Sunderland Glass Artist Demo - Stephen Beardsell

Artist Stephen Beardsell showed how achieves great depth in his kilncast panels. Working with chunky frits, Stephen layers the colors and inclusions. His talk about the use of strong vibrant colors and generous depth created much discussion amongst the students.

Sunderland Glass Artist Demo - Karin Walland

Karin Walland gave a fascinating demonstration on the casting glass using fine frit powder and freezing it with water to make a paste. Her talk at the Washington Glass School had the students abuzz with the possibilities on their own application of this unusual technique.

James Renwick Alliance Awards

The James Renwick Alliance is committed to promoting Craft Artists and their Art. As such, a judging committee went through a preview of DC's Artomatic arts festival. selecting artists to receive recognition for their work in selected craft categories. The judges were: Mrs. Deena Kaplan, long time art supporter and world class craft collector, Mr. John Kotelly, Esq., former President of the JRA and avid craft collector, Dr. Paul and Mrs. Elmirina Parkman, both Past Presidents of the JRA, founding members of the JRA and long time craft collectors, Ms. Judy Weisman, JRA Acquisitions Chair and long time craft collector and consultant.

The following artists won the Craft Awards of Distinction (and a complimentary one year membership in the James Renwick Alliance):
Fiber: Rania Hassan
Clay: Laurel Lukaszewski
Metal: Michael Sirvet
Glass: Phil Vickery
Wood: James Long
Mixed Media: Eric Celarier

(The Glass School lays claim to Rania, Michael, Laurel and Phil as adopted children)

Sending a Thanks to the James Renwick Alliance & Congratulations to all to all the artists at Artomatic!

Welding Class

The last evening for Mig welding class was a huge success: frames, stands, shelves... and all other forms of abstract
art!

More Artomatic Glass Demonstrations

DC GlassWorks and Sculpture Studios would like to invite you to an afternoon of glassblowing demonstrations by glass artists Roger Tye and Phil Vickery. Roger and Phil are extremely accomplished glass makers and they have offered to demonstrate their work with the students, instructors, and friends of DC GlassWorks and the Washington Glass School. Roger and Phil are two of the 37 creative businesses heading to Washington DC from Sunderland England, to take part in the five-week Artomatic Exhibition.

This event is free and begins at 1:30 pm on Saturday, May 30, 2009. If you would like to attend, please RSVP to info@dcglassworks.com by May 26th 2009. To learn more about Phil and Roger and to see samples of their work, please check out their websites:

http://www.rogertyeglass.co.uk/

http://www.philvickeryglass.co.uk/

DC GlassWorks and Sculpture Studios

5346 46th Avenue Hyattsville MD 20781 -2307

301.927.8271

Click HERE to see DC GlassWorks website

Demos from visiting UK Glass Artists

On Sunday, May 31st from 2 to 5pm the Washington Glass School will be hosting demonstrations of glass techniques from two artists from the National Glass Centre in Sunderland, England, Stephen Beardsell and Karin Walland. Stephen Beardsell "Lady in Poppy Field".

Karin will show how to cast small objects in frozen glass powder (an alternative to the messy lost wax method). Karin holds a BA in Fine Art and an MA in Glass with distinction. She often incorporates recycled glass creating pieces from jewellery pendants to large sculptural installations expressing fragility, loss, brokenness, death and new life in both nature and human experience.

Karin Wallend "Washed Up At The End of The Day", "Broken Arch"


Stephen graduated from Sunderland University with a Batchelor of Art degree in Glass and Ceramics, and later achieved a Master of Art Degree in Glass.
Currently he works in the glass department at the University of Sunderland and also in the National Glass Centre. Stephen will be showing and describing his method of creating great depth with frit casting and inclusions. Stephen Beardsell "Poppy Field group".








This Seminar/demo is entirely FREE to anyone who cares to learn from these 2 talented UK artists! Please let us know if you plan to attend so we know how many to expect.

DC residents - apply for DCCAH grants!

It's Grant Time!
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is renewing its commitment to supporting local artists and arts organizations through its distribution of grants for the fiscal year 2010 grant season. According to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, the District of Columbia ranks first among states in per capita investment in the arts.
“The creative industry is one of the most prosperous business sectors in the District, in workforce numbers, ticket sales and tax revenue generation,” said DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Executive Director Gloria Nauden. “We also boast of more than 460 nonprofits in the city that self-identify as arts, humanities or cultural organizations.” “One of our priorities for disseminating the grants is to ensure that the process is demystified. Our staff is available to help artists and arts organizations develop the most effective grant application possible,” Nauden added.

The Commission offers free grant writing assistance.
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is an agency funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Click HERE for more information , or to receive a grant application, call (202) 724-5613.

Set-Up @ Artomatic

The artists are out in force, setting up their artwork and info about the glass school.
Tim Tate and Erwin Timmers installing artwork.









Laurel Lukaszewski and Novie Trump setting up their ceramic artwork on Level 8.

















Erwin Timmers works on the electrical connections.









Nancy Donnelly stops in from her artwork on Level 9 to see how progress is on Tim Tate's artwork.

Duane Reed Gallery

Duane Reed Gallery celebrated their 15th anniversary and relocation to the trendy Central West End in St Louis this May. The inaugural exhibition (May 15 - June 13) features fiber sculptor John McQueen and Washington Glass School artist Michael Janis.
L-R Merrill Straus, Duane Reed, Michael Janis, John McQueen, Glenn Scrivner, Gaby Schaefer Naus













Michael Janis talks about his work and techniques.

Washington Post On Glass School Anniversary Event

The Washington Post Weekend Section features the Glass School's 8th Anniversary Open House. Come and join the artists - the surrounding art studios and the entire Gateway Arts District will be filled with events and celebrations!

Tim Tate 'Red Devil Box' photo by AnythingPhotographic

Washington Glass School Open House
Saturday May 16, 2009 Noon til 6 pm
3700 Otis Street, Mount Rainier, MD 20712

The event is free and open to the public
Click here for the Post's article.

Michael Janis Opens the New Duane Reed Gallery

The prestigious Duane Reed Gallery has moved to 4729 McPherson Ave. in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, MO. This move, which coincides with the gallery’s fifteenth anniversary, will allow the gallery significantly more space and locates it in a vibrant neighborhood with restaurants, galleries and other businesses.

The Re-Opening Celebration Friday, May 15, 2009.
The gallery will present the work of internationally acclaimed fiber sculptor, John McQueen and Washington Glass School's Michael Janis as the inaugural exhibitions in the new space.

The exhibitions will open Friday, May 15th with an opening that evening from 6 – 9pm. The exhibitions will run through June 13th.

McQueen uses willow branches, bark, burrs and other natural materials that he strings together to create stunning basket-like sculptures. McQueen “weaves willow twigs into flat open work panels, that are tied together with wax string and built into sculptural constructions. Some works are cage-like while others resemble familiar objects — a book, a desk calendar, a painting.” Michael Janis @ St Louis' Duane Reed.
Dealing with themes of identity and transformation, Michael Janis’ work involves kiln-working fused glass images together in an uneasy juxtaposition, or creating a transparent environment where reflections and shadows remove all boundaries. With a technique called “sgraffito”, the figures and forms are shaped by manipulating glass dust with sifters, brushes and scalpel blades. The delicate nature of glass powder is exploited and the slightest tap can change the frit powder images.

Glass School has its Ducks in a Row

An odd day - working at the glass studio on Sunday - perfect day -nice & quiet. A neighbor comes to the door - asking if the ducklings under my car are mine. Sure enough, there are 5 baby ducks cowering under the car. In the middle of the decidedly un-pastoral Mount Rainier, MD. No mother duck in site. No body of water in sight - except for the open sewer run-off ditch.
We decide that we should capture the ducks and release somewhere more appropriate - along the bay. The neighbor said that she has raised ducks before, and would take care of them until they were older and could fend for themselves.
A stint of running around trying to capture the ducklings (who run much faster than you might think) and they were all rounded up. What an usual Mother's Day at the Glass School (& how typical).

New Glass Review 30

The 30th edition of a prestigious and important annual selection of the best works in glass worldwide - New Glass Review (Neues Glas) has been published - and included was my work titled "The Tower" from my series of glass panels based on imagery from Tarot Cards.

The Tower by Michael Janis

That piece was selected as part a 100 glass artwork comprehensive study put out each year by the Corning Museum of Glass. 1,047 individual artists from 44 countries submitted a total of 2,974 images for selection by the judges. The judges for this years review included: artist Mieke Groot; glass blower extraordinaire, Dante Marioni; the head of the Rhode Island School of Design glass program, Rachel Berwick, and Corning Museum of Glass' Tina Oldknow, Curator of Modern Glass. The publication, printed in Germany, includes commentary on the piece by Tina Oldknow :

To introduce my narrative category...(t)he more literal representations included the stories told by Debora Coombs, Ian Mowbray, and especially Michael Janis. ... On the other hand, a truly big and dangerous event is depicted in Janis's "The Tower" Tarot Card. Anyone familiar with the tarot knows that the tower, the 16th card of the major arcana, does not bring glad tidings. I was impressed by Janis's powerful, sad, and appropriate interpretation of this card as a literal reflection of the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

My artwork got votes for inclusion by Mieke Groot, Dante Marioni, and Tina Oldknow.

New York Affordable Art Fair 2009 Opens

photos of Migration Gallery in Booth C-204
The New York Affordable Art Fair opens tonight. The stock market is rising. Consumer confidence is up. Fingers crossed- this promises to be a great week at the Affordable Art Fair, May 7-10.

AAF NYC is the place for new and established collectors to discover and buy paintings, drawings, sculptures, video, photography and limited edition prints from distinguished galleries, all priced from $100 - $10,000. This year the Fair will host more than 60 galleries from the US, Europe, Asia, Canada and South America. Is located 7 West 34th Street, in Midtown Manhattan.

Have a look in on booths C- 104 (Migration Gallery) and D-100 (Mayer Fine Art).

Tim Tate Wins Sculpture Award!

photo of Tim Tate by Matthew Girard
Tim Tate was awarded the highest prize for sculpture from the Virginia A Groot Foundation this past week.
From over 500 entries, three artists are selected to receive a grant.
Tim's work in sculpture was selected as an artist of "exceptional talent".
The mission of the Virginia A. Groot Foundation is to recognize and award artists working three-dimensionally.

Congratulations Tim!

Sunderland Returns!

A Sister City to Washington, DC is Sunderland, in the UK. This city has a long history of glass making and has the UK’s National Center for Glass. One of the organizations that supports and networks their glass artists is the Cohesion Glass Network.

This group of artists had shown in Washington, DC in 2008 – as part of a groundbreaking joint city glass show called Glass 3,

with work by Toldeo, OH, Sunderland, UK and Washington, DC glass artists. Click here to see DCist review of the show.

Well- they're baack – this time they have brought reinforcements. Glass makers, rock bands and artists are among 37 creative businesses heading to Washington DC, to take part in the five-week Artomatic Exhibition.

Artomatic has gone international! The 5 week arts events opens May 29th, encompassing all floors of a new building at 55 M Street, SE in Washington, DC.
For an article about the UK superstars like Phil Vickery and more information about Sunderland - click here