I have the wonderful opportunity to do some collaborative works with artist and friend Susan Longini. 

Our work together is about humans in our environments – how we are affected by them, how we are changed or not, how we move into our environment or let it come to us, and so on.  These environments might be external, natural, with other people, or even our own internal psychological environments.

We called our first piece Dangerous Opportunity.

Currently we’re working on a piece called Sometimes It’s Bigger Than Us, which we will donate to the Bay Area Glass Institute auction. 

More to come!

Dangerous Opportunity

Recently I had the honor of meeting Fritz Dreisbach.

Fritz received a Master of Fine Art in 1967 from the University of Wisconsin where he was assistant to Harvey Littleton.  Littleton started the first college glass program in the U.S. and taught several artists who became prominent in the history of studio glass including Fritz, Dale Chihuly, Marvin Lipofsky, Sam Herman, Tom McGlachlin, Christopher Ries and Michael Taylor.  Fritz, nicknamed the Johnny Appleseed of Glass, continued on with a 35 year teaching career, teaching at 130 institutions world wide.  He is credited as one of the fathers of the studio glass movement. 

Fritz lectured at the Bay Area Glass Institute, talking about the beginnings of the studio glass movement and his involvement within it, as well as showing the evolution of his glass work.  Then he demonstrated the making of one of his little glass trucks.  Betsy (founding President of Glass Alliance of Northern California) and Richard Ehrenberg donated a piece of Fritz’s art for a fundraising raffle to support BAGI, and I luckily won – a beautiful piece from Fritz’s lariat series. 

Yes, I’m super lucky! 

( Fritz making a truck, assisted by Treg Silkwood and Dean Bensen)

In June I visited the studio of Hans Godo Frabel to receive the 2009 Frabel Award. Kimberly Fields won the emerging artist Frabel Award, and she was there as well. The three of us – Frabel, Kimberly and myself – with the help of Mangnum Mangkang and another of Frabel’s assistants, made a collaborative piece. It incorporates Frabel’s Longfellow, Kimberly’s bird, and my botanical vines. Since we all wanted the piece, and how in the world would we settle that, we decided to donate it to the 2011 Glass Art Society auction. Look for it at the GAS conference in Toledo, June 2011.

On Sunday I leave for Pilchuck Glass School.   Pilchuck was founded in 1971 by Dale Chihuly and patrons Anne Gould Hauberg and John H. Hauberg, and has become the most comprehensive educational center in the world for artists working in glass.  

Early in my career, I had the pleasure of studying at Pilchuck three summers in a row.  The school is equipped with a wealth of work spaces, tools, materials, and people to help in every manner of working with glass, as well as wood and metal shops. 

Next week a group of 10 flameworkers will meet for a week-long self-directed residency. Our purpose has nothing to do with making a bunch of work. We are gathering to discuss art, career and business, the future of glass in the arts, the future of our own work and careers, to experiment with new techniques or projects, and mostly to learn from each other. Steve Klein is leading a group of glass casters at the same time, so there will be opportunity to cross-pollinate ideas and thinking.

I am greatly looking forward to this opportunity to learn from and contribute to my colleagues.  I give thanks to artist Elizabeth Mears, for organizing our reisdency!

http://www.elizabethmears.com/

www.Pilchuck.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