As I mention in the interview, I recently partnered with Sandra Ainsley Gallery to host a virtual studio tour. It was a new experience and we had fun putting it together! Here’s a few photos from the studio — it never stays this clean for long. 🙂 Watch the tour here.
Showing off some Mini Clouds and small kinetic works.
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This new piece found a home during the tour! “Orange Channel”, Blown, Slumped and Cut Glass, Private Collection
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“Verde Droplet” (R) and “Madrid Cloud (L) in front of my studio display shelves.
I’ll be back at the wonderful Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA December 19-21 to create some new pieces. Hope you can stop by to watch me at work! If you’re not in the area, you can watch via Livestream on the MOG web site. Just use the link above during Musuem Hours!
Visiting Artist Nancy Callan in the Museum of Glass Hot Shop
It’s that magical time of the year! I’m getting ready for SOFA Chicago 2019 where I’ll be showing my newest work with Duane Reed Gallery. I’ve created some new panel installations including “Kimono”, pictured here, gold leaf over black glass. And I’ll be showing some new sculptural work including some Droplets. Stop by and visit me in the Duane Reed Gallery booth Nov 1 – 3, 2019! https://www.sofaexpo.com/sofa-chicago-2019
For awhile now, I’ve wanted to create a video that was like a studio visit. It’s hard to explain what I do — my work is very layered and each piece goes through multiple steps on the way to completion. Film is such a great medium for telling that story in a visual way. Documentary filmmaker Derek Klein did some amazing editing and sound work that brought the concept into final form. He really captured both the quiet moments in the studio and the fast pace and fun of working in the hot shop. Enjoy!
I’m happy to announce the installation of Spin, Weave, Gather — a new panel installation commissioned by the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC. A year in the making, this piece was made possible by the generous support of the Mint Museum Founder’s Circle and two residencies at STARworks. Watch a video about the making of this work here.
North Carolina has a rich history of textile industry and design. I chose this theme as it relates to my ongoing interest in visual patterns and the relationship between glass cane-work and textiles. Glass is pulled and twisted into canes, then cut and layered to make patterns in the Venetian style. This mirrors the transformation of raw cotton fiber into threads, yarns and finally fabrics. The ingenuity and complexity of weaving techniques gives way to the effects of time and wear, bringing distress and decay. This fragility is inherent in glass, a material that is both remarkably durable and easily destroyed.
Spin, Weave, Gather includes panels that reference the process of creating textiles (cotton bols, skeins of yarn, and whirling bobbins) as well as the finished products (ticking stripes, plaids, and frayed fragments). Special thanks to Lorne Lassiter and Gary Ferraro of the Founder’s Circle for their support and to the hardworking team at STARworks.
I’ll be in residence with Mel Douglas at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, VA March 7 – 10, 2019! Hope you can stop by and visit. For more info, visit their web site.
I had a fun time collaborating with Preston Singletary at Pilchuck last week for this special collector event. It’s always an honor to support this great school and share the campus and the magic with new people! Preston and I decided to work on a mold-blown mask with a wood-grain pattern. Alix Cannon, Isaac Feuerman and Pilchuck staff assisted us and everything went smoothly from start to finish. I’ll post some pictures of the finished piece soon!
I was thrilled to return to STARworks in Star, NCÂ last month to develop a new project for the Mint Museum in Charolotte, NC. I’m creating a new multi-panel composition in glass on the theme of textiles. North Carolina has a rich history as part of the textile industry and I have long been interested in fabric patterns, structure, and the visual relationship between glass and textiles. Venetian cane techniques use glass strands that are much like threads when pulled, twisted, and layered so this is a rich area for me to explore visually. I am excited about this project and so appreciative of all the support that made this residency possible. Thank-you especially to Lorne Lassiter & Gary Ferraro, the Mint Museum Founder’s Circle, Curator Annie Carlano, Director Nancy Gottovi, Joe Grant, and the staff at STARworks, my fabulous Seattle team of Alix Cannon, Isaac Feuerman and David Walters, and all the other volunteers who stepped in to lend a hand!
Setting up a striped pattern for a cylinder. Fun!
Working hard with Dave Walters and artist-in-residence Chris assisting at the bench.
Inside “Fishnet” cylinder
Check out the huge amount of work we did! Each cylinder will be slumped open into a flat panel.
