Tag Archives: glassmaking

Phenomenal Hot Glass at SOFA Chicago!

Posted on by
Reply
A beautiful sunset backlights downtown Chicago, taken from Navy Pier.

A beautiful sunset backlights downtown Chicago, taken from Navy Pier.

Welcome to part two of my photojournalistic quest to document and share the incredible happenstance that was the Hot Glass Roadshow at SOFA Chicago. Having our glassblowing stage set up for demonstrations at this expo was a wonderful opportunity for people to view glass artists actually creating their work; instead of just seeing the end result all throughout the room and wondering how it was made. Being able to view the process in situ was a unique chance to gain a new or better appreciation for the work and skill that went into crafting the glass creations exhibited at this annual gala event.

One last glimpse of a large feathered vase being made by George Kennard, CMOG gaffer.

One last glimpse of a large feathered vase being made by George Kennard, CMOG gaffer.

One of our demonstrating artists that I was happy to reconnect with was John Miller, a well known glass sculptor who heads up the glass department at Illinois State University. The last time I worked with this larger-than-life-living gent was last December on the Celebrity Cruise’s ship the Solstice where John was a visiting artist on our Hot Glass Show stage.

ohn Miller attaching some chopped up cane sprinkles to his giant hot glass donut.

John Miller attaching some chopped up cane sprinkles to his giant hot glass donut.

One of the benefits of seeing John make one of his signature giant solid glass donuts was that after his demo you could go see and marvel over a wonderful display of his work while he was there to meet and talk to.

John Miller's super sized Americana diner food exhibit at SOFA.

John Miller's super sized Americana diner food exhibit at SOFA.

Every glassblower who works in a new studio is always prepared to adjust to using different tools or equipment that might be set at different temperatures. It’s comparable to a chef cooking in someone else’s kitchen. Several of the artists who came onto the Roadshow stage were challenged by their choosing to create a piece that was similar to their work displayed at their booths because they were accustomed to using torches; which enabled them to control the temperature of the glass at specific points. I was impressed when Nadine Saylor successfully put together one of her signature elegant teapot forms without the use of a single torch.

Nadine Saylor putting the final touches on her 3 part teapot. 

Nadine Saylor putting the final touches on her 3 part teapot.

The handle and spout were made separately and attached. I thought it made for a rather exciting demo as the handle was flopping around wildly prior to Nadine sticking it to the body of the teapot. We were all excited when it was successfully completed; a round of high fives was triumphantly exchanged amongst the glassblowers (Nadine, Steven, and I) on stage.

Nadine's gold adventurine teapot on display at Riley Gallery's booth.

Nadine's gold adventurine teapot on display at Riley Gallery's booth.

Prior to her demo, I had visited Nadine’s work on display. The domestic icon imagery of barns, windmills, and tractors that she had applied to her teapots and thimbles by sandblasting and painting the surfaces was evocative in many ways.

Amber Cowan reconstructing pieces of vintage white pressed glass.

Amber Cowan reconstructing pieces of vintage white pressed glass.

Another of our demonstrators was Amber Cowan, whose manipulation of American pressed glass tableware into ethereal and forlorn creations couldn’t help but capture the viewer’s attention. She brought several thrift store found pieces of Colony Harvest pattern vintage milky white compotes, along with flowers, feathers and pearls that she had flameworked herself with solid white glass. Everything was put into a cold pick up oven and brought up to 1000 degrees; then attached together; tweezed and cut into its final nostalgic reincarnated form.

Amber Cowan's Wedding Compote shown at Heller Gallery, similar to the one made during her demo.

Amber Cowan's Wedding Compote shown at Heller Gallery, similar to the one made during her demo.

All the amazing talent and joie de glass vivre on the Roadshow stage those three days was just the tip of the proverbial art and design iceberg of all the artists represented at SOFA this year.  As a first time SOFA attendee I can safely say that all my expectations and preconceived notions of what to expect were pretty much blown out of Lake Michigan’s waters and I can’t wait for next year. Hope to see you there!

Until Next Time,

Ryan

Full moon plus downtown Chicago equals splendid!

A camel and a skyscraper right in front of Navy Pier! Surreal much?

Influenced by Industry: Celebrity Scholarship recipient John Shoemaker

Posted on by
Reply

Celebrity Scholarship recipient John Shoemaker at The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass
John Shoemaker, a Philadelphia resident and 2012 graduate of Tyler School of Art, came to The Studio this summer upon a recommendation from one of his professors to take Benjamin Cobb’s class, From the Sketchbook to the Blowpipe. He received a Celebrity Cruises Glassmaking Scholarship to take this course, which focused on staying true to a drawing, troubleshooting the problems that arise while working hot glass and improving on the forms through repetition in order to create the piece the students wanted to achieve.

John is working on a sinker form to use in his “Balance” series, a collection of work made with glass and wood that features two “disparate objects that are unified in their form but are different in scale.” Attracted to early industrial aesthetics, he will often coat his pieces in metal oxides to create a look closer to metal than glass.

“I’m definitely influenced by where I live,” John says of Philadelphia, where he is surrounded by “relics of industrial history” such old warehouse buildings, driftwood, and pulleys. He is particularly inspired by block and tackle systems, simple machines that have revolutionized how we relate to and manipulate nature through the use of mechanical advantage. In a post-industrial society, he finds inspiration in these machines, “marks of a good craftsman” that have withstood the test of time despite inevitable deterioration. “They have an influence on how I think about time,” he says.

Celebrity Scholarship recipient John Shoemaker at The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass

Working on a glass form shaped like a sinker at The Studio

John was excited to continue to develop his series after spending a lot of time assisting other artists. The Celebrity scholarship to study at The Studio gave him not only financial assistance, but also the opportunity to focus intensively on improving upon his drawings and ideas. During the week-long course, students worked in small groups, allowing for individualized feedback from the instructor. Students caught glimpses of other classes going on during the session, and made connections with instructors and other students. The Studio also offers other benefits during class sessions – John was able to meet with the GlassMarket buyer, go through the Museum with Bill Gudenrath, and go on a guided tour of the glass sculptures in the Corning Incorporated headquarters building – a rare sight as this building is not open to the public. “Overall,” says John, “it’s very inspiring; it makes me want to come back to Corning and work hard on my body of work.”

Learn more about the Celebrity Cruises Glassmaking Scholarship Fund, and others.

Everything old is new again: Celebrity Cruise Scholarship recipient Brandyn Callahan

Posted on by
Reply

In Portland, Oregon, when he was just ten years old, Brandyn Callahan began learning how to make fused glass from his mother. His interest in glass led him to flameworking and glassblowing classes, and after high school, a glassblowing apprenticeship. Brandyn now lives in Seattle, Washington, where he works in private glass studios. This summer, he came to The Studio for the first time on a Celebrity Cruises Glassmaking Scholarship to take Goblet Thinking for the Modern World with instructor and glass artist Michael Schunke.

sketches for goblets by Brandyn Callahan

The focus of this class was on designing and creating goblets with the appeal of a modern aesthetic that can “have a sense of grace and beauty in the form” without the ornate style of the historical precedence of Venetian glass. Maintaining a focus on functionality was fundamental to this class, and to this end, Brandyn spent the week concentrating on making clean components and managing appropriate proportions in his pieces.

Brandyn Callahan at The Studio

Brandyn Callahan at The Studio

He is dedicated to gaining proficiency in glass, and he says, “Goblets are a great way to build skills as a technical glassblower.” Michael Schunke’s goblets “flow really well together, none of his parts seem disjointed, and I’m trying to take that from this class and his work.”

Brandyn comes from a part of the country that has been influential to the Studio Glass movement over the last several decades, but he was excited to visit Corning, a town which he says has “such a rich tradition of people blowing glass, engraving glass, and being in the glass industry… for hundreds of years.” His time was well-spent immersed in the culture of glass – so much so that his initial week-long stay turned into two weeks. In addition to time spent in class, Brandyn found “so much material to soak in” within the Museum collections and the Rakow Research Library. “I’ve wanted to come to Corning for a long time,” he says. “I feel honored to have been given the scholarship.”

Learn more about the Celebrity Cruises Glassmaking Scholarship Fund, and others.

See the 1-hour Live-Stream demonstration from Michael Schunke: Goblet Thinking for the Modern World: http://youtu.be/PRPP3yZMvbw?hd=1

Celebrity Cruise Scholarship recipient Gayla Lee learns murrine making techniques at The Studio

Posted on by
Reply

Gayla Lee was first entranced by glass at the age of eight when she encountered a glassblower at a Renaissance festival. Her fascination with the material eventually led her to an apprenticeship in a Baltimore glass studio at the age of 20. After a couple years of working with glass herself, she began making trips to Corning in order to take classes with artists such as Mark Matthews, Robin Cass, and Bill Gudenrath at The Studio.

Gayla Lee

Gayla Lee working at The Studio

After taking several classes, Gayla began to ask, “What can I do to be here more?”  Now she can be found in Corning half a dozen times a year or so to work as a teaching assistant for artists such as Mark Ditzler, Josh Simpson, and Yoko Yagi, as well as to teach classes in fusing techniques.

Gayla has had the opportunity to share her knowledge with others and to learn through working with other artists. She notes, however, that “it can be difficult for working artists to have access to professional development” due to time and financial restraints. Recently, she was awarded the Celebrity scholarship to take Davide Salvadore’s class, Creating and Using Murrine – her first glassblowing class in six years.

Gayla Lee and Davide Salvadore Creating and Using Murrine at The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass

Gayla Lee and Davide Salvadore

In this class, students pulled cane to form simple components, which were then fused together to form a pattern, repulled, and cut into murrine. Rather than entering the class with a specific goal or concept in mind, Gayla was intrigued by learning nontraditional methods of making murrine and watching a true master put these pieces to use.  Gayla’s work often features geometric patterns and tessellations, and learning from Salvadore, she has been able to gather ideas and expand her skills in the week-long class.

 

“[Studio classes] are very conducive to creativity,” she explains, “everything you need, Corning provides,” from tools and glass to access to affordable food and lodging. “Everything you need to know is probably already here,” she says, referring to the wealth of information and inspiration at the Museum and the Rakow Research Library.

Though Gayla resides in Annapolis, Maryland, her close relationship with The Studio provides her with a comfortable creative outlet away from home. “I do a lot of my work up here,” she says, adding enthusiastically, “I’ve never been to a nicer glass studio.”

Learn more about the Celebrity Cruises Glassmaking Scholarship Fund, and others.

“I don’t want to be bored”: Ginny Ruffner talks genetic engineering and creativity at The Corning Museum of Glass

Posted on by
Reply
Ginny Ruffner with The Urban Garden, in Seattle WA

Ginny Ruffner with The Urban Garden, in Seattle WA

I had a chance to talk with Ginny Ruffner when she came to the Museum for a viewing of the film A Not So Still Life: The Ginny Ruffner Story from director Karen Stanton. Along with The Fund for Women, the Museum presented the film which explores the fascinating life of this world renowned artist.

What was your inspiration for When Lightning Blooms?

When Lightning Blooms - Ginny Ruffner Aesthetic Engineering series

When Lightning Blooms, Ginny Ruffner (American, b. 1952), United States, Seattle, WA, 2006. H: about 106.7 cm, about W: 96.5 cm, about D: 61 cm (2011.4.71)

That piece is part of the Aesthetic Engineering series, which is a group of sculptures I’ve been working on for six or seven years and it was originally inspired by the amazing developments in genetic engineering particularly the inter kingdom sharing of genes between plants and animals. They put pig genes in beets to make them bigger, walrus genes in tomatoes to make them frost proof – it’s amazing what they’re doing! And what it makes me do is it makes me think – well what if? What if there were genetic implications for things? What I’m creating is hybridizing things that don’t have genes and thinking – what if?

In the case of When Lightning Blooms, it was what if lightning could bloom? What if lightning had a gene where it could flower, what would that look like? It’s fascinating to me; it’s evocative. That’s what generates my wonder machine.

That’s what I wanted to ask about next – how do you cultivate your creativity? Your wonder machine?

Thinking. I think a lot. I don’t watch TV, although I do watch basketball! I read a lot, and more importantly I spend time every day just thinking! And when I read something, I think about it. It makes me wonder. One subject that is really evocative and thought provoking for me is genetics and what’s actually happening in genetics, it’s not just what if? – it’s what’s happening now, and that inspires me to think.

What’s it like being a woman and a glassblower?

The glass world is predominantly male. There are many more male glassblowers, and if you were to get a list of who the artists are in museums, I would say it’s probably more than fifty percent male – it’s different now with Tina [Oldknow, modern glass curator] here, and there are more women in the field than there used to be.

Being a woman affects my work in that I tend to be an over achiever, and I like how it is – it’s just another challenge. But in terms of the way I look at the world that might affect my artmaking – if I start making broad generalizations that department it sounds stereotypical, but I think that I’m more open to the whole gestalt of it – seeing the world, looking for connections.

Tina Oldknow, Marie McKee, Ginny Ruffner and Karol Wight at the viewing of A Not So Still Life at The Corning Museum of Glass

Tina Oldknow, Marie McKee, Ginny Ruffner and Karol Wight at the viewing of A Not So Still Life

Tell me more about taking on challenges

Well it’s a challenge to be female in any art field. The art world is very male-dominated – critics, artists, writers, museum people. And, being an artist over 30, there is a bias for youth in the art world. But also, new media, blogs and all that, that could be a challenge, but I think of it as an invitation. I love to learn, I’m pretty tech-savvy! The challenge for me is that I have so many ideas. I would love to incorporate more technology in my work, which is a challenge because I don’t have the specific skills to do that.

Are you working on any partnerships to work with technology?

Oh, I talk with people all the time, so who knows what will happen!

In the film, you ask people “What do you want to do with your life?” So, what’s next for you, what do you want to do with your life?

Well, specifically what’s next – the Aesthetic Engineering show is opening in Huntsville Museum in 2014 and they’re going to tour that around to other museums for about 5 years after that. And I am going to write – that’s another challenge – yesterday I went to a women’s writer’s retreat. I want to write a book that goes with the traveling show. I’ve written a couple pop-up books that accompany two previous traveling shows and I love pop-ups, but I don’t want to be pigeon-holed as a pop-up writer. But, I love that with pop-ups, you’re making words move and it’s a true intersection of visual and verbal.

I thought maybe there’s something that exists in that space in between; nobody’s done that that I know of. On the way here I was thinking about how I would like to do a book that has visuals in it – creativity is what I know, so I would need to make it about creativity. And I want to make it not a pop-up, but something beyond words on a page. I’m doing these little conventional words on paper, that are kind of like visual rapping, because they’re sampling a bunch of different things. It’s a really raw idea, but having a picture book with audio and lyrics, I don’t know – it’s all brand new!

 

When I asked about the accident in 1991 that greatly affected her life, Ginny said, “To me it’s old news. It is one of the answers to your question about challenges. If I could, I would talk a lot faster, and I hate not being able to walk fast, those are my challenges. I won’t quit until I can run again. I’d be bored if I gave up, and I don’t want to be bored.”

Local glassblower Dane Jack receives Celebrity Cruise Scholarship

Posted on by
1

 

As a Corning native and the younger brother of a glassblower, Dane Jack was exposed to glass from a young age. He has worked diligently for many years to develop his glassmaking skills.

Training on the Hot Glass Show stage under master glassblowers, Dane learned through repetition and gained muscle memory to make objects for demonstrations. “I wanted to learn the foundation of manipulating the material,” he says. By taking classes at The Studio, assisting other artists in the hot shop, and renting the Studio facilities to practice on his own, Dane quickly gained proficiency in the basics.

Over time, his work has become “technique-based rather than conceptual,” and, these days, he focuses on mastering advanced techniques. This dedication and perseverance has paid off, as he now travels for part of the year with the Hot Glass Show aboard Celebrity Cruises, demonstrating glassblowing in exciting places such as the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.

Inspired by the colors at sea and the architecture of the cities where the ship docked, Dane experiments on stage. “The opportunity to make whatever you want in a glassblowing job is priceless,” he recognizes, and, because the Hot Glass Shows at sea can last a couple of hours, the team has the freedom to create more elaborate pieces.

At the end of each cruise, three to six pieces of glass art are sold at an auction, with proceeds benefiting a scholarship fund for Studio glassmaking classes.

Dane himself was a recent recipient of a Celebrity Scholarship. Receiving a scholarship for the Winter 2012 session allowed Dane to take Dan Mirer’s Glassblowing, Design, Production class, which emphasized mold making for faster and more efficient production work. The class spent much of the week-long session in the coldworking shop shaping molds, a process which intrigues Dane as he hopes to incorporate mold blowing techniques to create a production line in the future.

Dane Jack making a mold at The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass

Making a mold at The Studio

The community at The Studio has always been a supportive one.  There’s always some one around who can collaborate, bringing a quick bit of glass while he’s working on a piece or offering advice when he’s stuck on a process. Dane has rented time at The Studio to work on his own art, has taken classes, and has even worked in The Studio’s Make Your Own Glass area.

Dane’s story is not unique. The Studio and the Museum work hard to support and develop glass artists, by employing talented artists like Dane, providing scholarships, offering classes and providing a community that encourages exploration of glass.

Learn more about the Celebrity Cruise Scholarship fund, and others.

The Museum’s new website is live

Posted on by
Reply

The Corning Museum of Glass

We’ve launched a redesigned website at www.cmog.org. The site offers new content, increased access to the Museum’s collection and new user-friendly features. The front page serves as a starting point to explore 35 centuries of glass art: the site now features thousands of videos, articles, images and resources on glass and glassmaking.

“The Corning Museum of Glass is the authority on glass, and we wanted to make as many of our resources available online as we could,” says Karol Wight, executive director. “We’ve made new digitized materials from our Library available, are sharing every single video we’ve ever produced and are publishing articles that address glass from many angles. Visitors to our site can easily access information about glass at any level that interests them.”

The redesigned site provides a new integrated search function that allows visitors to access more than 200,000 records from both the Museum’s comprehensive collection of art and historical glass and the Rakow Research Library’s collection of archival and reference materials on the history of glass and glassmaking.

More than 30 years of images from the Museum’s prestigious annual journal, New Glass Review, are now available to view online for the first time. An All About Glass section features more than 350 videos, 100 articles, and 225 recently digitized books from the Rakow Research Library, as well as glass term definitions and podcasts.

Some of the highlights you’ll want to check out:

  • An enhanced way to browse the collection. Search both the glass collection and the collection of the Rakow Research Library at the same time. Search by object, artist/maker, color, and more. In each record you’ll find information about related multimedia, publications and exhibitions.
  • A new collection set feature. Save glass collections objects, articles, events, and media across the site into your own collection set. This is an excellent tool for research and sharing. Create public sets to share, or keep them private in your own account.
  • An All About Glass section that includes more than 350 videos, 100 articles, and 225 digitized books from the Rakow Research Library, as well as glass term definitions and podcasts.
  • More than 30 years of images from our annual journal, New Glass Review. Filter by artist, juror’s picks, technique, and more.
  • An improved calendar that helps you plan your visit. See the demonstration schedule for the day you’re visiting, as well as any exhibitions on view and special events taking place. Visit our mobile site to plan your visit on the go.
  • Online registration for glassmaking classes at The Studio. Sign up and pay online in just a few convenient steps. It’s easy to find one that fits your needs: you can sort by level of experience, teacher, technique, and length of class.

The Museum partnered with IMA Lab, the media and technology group at the Indianapolis Museum of Art for the website redesign project. IMALab designed and developed the site, working on new solutions to bring the Museum’s various collections to the web.

We hope you’ll explore and let us know what you think. Simply use the feedback button you’ll find in the bottom right-hand corner on the website.

 

Crusin’ to the Glassblower’s Bench

Posted on by
Reply

I recently sat down with Beth Bell from Clearwater, FL, who was at The Studio taking the class “Next Steps in Glassblowing” with Harry Seaman.  Beth got hooked on glass when she saw the Museum’s Hot Glass Show aboard the Celebrity Solstice cruise ship, and her journey to taking a glassblowing class at Corning has included fourteen transatlantic crossings!

What made you decide to come to The Studio to take a glassblowing class?

Well, I was on the Solstice, the first ship I was on of the Celebrity Cruises that had glassblowing.  And I went up and I watched it, and I got hooked!  I watched four hours a day, every day we were at sea.  It was a transatlantic so we had a lot of days at sea.  And that was it!  From that point, when I got home, I figured I was too old to do it, and so I decided to try something else.  But then I came back and thought, well why not? And so I did!  And I took a few classes and decided to come here to take a class.

Tell me more about the cruise

I’ve taken a lot of cruises on Celebrity.  I’ve done fourteen transatlantic cruises and I’ve taken twenty cruises overall.

Wow!

We just really like them.  But since I’ve done the Solstice, with one exception, I’ve stayed on ships with glassblowing.  So I’ve been on Solstice, Eclipse, and Equinox pretty exclusively because that’s what I do when I’m at sea – watch the glassblowing.

And how many hours would you say that you’ve watched?

Oh, well, it’s roughly four hours a day for at least eight days, so that’d be 32 hours a trip.  So, a couple hundred hours!  And to be honest, I think it’s really helped me do this, because I’ve seen them do the same thing over and over again.  I know what they’re going to do next.  And the other thing is, I’ve gotten to know some of the glassblowers, and I stay in touch with them, we email, and I’ve seen them again on ships, so that’s nice.  And all of them I know are not here right now, a couple are out on the ships, but this is the class I wanted to take.

Do you have a favorite glassblower?

I honestly think the most entertaining to watch is Annette Sheppard.  She’s just fun to listen to, and fun to watch. I’ve been on at least two cruises with her.  And Eric Goldschmidt is the other one.  I really enjoy what he makes.

Did you ever win anything?

Yes! Finally!  It took me, I think, seven cruises before I finally won something.  I was up there some days where there were only six or eight of us, and it’s raining, we’re huddled under blankets and it’s cold.  And still, the person on each side of me wins.  But I finally won, and I’ve only won once. I have bought pieces from the auction they have. I bought a very beautiful pitcher, it’s about 20 inches tall and it’s got horizontal purple on the front, and horizontal red on the back so looking through it you have a third color.  Lewis Olsen did that one.  And I’ve got a dish he made, I’ve bought four or five pieces.

After watching on the ship, what made you want to try making glass?

I’ve actually worked with glass before; I made beads for a number of years.  And it’s just, I don’t know how to describe it, because it really is that fact that you’re taking something liquid and you’re making it into something solid and you’re having to balance it on the end of a pipe while you do it.  And you’re working on it in little increments, and it goes from a blob – to a thing!  And I find that kind of fun.

What class are you taking here at The Studio?

I’m taking Next Steps in Glassblowing. It’s a little above beginner, but basically beginner glassmaking.

What kind of things are you making?

Well, we’ve been working very hard to get thin glass and to get crisp shapes.  Not just whatever you end up with, but actually making what you intend to make.  I’m trying to do a tumbler, and now I’m trying to do a tumbler with a nice lip wrap.  If I accomplish that in this class, I’ll be happy.  Although, I’ve actually made two bottles!  And I didn’t ever think I could make a bottle.  I don’t know enough to do one, and yet I did it! And on top of that, you do these bottles without an assistant, so they’re fun.

But see, at home there really isn’t anywhere I can blow glass, so when I take a business trip I’ll find a studio nearby and try to get in a few hours in different cities.  Other than classes, I don’t get to do much glassblowing.  But, I’m getting ready to go on the Eclipse again in October, so I’ll watch the glassblowing.  And then I’m coming back to the States on the Eclipse and then I fly back out to Rome and come back on the Equinox – so I’ve got two more two-week cruises to see glassblowing!

Is there anything else that you want to share?

Go on a cruise!  You need to go on a cruise with glassblowing! It’s two hours of glassblowing, so you get a lot of in-depth information, you get a lot of funny stories, and it’s really entertaining.  It’s fun, you’re sitting on top of the ship, you’ve got a lawn behind you, out as far as you can see is ocean, and they’re blowing glass!  How much better does the world get?  So, you need to go on a cruise!

Beth Bell went from watching glassblowing in the audience onboard a Celebrity Solstice cruise ship, to doing glassblowing herself in a class at The Studio.

Eric Goldschmidt Brings Flameworking on the Road

Posted on by
Reply
Flameworking on WSYR

Eric Goldshmidt Flameworking on WSYR with Designer Thom Filicia

 

Eric Goldschmidt, the Museum’s flameworker, goes on the road to help tell the region about glass and the Museum’s activities. In 2009, he traveled to Syracuse, Buffalo, Toronto, and Binghamton a few times to share his flameworking skills on TV.

Watch as Eric turns a design by Thom Filicia into a delicate glass object on Bridge Street News/WSYR.