This Thursday, July 1, will be the opening reception for COLD+HOT 2010 at Micaëla Gallery in San Francisco.  The exhibit includes an interesting variety of sculpture by twelve artists working primarily in glass. 

Two of my pieces, Winter Cyclone and Homage to Castaneda will be in the exhibit.

http://www.micaela.com/cold+hot2010.html

Last weekend I had the great pleasure of meeting artist Hans Godo Fräbel, visiting and working in his studio, collaborating on a piece, and accepting the Hans Godo Fräbel Award along with Kimberly Fields, who won the Hans Godo Fräbel Novice Award.

The Hans Godo Fräbel Foundation hosts the annual Fräbel Awards.  Artists from around the world submit entries to the competition; Fräbel, his top artist, and the president of the foundation jury the finalists; and the glass community votes on the winners. 

Kimberly’s piece is “Roost”, a vignette of beautiful, little birds in an approximately 8 inch cube. 

For our collaborative piece, we made a design incorporating aspects of each of our work.  Mr. Fräbel has created a series of “Longfellows” – stick figure people in a wide range of postures.   Kimberly makes beautiful little birds.  We made a Longfellow with outstretched hands, offering a botanical garland of my vines and fruits, topped with Kimberly’s bird.  The photos show the piece before sandblasting.  The Longfellow will be frosty white afterwards, and the vines and fruits will have a matte surface like most of my work.  And of course he will stand on a custom base.  After making the piece, we all wanted it and figured the best way to settle the situation is to donate him to the Glass Art Society auction next year.  We shall see if that’s the final decision. 

Here is a short video of the award reception:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvhSJ81Wekw

Congratulations to Kimberly, and many thanks to Mr. Fräbel and the Fräbel Foundation!

For eighteen years I have studied with The Aji Network, an educational company in Los Altos, California.  When I began studying, I was in an entirely different career in Organizational Development and Training in the semi-conductor industry.  In 2001 I left this career to pursue my dream of being an artist. 

My ambition is to be one of the top glass artists in the world in terms of the quality of my art, identity, and income.  Thousands of people aspire to be artists, while a slim few actually achieve noteworthy success.  Starting with no education in the arts, I have already established a career as an internationally respected artist in roughly one-third the time this would traditionally require. 

The Aji Network provides a guide – The Aji Source Fundamental Strategy – which I have used to accelerate my career.  Using the strategy, I have secured solo shows in prominent galleries, won numerous national and international awards, been commissioned by my city to make gifts for foreign dignitaries, lectured and demonstrated at an international art conference, exhibited my work in two countries, been invited to teach in three countries, published articles, been featured in various art publications, and my art has been bought by prominent collectors. 

 www.theajinetwork.com

This Friday I will visit the studio of Hans Godo Fräbel, an artist and one of the founding fathers of modern torch work in glass.  Mr. Fräbel’s art is in public and private collections in over 80 countries, including Queen Elizabeth II, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan, current and former heads of governments such as Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Anwar Sadat as well as museums in London, Paris, Tokyo, Dresden, Valencia, Corning, San Francisco, New York and Washington D. C.  

My visit with Mr. Fräbel is part of my prize for winning the Hans Godo Fräbel Award for 2009.  The award competition, hosted by Mr. Fräbel and his foundation, was open to glass artists worldwide.  My piece “Sun Pods” was the winner, and Kimberly Fields won the Novice Award.

 Friday evening, Mr. Fräbel will host a reception for Kimberly and myself at his studio and gallery in Atlanta, Georga. 

 www.frabel.com

The San Mateo County Fair opens this Saturday.  I will be the featured artist in the fine art exhibition, with eight pieces on display.

The fair runs June 12 – 20.  The fine art exhibitions will be in the Fiesta Building. 

www.sanmateocountyfair.com