Washington Glass School Winter Holiday Open House Dec 14th

It's that time of year! The artists, elves and instructors of the Washington Glass School all gather around the warmth of the kilns and invite everyone to celebrate the season. Saturday December 14th, from Noon til 5, come on in to the studio and check out works by some of the hottest and most thoughtful artwork coming from the DC area.

Nancy Donnelly

Syl Mathis

Sean Hennessey

It's a great time to socialize with the arts community and hang with some of these supastar artists.  

Also visit the adjacent studios - Alonzo Davis and Alec Simpson's Blue Door studio, Ellyn Weiss' studio - lots to see!

Next door Flux Studios will have their open studio and 1st Annual "Cups Invitational" - make a day of it!

Washington Glass School 
Holiday Open House
Saturday, December 14th
Noon til 5:00 pm
3700 Otis Street
Mount Rainier, MD 20712

Cup International at Flux Studios.

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Also - Save the Date! Our studio coordinator - Audrey Wilson - has been taking the art world by storm, with great response to her work from shows like Art Miami, the Glass Art Alliance's "Contemporary Glass from the Heartland" show and the International Glass & Clay show here in DC. Audrey has a solo show here at the Gallery at the Glass School this coming January.

Audrey Wilson

Audrey Wilson Solo: "The Aberrant Collection of the Spuricus Calamus"

Opens January 11, 2014

The Gallery at Washington Glass School

3700 Otis Street, Mount Rainier, MD 20712

The Process: Nancy Donnelly Creates Baptismal Font

As part of the ongoing series titled "The Process" the Washington Glass School blog focuses on the methodology of an artist or technique. Today, Nancy Donnelly gives an in-depth look at a glass artwork commission she has recently completed for the Lewinsville Presbyterian Church in McLean, VA. Have a look as she outlines how she made the fused glass central baptismal font for the church.

For this community, baptism is the central rite. Nancy describes what they were looking for in art glass: "They wanted to see the water in action...they wanted a big bowl, nice shallow curve so the water would be scoopable, clear glass with a wavelet pattern in blues, darker in the center and fading toward the rim."  The font was to be situated in the center of the space, located in a stand that would reveal the water to the congregation.

Nancy made a variety of bowls.

Said Nancy, "I’ve made many glass bowls, but none that big. I knew there would be a number of samples made until I got it right and could present the best one." Nancy made a number of fused glass test pieces in the Washington Glass Studio. 
Nancy was concerned about how the colors looked and how the edges would be finished, as well as how deep a bowl profile was needed. 

Test 3 - issues arose on how the glass edges could grab the sides of the molds as it moved down.

Nancy said of her test process, "I made glass sandwiches, (colored frit fused between two sheets of glass). I knew this method could be risky, as bubbles could form as the trapped air is locked between the sheets of glass as the glass melts. Bubbles are part of glass, and my worry was, how big is too big?"

Nancy also wanted to emphasize the feeling of rippling water. "In the first go, my wavelets looked like little upside-down drawings of seagulls. The second try I got a lot of big bubbles at the rim. On the third one, I tried avoided bubbles by filling in with clear frit, which did not turn out well!" she explained. In the final glass baptismal font, the aqua colors of the frit have a nice, soft undulating texture.

Senior Pastor Deborah McKinley at the Baptismal Font

The glass baptismal was completed and installed in time for the Easter holiday, and the glass was well received by the Lewinsville congregation. Well done, Nancy!

Nancy Donnelly in the Washington Post

Glass artist Nancy Donnelly has a solo show of her latest glass artwork on exhibit at VisArt's "Common Ground Gallery" in Rockville, MD. (Through March 24, 2013). Nancy's kiln-shaped glass sculpture and wall reliefs reference natural forms in glass, glass enamel, steel, concrete and transparent color. The Washington Post newspaper has a review of her show in today's (Friday 15 March) paper - what a great review!  Excerpt below is from WaPo art critic Mark Jenkins' article.

From The Washington Post, Friday, March 15, 2013:

"Nancy Donnelly

D.C. artist Nancy Donnelly does landscapes, still lifes and figure studies, all traditional genres. But hers have an added aspect, because they’re translucent. Six years ago, Donnelly began working in glass, which makes even the thinnest of her works sculptural. “Transmission,” her show at VisArts at Rockville’s Common Ground Gallery, encompasses rectangular compositions with just a hint of depth, pieces in which certain elements protrude from the plane and works that are fully three-dimensional.

The last category includes flower arrangements such as “Bouquets,” whose simplified forms suggest pop art’s directness but whose colors subtly shift along the length of the glass fronds. Among the near-flat objects are nature scenes such as “Sea and Sky I” and the more abstract “Tribute to William Morris,” a homage to the Victorian-era designer and theorist that employs a subtle black and green palette. Perhaps the most striking sculptures are those in which well-rounded female nudes, rendered in bluish or greenish glass, emerge from contrastingly hued blocks. They’re metaphors for creation and liberation, making them pertinent not just to one artist who has found her medium.

Transmission

on view through March 24 at Common Ground Gallery, VisArts at Rockville, 155 Gibbs St., Rockville; 301-315-8200; visartsatrockville.org."

Look at the Post online - click HERE.

Nancy Donnelly: Transmission at VisArts Common Ground Gallery

Nancy Donnelly's exhibit of new works opens February 22 at VisArts Common Ground Gallery in Rockville, February 22 to March 24, 2013.

Nancy Donnelly’s kiln-shaped glass sculpture and wall reliefs send out a message of spaciousness and calm. Referencing natural forms in glass, glass enamel, steel, concrete and transparent color, her work operates near a whisper, but sparks memory, emotion and imagination.

Nancy Donnelly - fused glass, enamel

An Opening Reception and Artist Talk will be held on Friday, February 22 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

Nancy Donnelly: Transmission

February 22 to March 24, 2013

Common Ground Gallery

VisArts at Rockville

155 Gibbs Street, Rockville, MD  20850 

Nancy Donnelly Solo Show at Foundry Gallery

Nancy Donnelly, "Glass Bouquets", glass with concrete base and oil color,each 4' high x 30" wide, photo by anythingphoto.net

New Glass, With Drawings: New Work by Nancy Donnelly

Wednesday, October 3 - Sunday, October 28, 2012

Opening Reception: Friday, October 5 from 6 - 8 pm

This solo show of Nancy Donnelly’s glass art, including sculptural pieces and drawings in glass and on paper, depends on color and light for its effects. The show includes abstract glass plants and flowers, with prints and drawings that look almost casual but have relaxation, joy and a sense of humor at their center.

Nancy Donnelly, "God's Finger with a Beach Ball" fused glass powder imagery

Over the last 18 months Nancy has put her artistic practice under the microscope. Nancy's glass is bigger and she includes her works on paper. She's incorporating aspects from in her current activities in her imagery, such as traveling in Thailand.

Nancy Donnelly, "Glass Flower" detail, photo by anythingphoto.net

Earlier this year, DC Arts critic, Lenny Campello said of her  work : 'Nancy Donnelly's new work takes the color stripes from the canvas of the 1960s giants of DMV painting and re-invents it in a fresh new approach to a 21st century dialogue in glass and concrete'  In her work, Nancy strives for something like realism, but with respect for abstraction. 

Nancy Donnelly

Trained as a painter, Nancy discovered glass as an art medium a few years ago; for her artworks in this show, she she is consciously bringing drawing and painting back into her work, working bigger, and melding glass with other materials, as well as making more art on paper. She describes her work as "trying and trying to say something without words."

New Glass, With Drawings: Nancy Donnelly 

Foundry Gallery, 1314 18th Street NW, Washington DC

October 3 - October 28, 2012

Opening Reception: Friday, October 5^th; 6 - 8 pm

Drawing On Glass

Nancy Donnelly uses underglaze pencils to create fused glass drawings.

Working in the glass school, Nancy Donnelly creates fused glass drawings and sketches. Originally a painter, Nancy likes to explore ways to bring her "painterly aspects" into glass. Using underglaze crayons and pencils, Nancy works at getting a loose 'sketch' feel into her glass artwork.

The use of underglaze pencil allows Nancy to retain her detail and her quality of sketch in the art.

Nancy likes the expressive qualities of the sketch.

Nancy is able to capture the personality of the subject.

Examples of Nancy's artwork can be seen in Foundry Gallery in DC's Dupont Circle neighborhood. Nancy will have a solo show there this coming October 3 - 28th, 2012.

Foundry Gallery, 1314 18th St NW, WDC

Hot Times At Glass School

The thermometer might be reading in the triple digits (upper 30's for the C° crowd ), and there may be powerful storms that have knocked out power for many in the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland & Virginia) but there are those that come to the glass school to chill. 
Here are some shots taken on a hot weekend:

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Associate Professor Susan O'Brien has come to the glass school to work in glass, as a change from ceramics. Susan here talks about her composition with artist Michael Janis.

Susan explores integrating decorative patterns into her fused glass

Artist John Henderson removes his castings from the kiln.

John is preparing artwork for a new mixed media series he is developing.

John's new "Shield" series incorporates cast glass African imagery with metal and fused glass elements. And working with a water-cooled chop saw helps cool him down. 

Nancy Donnelly works with glass frits to create a lovely floral backdrop.

Stay Cool Peeps! 

"Color and Shape" at City Gallery DC

"Color and Shape" showcases Nancy Donnelly’s glass art and Jill Finsen’s oil paintings.

Fascination with texture as a component of color and shape is apparent in the work of both these artists. Surface abstraction contributes to the success of these art pieces—the texture of the glass plays off the layered textures within the paintings. These works truly complement each other.

Both artists find negative space crucial to this effect, moments of rest that energize each work and in this sense make each stronger. Donnelly and Finsen’s artwork provides an elegant balance between familiarity and abstraction.

Color & Shape

February 5-26, 2011

City Gallery

804 H Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002

202.744.6439

Opening Reception Saturday: February 5, 2011 from 6-9pm

Nancy Donnelly Solo Show at Foundry Gallery

Nancy Donnelly's new sculptures are kiln‐cast glass, frequently augmented with paint and metals in a very contemporary palette. With a background in painting and anthropology, tone of the Washington Glass School's studio artist is focused on gesture and movement. From glass birds swooping overhead to 4‐legged work nearly walking off the pedestal, these unique pieces express character and attitude.

F o u n d r y G a l l e r y

1314 18th Street NW, 1st Floor, Washington, DC 20036

Nancy Donnelly

Situations Made Visible

Exhibit Dates: December 1 — January 2

Reception: Friday, December 3, 6—8 pm

Artist talk: Sunday, December 12, 2-4 pm

Hours: Wednesday‐Friday, 1‐7 pm & Saturday‐Sunday, 12‐6 pm

From Foundry Gallery's website:

Nancy Donnelly's glass sculptures all in one way or another address issues of what it is like to be female, in this world, and living now. Clothed or nude, male or female, even pieces that don't show a human being at all, they all express the situation of having a certain age, a certain gender, a certain stance and attitude. Wall labels will help explain matters, both in cartoons and in words.

The pieces in this show are made of glass, kiln-cast into plaster molds at around 1600 degrees, and then altered usually with paint and metals to clarify what Nancy sees as the most important visual elements. Some of them turned out to be surprising even to Nancy as she made them.

Nancy Donnelly moved to glass in 2006 after painting for about 10 years. Trained in oils, she has learned glass work at Washington Glass School, Pratt Fine Arts Center (Seattle), Bullseye Connection (Portland, Oregon), amongst other places. She is a studio artist at Washington Glass School, and shows at City Gallery and Capitol Hill Art League as well as Foundry. Her awards include a 2008 Artist Fellowship from the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities. Nancy's work is in the collection of the Shakespeare Theater and in private collections.

Click HERE to jump to Nancy's website.

Photos from Glass Festival in Sequim, WA

Nancy Donnelly sent a quick report of the glass exhibit "Transcendence - the Magic of Glass" that is part of the Glass Festival now going on in Sequim, WA. Washington Glass School's Teddie Hathaway was juried into the show, outlined in an earlier posting.

Nancy writes that the museum show is at Sequim's "MAC", where the letters MAC stands for "Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley" in Washington. Nancy also advises that the correct pronunciation of Sequim is closer to "Skwim".

The Sequim show is a large show, with some 50 artists participating. Many are from Washington State, but also from Toronto, L.A., Greece,Turkey, New York, and Arizona. This exhibition is part of Washington's Glass Festival, and is accompanied with workshops and artist talks throughout the month. Some of the artists speaking include Michael Dupille and Delores Taylor.

Nancy writes that the show is well displayed and the work is quite good. They had numerous pieces of cast glass, and she sent some snaps of the exhibit.

photos by Nancy Donnelly

Link to MAC website - click HERE

Nancy Donnelly Takes on the Post

"Black Heroes" by Niki de Saint Phalle - photo by Bill O'Leary/Washington Post

Nancy Donnelly takes issue with Blake Gopnick's Washington Post review of the Niki de Saint Phalle sculpture exhibit along New York Avenue.

Blake criticizes the artwork by writing: "Covered in fragments of ceramic tile, in bright colors and gold and silver, the four sculptures are vivid and lively. They should bring a grin to the faces of passersby and lift the hearts of drivers. They are very good fun. Is that enough? " (italics mine).

To jump to read the original Post review - click HERE.

Nancy responds in the Washington Post:
"So what is worth doing? Is there room for delight in the vocabulary of art? Perhaps. Sometimes perception is actually bigger than the current vocabulary of criticism. Not everybody wants always to be striving for a leg up, or to express anger or despair. Other sides of human experience are also valid, and a great relief."
Read her full response in the Post - click HERE.

City Gallery's Nancy Donnelly Show

Glass artist Nancy Donnelly will be featured in a two-artist show at the new City Gallery in the trendy H Street corridor.
Her show "Light And Allusion" will include installation work by Nancy and paintings by Jill Finsen.

Nancy Donnelly "Birds" fused glass

Light And Allusion
May 1 - 29, 2010
Opening Reception with Artists Sat, May 1, 6-9pm

City Gallery
804 H Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
202.468.4277

Nancy Donnelly @ Suffolk Museum

Personal Armor is an upcoming glass artwork show at the Suffolk Museum (near Norfolk) that will feature our own Nancy Donnelly. Nancy is well know for her cast glass dresses - they were one of the hits of last year's Artomatic show. Nancy won first place this past October for her 'Tall Blue Dress' at the Capitol Hill Art Workshop juried exhibition.

Nancy is making some new sculptures for this exhibit. Below are some previews of her mixed media works that explores issues of femininity and domestic roles. Click here to see her website.

Personal Armor: Artists’ Look at Aprons
Suffolk Museum - 118 Bosley Avenue, Suffolk, VA 23434 May 2nd - June 12th, 2009 - 10-5 Tuesday - Saturday, Sunday 1-5

Obama-mania

Nancy Donnelly is in full inauguration mindset. Although it is not her usual artwork - she really enjoys making the craft pieces. Nancy's usual artwork can be seen here