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

Martin Rosol - plain and simple, pieces that move with you

Martin, like many Czech glassworkers, learned his trade in a "company school" set up to train craftsmen to execute limited edition designs for art glass manufacturers. Though the arrangement provided employment for many, it did not provide young artists with the degree required by the old regime to sell art. So, by day, Martin turned out functional art in the form of bowls and vases for the factory. At night, using scrap from the day's production, he created his own larger, more abstract pieces. Before long his sculptures were being exhibited in Europe and the United States, and in 1981, Martin was awarded the Bavarian State Prize for Glass Sculpture in Munich.

Eventually, through friends, Martin had the opportunity to come to the U.S. on a visitor's passport, to work with an established glass artist in New York State. He set up machines for the artist and worked with him in his studio, all the while perfecting his own work. Holsten Galleries in Stockbridge was among the first to sell some of his pieces during this time in the U.S. After five months his visa expired, and he had to return to Czechoslovakia permanently in the summer of 1986.

The Rosol family's journey took them from Hungary, to Yugoslavia, to Austria then to Germany, where they waited for two years to get visas to emigrate to the U.S. They signed up for English classes together at Greenfield Community College. In 1994, The Rosol family became naturalized American citizens and they now live in Massachusetts, where Martin works in his own studio.

Influenced most by architectural studies, Martin's sculptures, in the words on one admirer, are "works of elegant design and craftsmanship". Made with several pieces of glass precisely cut from blocks of crystal, the glass is constructed in architectural forms after selected surfaces have been sand-blasted.

The sculptures are multi-dimensional, some surfaces clear, some opaque. The results are "monuments to light". MORE

MATTHEW CUMMINGS - figurative glass sculpture

In my work, I am attempting to capture the essence of human movement (gesture) through minimal, abstract forms. While always interested in the human figure, I was inspired by a summer trip to Italy where I studied and sketched sculptures of the High Renaissance and Baroque period. I was particularly moved by the sculptures of Giambologna and Bernini. I was drawn to the tension created by their sculptural groups and the curves of the human figure.

While my first explorations of the human figure were realistic, I have chosen a more abstract and minimal approach in order to focus the viewers attention on the human gestures presented. Besides concentrating on the form of a single figure, I am challenged by relating figures to one another. When I am in the glass studio, I am trying to create very specific forms, while expecting a more ambiguous reaction from the viewer. I welcome different interpretations of these sculptures by the viewers. I have begun more and more to view my work as being removed from the human figure and directed towards representations of pure form, movement, and gesture. MORE

Toshio Iezumi - clean and simple ... beautiful!

BORN
1954 Born, Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan

EDUCATION
1985 Tokyo Glass Art Institute, Japan, Graduation

PROFESSIONAL
Current Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts, Japan, Associate professor
1988 Novy Bor, Czech Republic, International Glass Symposium
1987 Hokkaido, Japan, SCF Glass Workshop

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Corning Museum of Glass, New York, USA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California USA
Real Fabrica de Cristales la Granja, Spain
Suntory Museum, Tokyo, Japan
Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Art, Tochigi, Japan
Notojima Glass Art Museum, Ishikawa, Japan
Ashikaga Museum of Art Tochigi, Japan
Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo, Japan
National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo, Japan
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art Ishikawa, Japan
Koganezaki Glass Museum Shizuoka, Japan
United Airlines

On the "WAY" fun side ... Tom Moore

A true new artist in every sense of the word - Tom Moore - looking at all of the modern possibilities of expressing himself - object, photography, video ... a colorful land of adventure and out-there fantasy.

Moore’s glass blowing expertise enables him to create a plethora of hybrid personalities. His works definitely never suffer from a sense of the predictable. His anthropomorphism's have closer links to the illuminating world of illustrated children’s stories, where nothing is impossible - defying gravity and melting the coldest heart.

Michael Janis: a fresh look at glass art

Inspired by ways we transform ourselves, I work at creating creates glass pieces that have both visual and spatial depth. By layering and fusing sheets of glass with overlapping elements, I strive for an interactive commentary using simple forms with intricate glass powder drawings. These works are a continuation of my frit powder drawings that I have been working on for some time now. The layered compositions allow me to make unusual juxtapositions of imagery.

I work hard to create some kind of meaning out of my artworks - dream-state surrealism using figures, text and common objects, and hint at questions. The artworks suggest meanings but they encourage the viewers to draw their own conclusions. The work has an intrinsic meaning for me, but they remain open to multiple interpretations. I want to encourage the possibility of exploring meanings beyond those I put there – I count on the viewer bringing something to the work. More on MICHAEL JANIS

Material Matters: Lisa Cahill

Lisa Cahill creates dreamlike images, which allow viewers to draw associations with their own remembered landscapes, resulting in a meditative and or emotional response. Inspiration for this work ranges from the colours, textures and limitless space of the Australian bush to the harsh winter landscape of Denmark, her mother's homeland. Having spent many years living and travelling the world, much of this time spent in Denmark, Lisa's kiln formed glass connects structures of urban architecture, the associations and memories they invoke, and her innate respect for the natural landscape. Lisa's minimal wall panels are a record of her memories of these different landscapes and the transitory nature of the urban experience. Rather than a direct reproduction they are more her own interpretation of the quiet intensity to be found therein. Lisa's art is a document that ponders the reality behind the visible and becomes a place for quiet contemplation.

Jeff Wallin: Fine-art meets glass

"What is seen on first glance? What catches the eye before interruption of thought and reason? What single detail expresses the whole? We can be affected by where we are, as well as where we are not." - Jeff Wallin

Jeff Wallin has spent his life in the Pacific Northwest. He studied under Professor Keiko Hara at Whitman College, graduating in 1995 with a B.A. in Studio Art. He continued to pursue drawing and painting after moving to Portland at The Drawing Studio with Philip Sylvester and more recently at Hipbone Studio with Jeff Burke.

His introduction to glass came in 1999 at Ray Ahlgren’s FireArt Glass studio, where Jeff continues to work, gaining new understandings in how to apply the challenging medium of glass to his ongoing exploration of the human form.

He says that drawing teaches him to see. Taking inspiration from emotionally and psychologically complex figure painters such as Francis Bacon and Lucien Frued, Wallin’s portraits have the marks of a painter’s perspective and a painter’s intuition, the relaying of an idea by brush– all that expressed in the language of glass.

His studies have been represented in galleries in Portland and Chicago, SOFA-NY, SOFA-Chicago, WheatonArts, and at Glasmuseet Ebeltoft in Denmark, where he was awarded the Sybren Valkema Prize in the 2007 Young Glass competition. The museum acquired his entry, "The Great Romantic" for its permanent collection and awarded him a four-week creative residential stay at Vrij Glas Studio in Holland in 2008.

During that residency, Jeff began working directly on glass using live models, eliminating the intermediary step of charcoal/conte drawings which he’d previously used.

He now begins 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.

He explains, "My methods of kiln forming purposefully ignore most of the strict adherence to process normally associated with the medium. The work is driven by a dialogue between material and subject, where instinctive response to what happens in the moment is often more crucial than following a predetermined notion of how the composition should appear. A solid understanding of the ‘rules’ of kiln forming glass is essential. It is against this backdrop of knowledge that I attempt with each new investigation to push the boundaries of my experience, applying that understanding and not simply repeating techniques. My intent is to maintain an attitude of spontaneity and preserve the raw moment when the piece first began. By avoiding strict narrative structures, I provide a framework on which viewers can apply their own memories and experiences."

Jeff’s art exemplifies the future direction of studio glass - that continued blurring of any line between disciplines labeled as craft, glass, or art.

Anne Wolff

WOW! I have to say I really enjoy these prints (vitreographs). Ann Wolff is best known for her 3D contemporary works in glass - here we see her visions on a 2D level - what a creative mind!

Ann Wolff studied first at the School for Fashion Design in Hamburg and then at the Academy of Design in Ulm, where she majored in visual communication. She entered the glass industry when she married the Swedish glass artist Goran Wärff. Accompanying him to Sweden, she worked from 1960 to 1970 as a designer of decorative and household glass, first for Pukesbergs Glassworks in Nybro, and then at Kosta Boda. After her divorce from Wärff in 1970 she established Studio Stenhytta with Wilke Adolfsson, a master glassblower from Orrefors, on the grounds of her home in Tranjö, Sweden.

During the 1970s Wolff's glass forms were multi-layers vessels which she sandblasted and etched with narratives relating to the experience of Woman as wife, mother and homemaker. In the 1980s she began to move away from narrative in favor of the depiction of female heads on large round plates. From the mid-1980s to the 1990s Wolff experienced a period of dissatisfaction with glass that resulted in her working more in drawing, painting and printmaking. She rediscovered glass in the mid-1990s as a sculptural medium through the technique of casting. The abstract, cast glass forms with which she now works relate strongly to her continuing interest in the female face and figure.

Ann Wolff has won many distinctions for her art. Among them were the Coberg Prize for Modern Glasswork in Europe, 1977; Central Switzerland Glass Prize, Lucerne, Switzerland, 1980; Gold Medal, International Glass Art, Kassel, Germany, Gold Medal, Bavarian State Prize, 1988 and the Rakow Commission, Corning Museum of Glass, 1997.
Museums that hold her work include the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Japan; Düsseldorf Art Museum, Germany; Lobmayr Museum, Vienna, Austria; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City; Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Charlotte, North Carolina; National Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan; Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio and Albert and Victoria Museum, London.

PRINTS and DETAILS CAN BE SEEN AT: http://www.vitreographs.com/

Glass PYROGRAPHS and Etsuko Ichikawa

My work is a continuing investigation of what lies between the ephemeral and the eternal. I work with a range of materials, in particular glass, paper, and thread, and in various scales including large installations.

Moment and memory, absorption and evaporation, light and shadow are some of the triggers that inspire me and relate to my work. My “glass pyrograph” drawings are made by imprinting hot glass onto paper, which is one way to capture and eternalize the immediacy of a moment, while my hanging and floating installations are about ever-changing states of mind. Born and raised in Japan and having lived in the United States for over the last decade, I recognize my dual cultures as defining influences and psychology as my primary source of inspiration.

Chad Holliday

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.

Toru Sato - core formed vessels !

Image of a core formed vessel may be an ancient excavation. You would getthe new image from my work. A core formed vessel is one form of decorativeart. Decoration is not painted on a glass vessel, but is made by meltingglass parts onto the vessel while forming it. I hope you enjoy beauty andharmony of decoration, color and form.

Tomas Brzon

Place of birth:

Novy Bor,Czech republic

Year of birth:

1982

Studies:

1998-2003 The School of Glassmaking,Kamenicky Senov

(under Prof.Frantisek Janak and Pavel Trnka)

Professional profile:
2004-2005 Sahaj Glass Studio,Prattsburgh,NY,USA

2005-2006 assistant of Czecho-American artist Martin Rosol in Shelburne Falls,MA,USA

2006-assistant for artists Vladena Klumpar and Pavel Satrapa

Group exhibition:

Czech republic,Germany,USA.

SOFA Chicago - Sculpture, Objects, and Functional Art

Celebrating its 15th anniversary, SOFA CHICAGO 2008, the critically acclaimed Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair returns to Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, November 7–9, to present work from 100 international galleries and dealers from 16 countries.

glass, ceramic, fibers, metals, wood
Great craftsmanship is now a "given" as the issues of manipulating these materials have long been resolved. Much of the work is idea based, although some is purely about craftsmanship and decorative beauty. While the show’s focus is on contemporary sculpture, there is a significant overview of what’s happening in the world of art furniture and jewelry.

Galleries and artists from Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Korea, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom (England and Ireland) join American blue-chip galleries such as Heller Gallery and Leo Kaplan Modern of New York; Perimeter Gallery and Ann Nathan Gallery of Chicago; Holsten Galleries of Stockbridge MA and del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles to present dazzling contemporary glass art based on centuries-old Venetian traditions, sculptural Japanese ceramics, superb hollowware by Scandinavian silversmiths, contemporary furniture and wood art, and the most avant-garde American and European jewelry.

www.sofaexpo.com