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

BRIAN USHER

It is in the end all about ‘seeing’; looking not at the centre of a thing but at the peripherals, the edges, and sometimes not looking a ‘it’ at all, but at everything around it. Knowing that what I see today may not be what I see tomorrow. Not because the object has changed but because I have. It is also about where in the transition from ‘all too familiar’ to ‘this is my world’ do I engage with the people, places, and objects that make up my life. I use familiar shapes that need closer inspection and time. I don’t try to say ‘this is how it is’ but rather ask ‘how could it be?’

Some of my newest work deals with ‘void’, ‘hole’, ‘emptiness’, as passageway or view to ‘other’. Within this is the use of a confessional motif as a nod toward the idea of confession as story, as marker of event/time. People as well as objects contain these ‘markers’ and they serve to alter our perceptions of the world around us. If we accept the idea that we view the world through a series of ever developing and morphing filters then each perceptual event will have a bearing on any subsequent events. We can not view the world outside of these events just as we can not remove the ‘trace’ or shadow if you will of our memories of specific moments. The screen serves as a metaphor for the conscious divide that allows us to function while still having access to the necessary memory of the myriad of life events. I use the confessional motif specifically because it is one laden with separateness; both from one another and from ourselves. I choose to explore the feeling that we are connected to our past selves and others as well as the physical.

Eoin Breadon

The basic underlying thematic element of my work is the concept of light and time. An infinite universe, we are granted a finite amount of time, a set-up that seems to be designed and regimented by the amount of light (day) or lack there of (night). By trying to incorporate both elements, be it through the use of shape or color association, I'm looking to define a space that contradicts these parameters of light and dark in association with a beginning and an end. Much like life, glass operates within these same parameters of completion. The beauty of glass is its cool timelessness while the creation of it is a hot, intensive commitment of a set time in which to work the molten glass. I strive to create a classic piece that is flexible to its surroundings and light rather than defining them itself.