Brian Usher - curves and loops

The Weight of Consideration
Brian Usher has been exploring the physical and emotional power of space with his artwork for almost two decades. His early work focused on the direct relationship between the object and the viewer / user. Because many of those pieces were vessels of some kind, Brian found that they leant themselves to the interplay of interior and exterior spaces. As this exploration of physical space developed, Brian found that working in glass gave him greater freedom to express these new ideas. His goal is to use the pieces to create a space, both physical and emotional, which provokes the viewer to confront and consider the interplay of opposing ideas - strength versus fragility, stasis versus change, surface versus depth, light versus darkness - and to wonder about the possibilities of transformation. In this focus on the emotional response to his non-representational pieces, Brian's work can be understood within the traditions of Abstract Expressionism, blended with the minimalist sculptural tendencies and graphic expression of Czech masters. MORE

Jeff Wallin's new works ... amazing!

I begin each piece as a quick sketch from a model, working directly with glass powders on a glass sheet surface. No preliminary drawings are used, no tests or experiments. Each new work is itself the test, the experiment, the first impression developed and pushed to a final form. My methods of kiln forming purposefully ignore most of the strict adherence to process normally associated with the medium. The work is driven to completion as part of a dialogue, which begins as a response to the model and then develops in unexpected ways as the work matures over multiple firings in the kiln. The intent is to maintain an attitude of spontaneity and preserve the raw moment when the piece first began. MORE

Kazuo Kadonaga - glass sculpture for the fine arts!

Investigating the inherent qualities of raw materials found in everyday life and developing systems that transform these materials into new forms naturally rather than self-consciously creating beautiful art objects. MORE

SHANE CARYL - Marvelous sculptures

"When we think of heroes and what attracts us to them, more often than not we come up with the colorful spandex and the super powers. But this is not what makes them heroes; these are merely aids to help them fight crime. Strip any of them of these things and you are left with just a man who decides to put the needs of others in front of his own. It is this realization that turns my focus from the alter ego to the true identity of the hero: the everyday man, who has taken on the responsibility for others, in addition to facing the same problems that we all have in society. My work continues to look at the heroes of past and present and how they relate to one another."

Shane Caryl was born and raised in Syracuse, New York, where he made a point of experiencing everything the suburban life had to offer. He attended the Rochester Institute of Technology and there he found and fell in love with glass. Under the mentorship of Michael Rogers and Robin Cass, he focused on casting and coldworking, as well as some hot shop techniques. Shane has recently moved to Portland, Oregon, where he plans to set up a studio.

Scott Ashley - new perspective on glass ...

... a modern statement on life and living.

Chad Holliday ... contemporary forms

I am an artist that has been working in glass for about 10 years. I first studied art & glass at Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas. After receiving my BFA I studied at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, where I completed an MFA in glass. Since then I have worked in such facilities as; Grand Crystal(Artist-in Residence), Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan, The Museum of Glass(Lead Technician), Tacoma, Washington, & Pratt Fine Art Center(Glass Tehnician/Studio Manager), Seattle, Washington. I have also had the great pleasure of working with such incredible artists such as; Paul Marioni, Martin Blank, Dale Chihuly, Charles Parriott and most recently Maya Lin. Now I am a Fulbright Fellow studying at the Secondary School of Glassmaking in Kamenicky Senov, The Czech Republic. MORE IMAGES

Jeff Wallin goes painterly

I begin each piece as a quick sketch from a model, working directly with glass powders on a glass sheet surface. No preliminary drawings are used, no tests or experiments. Each new work is itself the test, the experiment, the first impression developed and pushed to a final form. My methods of kiln forming purposefully ignore most of the strict adherence to process normally associated with the medium. The work is driven to completion as part of a dialogue, which begins as a response to the model and then develops in unexpected ways as the work matures over multiple firings in the kiln. The intent is to maintain an attitude of spontaneity and preserve the raw moment when the piece first began. MORE