTTON Art appreciation and travel have long shared a symbiotic relationship. Art-making and travel are less common, but equally fruitful partners. Add to this mix the life-changing stories of makers coming to studio art from often wholly unrelated professions and you find the roots of this exhibition.
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Beyond that esoteric recipe, Act 2: The Glass Track* is a work in progress. The exhibition that opened in the spring of 2011 at the Museum of Northwest Art (MoNA) was the culmination of a pair of residencies lead by artists Steve Klein and Richard Parrish that brought art-makers from around the US to the Pilchuck Glass School whose idyllic campus nestles in the woods outside Stanwood, Washington. It was a remarkable group, professionals who – either prior to or simultaneous with their involvement in studio art – had built careers in other fields. I am grateful to MoNA curator Kathleen Moles for her insights on that pursuit and process captured so well in the essay that follows here. As Moles notes, the community that evolved was essential to providing a critical framework in which each member could
push his/her work, be supported while also challenged. That such communities materialize in places as remote as Pilchuck speaks to the value of distance in letting us see more clearly and to community in helping us look with rigor. ACT 2, SCENE 2
It is no surprise then that the organizers behind Act 2 have since taken the lessons learned in the woods of Washington State, built upon them in the Scottish Highlands and will soon transport the exercise to Northern New Mexico. Between their sessions at Pilchuck, in the summers of 2009 and 2010, Klein and Parrish led another pair of residencies in 2010 and 2011, these in the small fishing village of Lybster in Caithness, the northernmost county of mainland Scotland. Lybster is home to an arts program smaller and more remote even than Pilchuck’s. North Lands Creative Glass has weathered 17 years perched in a repurposed stone schoolhouse amidst a remarkable population of Neolithic stones on a coastline of rugged headlands, sea stacks and geos. That four of the original group – a financial officer, a scientist and two graphic designers – joined a dozen newcomers to continue the art-making journey they had begun in the Pacific Northwest to this remote outpost is a testament to their commitment and to the logic of the underlying thesis.
* When originated at the Museum of Northwest Art, the exhibition was titled Act 2: The Next Track. It has since been renamed to reflect the material at its core. Its original checklist was also refined by independent curator Lloyd Herman.
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Achnacraig, an abandoned croft on the Caithness coast, study site for North Lands residency, 2011
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Achnacraig, summer 2011
KILN-GLASS: THE METHOD
Essential to these professional, psychological and geographic leaps is a material and a method that allows for expression in a medium often assumed to be inaccessible without long years of technical skill-building. Working glass in a kiln requires knowledge of crucial time and temperature equations. It requires also the ability to construct a design predicated on a certain behavior of the material once subjected to those parameters. But there is also in the process the potential for great spontaneity. Above all, what kiln-glass provides is a breadth of outcomes, from painterly to sculptural, that radiates from the works by the residents in this exhibition. Its ultimate form is not pre-ordained by the constraints of the method; the hands of the surgeon, the scientist, the geologist and the calligrapher are still evident in the creation. GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES
Kiln-glass is not, however, comparable to plein air painting. It requires a studio fully equipped with use-specific work spaces, kilns and, ideally, equipment for finishing the kilnformed objects. Increasingly such studio programs are appearing around the US and the world. Pilchuck’s kiln studios have expanded in recent years to compete with a more dominant glass blowing program. North Lands Creative Glass has arguably one of the best equipped teaching kiln studios in Europe. In recent years glass manufacturer Bullseye has opened teaching centers in Portland, Oregon; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Above all, what kiln-glass provides is a breadth of outcomes, from painterly to sculptural, that radiates from the works by the residents in this exhibition. Thank you to... ...artists Steve Klein and Richard Parrish who conceived and continue to lead these art adventures; Kathleen Moles and the Museum of Northwest Art for originating this show; Lloyd Herman for curating it with fresh eyes; Pilchuck for hosting the first residencies; North Lands for hosting its most adventurous ones...
‌and to all the curious and fascinating professionals who increasingly set aside their scalpels, step away from their monitors, lay down their spreadsheets, and venture into the world of art-making to leave memorable marks for the rest of us to relish. Lani McGregor Director, Bullseye Gallery Partner, Bullseye Glass Co. February, 2012
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THE NEXT TRACK In 2011, The Museum of Northwest Art was honored to partner with Pilchuck Glass School and Bullseye Glass to present Act 2, a group exhibition of artists united by kilnforming glass who came to this medium later in life, after careers in other fields. Many pursue glass in addition to their “day jobs,” taking classes and attending workshops and residencies; and others are full-time artists with established studios and teaching practices.
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They traveled from all parts of North America to Pilchuck for the Professional-Artist-in-Residence (PAiR) program, a weeklong intensive residency. Led by Steve Klein and Richard Parrish, the Pilchuck kilnforming residents met for the first time in 2009, and many made a return trip in late summer 2010. With materials provided by Bullseye Glass and the guidance of Klein and Parrish, the individuals became a community of artists, despite their vastly different backgrounds, experiences, and motivations. In the process, they learned from each other and grew, artistically and personally. Our aim with the exhibition is to highlight the paths taken by the artists as well as the works they have made, for the stories about how each arrived at Pilchuck are as diverse, colorful, detailed, and wide ranging as the end results. Pursuit, process, and community are key elements in Act 2, and the backstories are essential to understanding and appreciating the works on view. PURSUIT
How each person arrived at the residency is a large part of this exhibition: often, the journey is as compelling as the works created. Because these artists are further along in life, they bring
a wealth of experience to the fore, and can clearly articulate their goals and motivations. Many were told as children or young adults to abandon any hope of being an artist, that his or her work was not good, that they should pursue more “practical” paths in life. While some developed careers in related fields such as graphic design, illustration, and architecture, others pursued more parallel professions, where artistic creativity took an ancillary role at best: physical therapy, geology, medicine, science, technology. Still others pursued seemingly completely unrelated fields, including finance, business, and sales. Ultimately, each made a decision to dedicate time, energy, and resources to creating art using glass. For some, the moment was like a lightning strike, an epiphany. Others gradually found their focus and footing in this other world, retracing their way from long established, unrelated fields, back to reignite the creative spark that was extinguished long before. PROCESS
An essential part of the residency experience is process. Artists who typically work in solitude come together, bounce ideas off of each other, share their techniques and experiences, and often bare their souls along the way. Since the artists in our exhibition are on Act 2 of their lives, a critical part of their process has been the decision each made to commit to making art. This, in turn, directly informs the work. The residency gave each the opportunity to explore new and different materials and their own personal motivations among not necessarily like-minded, but certainly similarly-searching people. During this time, many discovered connections between their careers and their artmaking that only concentrated reflection and
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Pilchuck, summer 2010
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Pilchuck, kilnworking studio, summer 2010
discussion could reveal. A great deal of this process involved a new awareness of each artist’s own work made possible through the eyes of others. By leaving their daily lives and coming to Pilchuck for intensive study, the artists freed themselves to think deeply and differently about their own artistic process. The surgeon relates the precision necessary in his medical practice to the detailed, linear glass works he makes, as the skills he brings to surgery are given an aesthetic outlet. The physical therapist sees the connection between the intuitive aspect of working with the human body and the way she approaches, explores, and refines the glass forms she creates. The geologist brings his innate ability to perceive and identify patterns, textures, and details in rock formations to building miniature rockscapes, capturing the vastness of a landscape in a minimalist glass monolith. Another part of the process provided by the residency was the chance to experiment at many levels. Working with new materials, making mistakes, learning through trial, error, and others’ techniques – the artists were freed up to create in different directions from their normal methods and output. As a result, many of the works are deeply personal, in contrast to works made on commission for a client. Artists who typically work large worked on a smaller, more intimate scale; others felt encouraged to go beyond their established styles to explore vastly different looks, colors, and textures. COMMUNITY
As a visitor to Pilchuck during two days of the 2010 residency, I was struck right away by the camaraderie, compassion, and mutual respect of the participants. Before hearing their stories,
Before hearing their stories, before seeing the works in progress, it was immediately apparent that despite coming from divergent backgrounds and experience levels, these artists shared a passion for and commitment to art as a vital part of their lives. before seeing the works in progress, it was immediately apparent that despite coming from divergent backgrounds and experience levels, these artists shared a passion for and commitment to art as a vital part of their lives. In contrast to a typical art student or younger artist, these Pilchuck residents bring a nuance and depth impossible in youth. The difference is there in the work. Other ways of making a living, sometimes diametrically opposed to art, have found meaningful expression, one that is made all the more significant by the understanding and encouragement of those colleagues who share the vantage point. The collaborative, therapeutic environment of the Pilchuck residency inspired these artists to challenge themselves and explore new directions. The result is on view in Act 2 – not just the finished works, but the pursuit, the process, and the community are there for all to see. Kathleen Moles Curator of Exhibitions Museum of Northwest Art March 2011
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A COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY There is a lingering image of artists. It is of someone alone in a garret, navigating the waters of the subconscious with little to no connection to the outside world. They are savants, in this conception often idiot savants, who with deft hand and that ethereal thing called talent, reveal what Bruce Nauman called
Great art does often reveal to us something unknown or unnamable, but it is rarely made in a vacuum. 12
“mystic truths.” This image, although upended many times since the Renaissance, persists and, like all images, holds a power over non-artists, artists and aspiring artists alike. Great art does often reveal to us something unknown or unnamable, but it is rarely made in a vacuum. It is true that most visual artists do tend to spend long stretches of time alone in the studio, but it is also true that artists, either in art programs, coffee shops, or workshops, seek like-minded fellows to push, support, share and critique. Community is as important to a studio practice as dedicated time to work. Residencies can offer both. Often held in secluded locales, residencies give artists the opportunity to work with and alongside other artists. Confined to a certain location, life outside of the residency fades away and you are given space and time to work and develop. Residencies are a powerful mixture of seclusion and community that can drive an artist to pursue a new line of investigation or break through a block. Act 2: The Glass Track is the result of a pair of
residencies led by Steve Klein and Richard Parrish. Klein did not have an academic art education, but created a rigorous education from workshops and residencies. Parrish, on the other hand, holds a Master’s degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art where he studied architecture, ceramics, design and sculpture. I asked both of them to give us their views on residencies, what it means to lead a residency and how residencies have shaped their practice. Are residencies important? KLEIN: I think that they can be seminal in an artist’s development. They can change, resolve or further an artist’s work and direction. PARRISH: Like most experiences, residencies are important for some artists’ development, but not so much for others…most of the people who have participated in our residencies feel that they were important for their personal artistic development. This seems to range from just being able to get away and actually make their own work to some who make a major breakthrough. Who is the ideal resident? KLEIN: A high-energy person who is serious about his or her work…someone who is able to leave their ego behind, is eager to learn, listens, offers positive thoughts, does not take criticism personally, has a sense of humor, and sees the personal benefit in contributing honest constructive thoughts to others. The resident should have knowledge and experience with technique or art, have goals and thoughts of advancing his or her work.
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Photography caption goes here. Pilchuck residents, summer 2009
Dialogue, both group and individual, is an absolutely critical part of the experience. PARRISH: They have to be willing to be a contributing part of the group experience and to give and take. They need to be serious about their work. And they need to be open to new possibilities and willing to set aside their standard way of thinking and working. What type of residency should people apply for? 14
KLEIN: One that meets his or her needs. A residency can be focused on thinking and drawing with no attention to process. On the other hand, a residency can focus on process and improving one’s technical skills. PARRISH: First, there are many kinds of residencies. In my experience, most are for individuals and small groups (4-6 people) who apply to an invitation that often comes with financial support. With our residencies, Steve and I invite everyone and they are part of larger groups (10 -14 people). Artists are selected based on our hope that they will be fully engaged with, contribute to, and take from the group. Residencies often happen in secluded locales. What benefit is gained or lost from being “in the middle of nowhere?” KLEIN: If material and support are available, remote sites can be an asset. The obvious attraction is the distance from
the artist’s day-to-day life. The distance is not only defined by miles, it encompasses the people, business, communication, family and distractions that are dealt with in the artist’s normal daily life. Remote locations usually are in environmentally and/or culturally interesting areas. This can be inspiring. For me, a remote, interesting and beautiful site puts my body and mind at rest, allowing for unencumbered free thinking. PARRISH: These “remote” locales have two significant benefits: few distractions and inspiration from these particular places. What role does discourse play in the residency experience? KLEIN: Discussion is a vital part of a group residency. I think it is one of the main reasons that one participates. The key to the success of these discussions is everyone’s generosity of constructive thoughts and ideas, each artist’s willingness to listen and not take criticism personally, and a sense of humor. In some of our groups, we have had a very good mix of technical expertise and formal art education. The mix created very constructive discussions as all of the participants were eager to learn, understand and advance their work. One of the important aspects of a residency is this critical dialogue that occurs. The Act 2 residency involved participants that often didn’t have formal arts education. Richard, in your view, how did this affect the discussions? PARRISH: Dialogue, both group and individual, is an absolutely critical part of the experience. Even though I come from a formal arts education, I don’t think the “degree” is critical. The discussions were probably a bit different because the
participants have a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences, which contributed to the richness of the conversations. Residencies are usually self-directed. What does it mean to lead a residency? KLEIN: As facilitators, our first job is to select the group of artists. That process involves many personal conversations. We need to have a cohesive group. We are responsible for having whatever materials the artists might need to advance their thoughts with samples and maquettes. Again, this involves many conversations and some guesswork on our part. Aside from making sure all of the details like rooms, food and transportation are in order, we keep the residents on a schedule. We organize and lead daily discussions. We try to encourage the artists to keep taking risks, experiment and push through whatever blocks get in the way. For me, it is an exciting time to listen, observe, encourage, take notes and make sketches. PARRISH: I view myself as a facilitator. I view part of my role as an organizer and the other part is leading discussions. I think my best contribution is one-on-one conversations. Steve, you did not have a formal visual arts education but you have participated in numerous residencies. How have these experiences shaped your practice? KLEIN: While I will never have the advantage of an academic art education, I try on a daily basis to further where I am. I study artists and art history. After fifteen years of kilnforming experience in my own studio, ten years of teaching internationally, and daily reading and research, I think I have an interesting education. My practice is a result of my interests,
curiosities and experience. Do you recommend an academic track or one that is along the lines that you followed? KLEIN: First, I would recommend a formal art education every time. I see lack of an art education as a hindrance and a block to the thinking and resolution process. I think that it is very difficult to start in the middle. On the other side, there is an advantage to coming into the world of art with more experience and maturity. More knowledge of who and what you are. There is an advantage to having time and resources to devote your life to your passion. Richard, you mentioned that you did not participate in residencies as part of your education, but you attended Cranbrook Academy of Art, which has an open program similar to an extended residency or art colony. How did this differ from your architecture background and conventional academic pursuits? PARRISH: What changed for me as a result of Cranbrook was the discovery/re-discovery of my interest in making, my need to make, and the conceptual thinking that goes with it. So, I found both conventional academic education and conventional architectural practice lacking and eventually let go of what had been a life-long plan to do and teach architecture so that I could pursue my glasswork. Interviews by Michael Endo Assistant Curator, Bullseye Gallery January 2012
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THE WORK
Steve Klein CO-FACILITATOR RESIDES Orange, California; La Conner, Washington BACKGROUND industrial sales, management
With all of my work I seek to provide a moment away, a very small respite of beauty and solace from the everyday. Like watching a sunrise or a sunset, I am taken with the beauty of glass, its relationship with light, and the excitement of the cast reflections. Steve Klein is interested in capturing essences in his work: a moment in time, a vision of beauty, an elemental experience. Klein was an industrial sales and distribution professional until he began making a name for himself in glass in the late 1990s.
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Klein has taught, studied, and shown his art in exhibitions and workshops throughout Europe, Australia, Asia and Israel. In both 2002 and 2005, he completed artist residencies at the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington. Klein has been featured in Neues Glas, American Craft and Glass Quarterly. His work is a part of the collections of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York; North Lands Creative Glass, Lybster, Scotland; The Scottish Museums, Edinburgh; Museo del Vidrio, La Granja, Spain; Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv; and Tsinghua University Museum, Beijing. Klein has home bases in southern California and La Conner, Washington.
Shelter 13, 2011, kilnformed glass 15.5 x 15.5 x 19.75 inches (installed) Photography: J. Van Fleet (portrait and artwork)
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Richard Parrish CO-FACILITATOR RESIDES Bozeman, Montana BACKGROUND architect
As an artist and an architect, I find inspiration in both the human-made environment and in the vast landscape of the American West where I grew up. I am fascinated by the juxtaposition of the constructed and natural environments, which I often explore in my work. I find that it is critical to my existence to make things with my hands, using real materials. I focus on the integration of meaning, design and technique in my glasswork and in the classes that I teach. I am particularly interested in the interaction of light and color in the environment and in my own work. Inspired foremost by the natural environment of the American West, Richard Parrish’s education and profession as an architect also inform his kiln-glass creations. Within very precise parameters, Parrish renders organic forms that reference rock fissures and formations, topography, and dramatic landscapes of his many travels. The interaction of light, color, and texture in nature play an essential role in Parrish’s studio work as well as in his teaching practice.
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Parrish maintains a studio for kilnformed glass and architecture in Bozeman, Montana. He holds a Master of Architecture degree from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Idaho in Moscow. He was awarded best artist in his category at the Western Design Conference Exhibition in 2008 and 2009. His work was selected for the Corning Museum of Glass’ New Glass Review 27, and he was awarded the American Craft Council Award of Achievement in 2003. His artwork is in public and private collections in the United States and Europe. Site Section 1, 2011, kilnformed glass, steel 22.75 x 16.25 x 5 inches (installed) Photography: L. Donaldson (portrait) R. Cummings (artwork)
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Valerie Adams RESIDES Santa Rosa, California BACKGROUND press operator, calligraphy teacher, graphic designer
I’ve pursued various creative outlets for as long as I can remember; I studied advertising and graphic design in college. I’ve always had a passion for letter forms and the written word. I’ve been a self-sustaining artist since launching my graphic design business in 1981. When I took a local glass fusing class in 2002 I was immediately hooked. I feel I’ve finally found the perfect outlet for my artistic expression. In 2009 and 2010 I participated in the Professional-Artist-in-Residence (PAiR) program at Pilchuck Glass School. As a result of this program, I’ve embarked on the most exciting new direction with my art. I’m finding a comfort and confidence in the full-circle aspect of coming back to my design roots by using more graphic elements, typography, hand-lettering and layering of glass to add depth and intrigue. For these new pieces, the glass itself was the easy part; my challenge was how to distill the multiple ideas that swirl around in my head into a visual message. I came back to what inspires me most, which, as trite as it sounds, is nature. When I discovered the poetry of Mary Oliver, I felt she’d defined what it is I experience when surrounded by the world’s natural beauty. These pieces are an homage to her words.
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Born in Carmel, California, Valerie Adams’ inspiration comes from the shadows, shapes, textures and color combinations found in her garden and the surrounding beauty of the natural world. She continues to explore new directions with her art through technique-driven classes and participation in artist residencies. Adams lives in Santa Rosa with her husband and two sons, a few too many cats and a 10-year old goldfish.
When It’s Over, 2010, kilnformed glass, 8 x 8 x .5 inches Photography: D. Stroud (portrait) V. Adams (artwork)
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Gloria Badiner RESIDES Mattawan, Michigan BACKGROUND research scientist
I live on the edge of the prairie, where farmers talk in numbers like 17A and 19B for their soil types, where the change in temperature kicks a summer breeze into seventy-mile-an-hour winds and the corn grows in neat rows for miles sending thermals upwards. The first house my parents bought called a linear field of corn our nearest neighbor. It was the Midwest work ethic that propelled me forward as the first in my family to attend college, first as a respiratory therapist then on to undergraduate work in Biology, Mathematics and Chemistry, and finally pursuing a graduate degree in Bio-medical Sciences. I loved the study of cells, their growth and differentiation, how the body makes new and repairs the broken. A chance encounter with cast glass while at a conference in Rhode Island led to the pursuit to learn everything I could about this material.
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At first, glass seemed as complicated as water. However, after dissecting old texts from The Rakow Library and the new how-to books on kilnforming, the material seemed just like science, an experiment waiting to be done and with any luck reproducible as well. I am self-taught, but with a strong technical background and the practiced life as a scientist I find the work as an artist and the work as a researcher to be much the same. I love science, I love glass; I have found glass art to be science with heart.
Altar - Food for Thought, 2010, kilnformed glass, blown glass, wood, 21.5 x 47 x 6.75 inches (installed) Photography: D. Neal (portrait) M. Endo (artwork)
Gloria Badiner is a former scientist and studio artist living and working in rural Southwest Michigan. Commissioned work includes cast panels, high relief tiles and sculptures as site-specific installations in clients’ businesses and residences. Her sculptures include fused, kilncast, and sand cast works, mostly on an intimate scale, and are often mixed with copper, silver, stone, bone and found elements. The themes of night and day, nature and human ritual are strong themes woven into her work. Badiner also serves as a technical consultant to the glass and ceramic industry and teaches kilnforming throughout the United States.
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Karen Bexfield RESIDES Albuquerque, New Mexico BACKGROUND physical therapist
On my studio wall is the quote, “Satisfaction of one’s curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life.” Presently I am exploring the limits of glass movement by subtly influencing the variables of mass, heat, and time. Within me, my artwork evokes a sense of tranquility, a reflection of nature’s organic patterns, and a balance of simple geometry and pure chance. My sculptures, delicate in appearance but strong in form, capture life’s spontaneity. The interplay of color, shape, and movement speaks to the raw yet purposeful unpredictability of nature, while the weaving of light casts shadows that intrigue, creating art within art.
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Karen Bexfield holds a Master of Science in Physical Therapy from the Medical College of Virginia. Her work in glass complements her practice as a manual physical therapist as both are cerebral, intuitive, and tactile. An Albuquerque resident, Karen started working in glass in 2003, drawn toward its myriad challenges. She likes to experiment and push the limits of the material, focusing on controlling the variables that influence the movement of glass. Through the manipulation of heat and mass, she creates kilnformed glass sculptures that mirror the organic patterns of nature. Her work explores the relationship between positive and negative space, light and shadow, and the poetic balance they create.
Black on Black, 2010, kilnformed glass 3.5 x 11 x 11 inches Photography: K. Callori (portrait) M. Geist (artwork)
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Kim Brill RESIDES Austin, Texas BACKGROUND graphic designer, art director, creative director
Our culture is losing the tangible in everyday written and printed communications. E-mail is replacing letters and postcards. Online banking is replacing cash and checkbooks. Expedience is paramount and anyone can publish anything to the world without ever committing a thought to paper. The craft of fine typography and thoughtful hand lettering are casualties of this digital shift. And along with the disappearance of the written, printed word has come a cheapening of language (CU@8!), and generations of young people who can’t spell or write. In some grade schools cursive writing is no longer taught. The abbreviated, lazy vocabulary of the internet continues its assault on words.
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Kim Brill is an artist working in kilnformed glass in Austin, Texas. Her graphic design background translates into bold and sometimes retro glass works, including glass pieces with typographic themes. Brill has been invited to participate in residencies at Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington and North Lands Creative Glass in Scotland. Her work is on view in several Texas galleries.
When We Could Touch the Words, 2010, kilnformed glass, antique type case, paper, 17.5 x 32.125 x 1.625 inches Photography: B. Guhl (portrait) M. Endo (artwork)
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Carol Carson RESIDES Portland, Oregon BACKGROUND real estate, interior design, pastry chef, architectural
drafting, stained glass studio work, muralist I have been making things my entire life, mistakes included. Art, though, for me, has been something necessary, uncontrollable, and the most important part of what makes me who I am. I started out drawing at an age too young to remember. I moved on to painting, taking classes and reading books on painting and sculpture and every art form in between. I studied architecture and painting, resulting in grid paintings and spaces that built themselves, and figurative paintings that explore the spaces they enveloped. Glass has been a building medium for me, a three-dimensional place to inhabit, rather than a material to build from. The places I find in my paintings I fuse into glass, resulting in spaces, fluid, dense and built – in many layers and multiple firings. All to create light and space that one can view, as well as enter into, be surrounded by, and feel.
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Carol Carson graduated from New York Institute of Technology having studied architecture and painting. She came to glass looking for a way to express more three dimensionally the spaces she had painted on canvas. She was a Bullseye Emerge finalist in 2006 and her work was the cover story of Glass Craftsman Magazine in 2006. She is represented by several galleries across the United States and her work is held in private collections in the US and other countries.
Bound, 2010, kilnformed glass, steel wire 6.75 x 14.5 x 6.25 inches (installed) Photography: M. Endo (artwork)
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Judith Finn Conway RESIDES Laurel, Maryland BACKGROUND military wife and mother, marketing, public relations
My work focuses on everyday moments in time and place, using the medium of glass to make a permanent record of the brief connection/interaction between the person, the moment, and the environment. Separating the finished image from its actual time and place gives my work a pliable quality that is easily shaped by the mind, allowing it to blend into the image of a memory from one’s own experience, much in the same way that our individual recollections of an event are shaped by the stories that we tell about it. Conway has been a full-time studio artist and instructor since she opened her studio in Maryland in 1978, concentrating on her own work and commissions. Her teaching career began in 1975 and includes classes and workshops in the US and internationally in all aspects of cold and kilnformed glass. In 2001 she and her studio partner Kevin O’Toole established Vitrum Studio in Maryland, where she both teaches and directs an internationally-acclaimed program of workshops designed to explore and understand the possibilities inherent in kilnforming glass. Based in the greater Washington, DC area, Vitrum enjoys a reputation as one of the best and most innovative privately-owned glass schools in the country.
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Conway’s work is in personal and public collections in the US and abroad and is frequently selected for exhibitions curated by the Arts in Embassies program of the United States Department of State. She has twice been a finalist in Emerge, Bullseye’s biennial kiln-glass exhibit. In 2009 she was a participant in the Professional-Artist-in-Residence (PAiR) program in kilnforming at Pilchuck Glass School. Marsh at Daybreak, 2010, kilnformed glass, silver 11.875 x 22 x .75 inches (installed) Photography: W. Ralph (portrait) G. Staley (artwork)
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Susan Cox RESIDES Pound Ridge, New York BACKGROUND architect, teacher
My work is an exploration of how we perceive and imagine space. As an architect, I designed built spaces. Now I work on a smaller scale, and I conceptualize the experience of inhabiting and moving through a space. Using simple forms and attention to proportion, I strive to create a sense of enclosure, the anticipation of passage, or a suggestion of something beyond. Light, color, and transparency suggest the passage of time, physically and in memory. I want the observer to bring their own experiences and memories to their understanding of these objects.
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Susan Cox is the owner of Susan Cox Glass, a kilnforming studio in Pound Ridge, NY. Susan has a Master’s degree in Architecture from Columbia University. After years of practicing architecture, she has turned to glass as a more immediate means of exploring her ideas of light and space. Cox has studied at Corning, Pilchuck, and North Lands Creative Glass.
Tumbling, 2010, kilnformed glass, 7.375 x 19.75 x 9 inches Photography: L. Scordato (portrait) M. Endo (artwork)
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Steve Immerman RESIDES Eau Claire, Wisconsin BACKGROUND general surgeon
I became involved with kilnforming during a time in my life that was completely filled with work, responsibility, and stress. I realized that I needed an artistic outlet that allowed me to create beautiful objects with my hands. Because of my love of glass, kilnforming seemed a natural choice for me. I think there are many similarities between kilnformed glass and surgery. They each involve technical skill and precise planning in preparation for the portion of the process where the elements are out of sight and allowed to heal (in the case of surgery) or fuse (with kilnformed glass). The process is irreversible. To be successful, both processes require intense knowledge of what is expected to happen, and neither allow much margin for error. Both combine science and art and leave much room for individual expression and random behavior.
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Steve Immerman is a native New Yorker who has lived in the Midwest for almost forty years, and currently resides in Wisconsin. He has been working with glass for the last twenty-five years, and exclusively with kilnformed glass for the last fifteen of those years. He uses glass work as a respite from his more left brain and stressful career as a general surgeon and surgical oncologist. He still practices full time, and is the senior partner in a three-surgeon clinic. Immerman has been an Emerge finalist three times, an ArtsWest Wisconsin finalist four times, and was the commissioned artist of the Wisconsin Arts Board for creation of the Governor’s Award in Support of the Arts in 2005. He has written many articles for Glass Craftsman, and examples of his work have been used in many texts on kilnforming. He is represented by galleries across the US. Harmony, 2010, kilnformed glass 3.375 x 19 x 14.75 inches Photography: S. Immerman (portrait and artwork)
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Robert Leatherbarrow RESIDES Salt Spring Island, British Columbia BACKGROUND field geologist, consultant
I have always been intrigued by the creative process. I have also always been a maker of things – a way of working with my hands and experimenting with new processes. As my glass skills and interest increased, my “hobby” of glass transitioned into an obsession with the creative process. As part of this process I started asking myself why I created objects, what did they mean to me, and how could I communicate this to others? Initially I was drawn to the colour and translucency of glass. However as I became involved with kilnformed glass I began to realize that glass and rocks are basically the same material. Glass just has a simpler composition. Throughout my geological education and career I analyzed how minerals and rock strata behaved in response to temperature, pressure and time. The fundamentals of understanding how glass behaves in response to temperature and time were therefore well established. My research areas in geology focused on chemical reactions in rocks. This has also had direct bearing on how I understand and work with kilnformed glass powders.
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Robert Leatherbarrow was a geologist prior to becoming a glass artist and throughout that career he interpreted the geological history of an area using rock textures. As a glass artist he now uses glass powder in kilnformed glass to continue his exploration of subtle colors and the delicate beauty of naturally occurring textures. To Leatherbarrow, textures are a key part of our everyday visual landscape; through them we interpret the origin and evolution of everything from mud cracks in rocks to the wrinkled skin of the elderly. Leatherbarrow sees textures as important because they tell stories, which in turn define our reality. Mount Harris, 2010, kilnformed glass, 13 x 10 x 13 inches Photography: J. Cameron (portrait) R. Leatherbarrow (artwork)
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Ursula Marcum RESIDES Baltimore, Maryland BACKGROUND exhibit designer, Web designer, teacher
Originally trained as a designer for museum exhibitions, I am inspired by collections both individual and public. The human act of collecting is a way to relate on a personal scale to the vast, mysterious and ultimately unknowable place that we inhabit. The “collection” series, my current body of work, explores the human desire to capture and classify. Glass serves as a metaphor for these collections; fragile yet powerful, at times revelatory, at other times, enigmatic. Ursula Marcum received her MFA from George Washington University in Washington, DC. As a designer for museum exhibitions, she had the opportunity to work directly with historical and scientific collections in order to shape shared narratives. Initially a designer of historical and scientific museum exhibitions, she then moved to the digital realm, working for the Library of Congress to make more than one million objects from its collections available online. Marcum’s cooperative work with teachers led to her work at The Lab School of Washington, an arts-based curriculum K-12 school for children with learning disabilities. Marcum first began working with glass in 2003. In 2009 she was a participant in the Professional Artists in Residence in Kilnforming with Steve Klein and Richard Parrish at the Pilchuck Glass School. In 2010, Marcum was named a finalist in Bullseye’s juried kiln-glass exhibition. Now residing in Baltimore, she teaches at Vitrum Studio.
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Collection #4, 2011, kilnformed glass with precious metal inclusions, 1.25 x 17.25 x 5 inches Photography: S. Madison (portrait) G. Staley (artwork)
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Sarah Nelson RESIDES Albuquerque, New Mexico BACKGROUND designer, production coordinator
I think of my work as inventories of compositional lines and shapes inspired by, but not literal translations of, my drawings, paintings and photographs. Using opaque glass and the tools of a painter, I construct improvisational works that are schematic in design and invite the viewer to move into a space of speculation. I am drawn to changes within our environment that create a sense of past via recent alterations: repairs to aging stucco, bricks where a window used to be, evidence of over-spray on a sidewalk... What is the story behind this indication of action? Does everyone see beauty in unsightly change and decay? I allow my imagination to wander.
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After relocating from Chicago to Albuquerque in 2000, Sarah Nelson began to work in glass. She studied Art at Northern Illinois University, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in 1990 with emphasis in Visual Communications and Photography. Inspired by her collaboration with her husband, who is a scientist, Nelson points to the similarities between art and science: both require problem solving and critical thinking to achieve a desired artistic effect or to prove a hypothesis. Nelson’s work seeks to unite scientific curiosity with artistic vision. Glimpse is inspired by views seen from the ‘L’ train as she commuted to her job designing textbooks at the University of Illinois at Chicago: Peering out the window, I see a storyboard of fast brief moving glimpses of architectural decay: missing columns, partial roof tops, doors on the second floor with missing decks… Glimpse, 2010, kilnformed glass 17 x 17 x .375 inches (installed) Photography: R. Wiener (portrait) M. Geist (artwork)
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Catharine Newell RESIDES Portland, Oregon BACKGROUND flight attendant, fitness instructor, mother
The dynamics involved in swarm intelligence interest me, for they relate directly to optimal human experience. Decentralized control, perceptive response to local cues, and simple rules of thumb add up to a startlingly effective strategy toward attaining collective goals that serve the interests of an entire community... Two years ago, consumed with the simple elegance of this dynamic, I spent a great deal of time on the balcony of New York’s Grand Central Station, where I studied and photographed human patterning on the enormous floor below.
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Investigation of that experience, combined with current personal events, moves me to consider the responsibility of an individual who moves through space, the impact of his having done so, and the remnants of his presence – i.e.: the presence of absence; the strength and fallibility of memory; the fact that our respective actions matter, even if we don’t see how. Catharine Newell was selected by Western Art & Architecture as “One to Watch,” was chosen four times by Corning Museum of Glass for the annual New Glass Review, and has been featured on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Art Beat. Newell’s work can be found in the permanent collections of the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, the Hotel Murano in Tacoma, Washington, and the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Presence of Absence I, 2010, kilnformed glass 46 x 46 x 2.25 inches (installed) Photography: C. Newell (portrait) P. Foster (artwork)
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Lesley Nolan RESIDES Tallahassee, Florida BACKGROUND insurance adjustor, mother
As my grandmother collected the data of our families from many generations ago; I am interested in their stories and how the past relates to the present. Our stories are unique and at the same time common to all of us. When we gather and meet, it is those stories that we share. Early on, I joined the tradition of the women in my family who made clothing and quilts both out of necessity and labors of love. From cloth to now glass, I continue to put little pieces together to create patterns and images. Each image or piece joins the next like bricks of a house. I see the story emerging. 46
The narrative is built using old family photos, my own drawings and photos of common things, and my imagination. I use a number of techniques to achieve the look of the story I want to tell, because it really is the story that remains foremost. They are timeless stories of moments in time that link us all with a common thread. Lesley Nolan works from her studio nestled in the trees of her backyard in Tallahassee, Florida which allowed her to raise her family and work from home. She began working with kilnformed glass in 1991. Nolan created and taught the fusing class at the Florida State University Student Art Center and taught at the FSU Master Craftsmen Studio. Nolan’s work is included in Contemporary Fused Glass by Brad Walker, and her work is represented in public, corporate, and private collections throughout the United States.
Jennie’s Log Cabin, 2010, kilnformed glass, metal 20 x 6.125 x 4 inches (installed) Photography: L. Nolan (portrait) M. Endo (artwork)
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Flo Ulrich RESIDES Austin, Texas BACKGROUND plein air painter, nutritionist, firearms examiner,
pharmaceutical sales representative, research laboratory assistant I have arrived at this point in my life from a richly varied past. Beginning professional life with a biology degree, I have morphed from research assistant to pharmaceutical sales representative to firearms examiner for the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab. A return to graduate school culminated in a private nutritional consulting practice, which I maintained for 10 years in Austin, TX. The common thread through these years was a dedication to artistic pursuits during my “off” hours, taking drawing and painting classes and attending workshops. In 1998, I quit my practice and dedicated myself to art on a full time basis. As an oil painter, my work was represented and collected both in the US and internationally. I began simple explorations in glass in an effort to stimulate a move to abstraction. Glass became a way to describe imagery less literally than my painting, and eventually I developed it as my primary medium. I am entranced by lightplay and edgework, and glass allows me to develop this interest as no other. My work in glass now brings together my technical scientific background with my deep need to create artistically.
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The edge: the distant horizon seen from the ocean’s doorstep; currents carrying pebbles along a river’s bank; sunlight playing at the edge of a meadow clearing. Abstracted color-play is embraced where worlds meet. Standing at the edge, I explore these experiences in glass. Flo Ulrich owns and works out of East by South East Studios, creating fine art wall panels, architectural features, functional vessels, and unique commissioned artwork. Convolutions 2, 2010, kilnformed glass 9.25 x 9.625 x .75 inches Photography: A. Becker (portrait) F. Ulrich (artwork)
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Els VandenEnde RESIDED Snohomish, Washington BACKGROUND physical therapist
I’ve been interested in making things since I was four years old, when my favorite pastime was playing with Legos. My mother inspired me to learn crafts, such as embroidery, sewing, macramé, wood burning and decorative painting. As an adult, I took up stained glass, while working as a home health physical therapist. In 1994, I was introduced to kiln-glass and was totally inspired. My inspiration is drawn from many sources, but especially from the natural world. The colors and textures of the Methow River come to mind, as do experiences in Costa Rica–wonderful colors and full of life! 50
A full-time studio artist since 2000, Els VandenEnde lived and worked in Snohomish, Washington, near Seattle. Graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in Physical Therapy, she worked in the field for 18 years while studying stained glass and kilnforming. Her passions, outside of her artwork, her family, and her many pets, included travel, wildlife, diving, bird watching and photography. VandenEnde passed away on April 5, 2011. She is survived by her husband, two grown daughters and a world of friends made in the pursuit of her art. Collection of Museum of Northwest Art, La Conner, Washington Gift of Steve and Diana Klein, Bob Leatherbarrow, Robert Wiener, Steve Immerman, Gloria Badiner, Sarah Nelson, Valerie Adams, Karen Bexfield, Lesley Nolan, and Kim Brill.
Cairn, 2010, kilnformed glass 10.75 x 4.375 x 4.375 inches Photography: S. Immerman (portrait) M. Endo (artwork)
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Robert Wiener RESIDES Washington, DC BACKGROUND financial manager
I am fascinated by the infinite diversity of color, texture and form in glass. My work explores the relationship between pattern and color through abstract, geometric design. Texture is achieved through precise temperature control and extensive coldworking. The result: a unique, contemporary textile appearance that lends itself to decorative, architectural and functional applications. Robert Wiener was born in Washington, DC and was raised in the DC metropolitan area. He graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Business Management. For the next 22 years, he nurtured a successful career in Financial Management. In 2002, Wiener took his first art glass class. Two years and 22 courses later he bid farewell to the desk job and opened his own company, DC Art Glass. He currently resides in Washington, DC, where he works in his private art glass studio.
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Wiener has exhibited in juried shows at venues across the US, including the Smithsonian and the Philadelphia Museum. Publications include 500 Glass Objects: A Celebration of Functional and Sculptural Glass; the Guild Sourcebook of Architectural and Interior Art, and American Art Collector.
Transformation, 2008, kilnformed glass 42.5 x 12 x .75 inches (installed) Photography: B. Norris (portrait) P. Duval (artwork)
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glossary
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Emerge – Bullseye’s biennial international kiln-glass competition and exhibition for students and earlycareer artists; formerly called e-merge glassblowing (also: blown glass) – shaping a mass of molten or heat-softened glass by blowing air into it through a long metal pipe glass fusing – joining glasses through the application of heat within a kiln inclusion – a material that is trapped between the layers of glass when they fuse kilncast – creating a glass object within a kiln by heating glass above or inside a refractory mold until it flows to fill the voids of the mold kilnformed glass (also: kiln-glass) – glass formed using a kiln maquette – a small scale model or rough draft of an unfinished architectural work or a sculpture pattern bar – a bundle of glass (typically consisting of strips or rods) fused together to form a solid mass that, when cut crossways, yields slices of multicolored internal design torchwork (also: flameworking, lampworking) – a method of forming objects from glass tubes and rods by softening the glass with a gas-fueled torch and shaping it by means of tools and hand manipulation techniques
resources BULLSEYE RESOURCE CENTERS Portland, Oregon Santa Fe, New Mexico Emeryville, California http://www.bullseyeglass.com BULLSEYE GALLERY Portland, Oregon http://www.bullseyegallery.com MUSEUM OF NORTHWEST ART La Conner, Washington http://www.museumofnwart.org NORTH LANDS CREATIVE GLASS Lybster, Caithness, Scotland http://www.northlandsglass.com PILCHUCK GLASS SCHOOL Stanwood, Washington http://www.pilchuck.com
Steve Klein and Richard Parrish will lead a group residency in Santa Fe and Abiquiú, New Mexico, in fall 2012
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to Els 1959 –2011 56
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