Printmaking with Glass

Making prints from Glass?! Instructor Kirk Waldroff has been teaching a class in making wood or lino block prints, translating that into glass, and pulling prints from the glass panels. This original process is created by expand on and combining traditional printmaking with modern glass sculpting techniques.

The glass positives inside the kiln - to be cleaned and inked.

Fresh from the kiln, the glass is carefully prepared as a relief matrix.

Kirk oversees the student Nancy Donnelly inking the block.

Some of the first prints pulled.

Instructor Kirk Waldroff expresses his happiness with the day's results.

The class wraps up next week, with the students working on a more complex prints.

Hallo Deutsch Besucher!

Call For Artists: Submit Art to New Book About How Artists Achieve Success

Norwegian-American artist Brit Hammer is well known for her abstract fine art Byzantine glass mosaics and her fresco techniques that use mosaic materials in a new, different way. In addition to her role as artist, coach and teacher, Brit is an independent motivational speaker driven by a passion to inspire everyone to connect with the artist within. She is the author of the bestselling book Breakout! Your Pathway to Success.
Brit has a new book in progress, a coffee table style book illustrated with lots of artwork images in all media.Titled "Rise to Fame", the author seeks to explain what must happen on the inside to reach the level of sustainable success and one's highest potential. Brit has announced a call to artists to submit artwork images and information for inclusion.
From Brit's call for entries: The entries must illustrate an artist's personal “voice” and be refined, cutting-edge fine art. ALL MEDIA including drawings, fiber art, sculpture, jewelry, glass, paintings, fine art mosaic and mixed-media will be considered for inclusion. NO COST TO ENTER

Up to 3 artworks and 6 images per artist may be entered. All entries must be original works and be created by the submitting artist(s) within the past 5 years.

ENTRY DEADLINE: 29 May 2011

Click HERE to jump to the web link for the book's call to artists.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Kris Coronado interviews Erwin Timmers

The Washington Post Magazine columnist Kris Coronado spent the day in the Washington Glass School this week, interviewing Erwin Timmers for an upcoming article on recycling and environmentally conscious artwork.

Above & Below: Washington Post photographer Benjamin Tankersley photos artwork made from recycled glass components.

Erwin talked wth Kris about his background in sustainable design, and how the growing awareness of the limits to our natural resources has led to a greater appreciation and interest in work made with environmentally responsible materials. Post photographer Benjamin Tankersley set up a full photo backdrop to properly document Erwin's eco-artwork. The Washington Post article is due out in the paper in early June.

"Nature's Elements" opens at Bethesda's Artery Plaza Gallery

Curated and organized by Claudia Rousseau, Ph.D., AICA - art critic and art historian, the exhibit "Nature's Elements: Beauty and Structure" opens this Friday at Artery Plaza Gallery, featuring the paintings of Freya Grand and sculpture by Michael Enn Sirvet.

Freya Grand's landscape paintings express a deep attachment to the fundamental structures of nature rather than a description of its surface details. As a structural engineer by training and experience, Michael Enn Sirvet brings his understanding of physics and structure to create exquisitely crafted wood and metal works. Both artists' work encourage contemplation of the relation between art and nature.

Artery Plaza Gallery
NATURE'S ELEMENTS: BEAUTY AND STRUCTURE-Paintings by Freya Grand, Sculpture by Michael Enn Sirvet
April 8, 2011 - May 13, 2011
7200 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, MD

Opening Friday, April 8, 2011 at 6:00pm

Rob Kincheloe's Flow Magazine Tutorial

Torchworker Robert Kincheloe has a tutorial on his boro casting technique featured in the latest issue of The Flow glass journal.

In the magazine, he demonstrates how to re-create an object in borosilicate glass using his lost wax casting techniques, and incorporating the cast boro into flamework sculpture.

Rob's tutorial is also available online thru the magazine's website - Click HERE to jump to The Flow's class website.

Erwin Timmers Goes To The Queen City

Our "guru of green", Erwin Timmers will be teaching at Cincinnati's Brazee Street School of Glass, spreading the word of recycled glass artwork.
This April 16 & 17, Erwin will have the students explore using recycled glass to make sculptural pieces, architectural elements and tableware. The workshop will cover a variety of techniques including fusing, casting, and slumping.
Click HERE to jump to Brazee Street Studios website.

The Devil You Say ...is Tim Tate!

Here is a link to Tim Tate's newest project. After a review of his body of work, Tim qualified for posting on the UnitedStatesArtists.org website. This site's mission is to provide new directions in private philanthropy, allowing one to invest in America's finest artists and illuminate the value of artists. The funding sought will allow Tim to realize his most adventurous installation yet. Tim will be creating a Virtual Sculptural Tour of the Nine Levels Of 21st Century Hell.

From the United States Artists website : This installation will re-define Dante’s 9 Levels of Hell for the 21st Century while showcasing the impact of social media and the Internet on the way the world interprets these levels... The show will draw the viewer into each of the new proposed descending circle, such as Wall Street Traders who destroy the economy and Oil Executives who destroy the environment. This will be an attempt to focus on 9 concerns to our present day world... On the front of each artwork pedestal will be words scrolling to let the viewer know the phrases being searched. Inside each dome will also be an LCD screen with video playing illustrating each type of concern on each level... There will be quite a bit of information being displayed, and it will engage the viewer for some time. These pieces will be interesting enough to draw in viewers for every level and keep them engaged for some time. The premise is to make a compelling and timely statement about the concerns of modern man.

If you know Tim's work...you know it will be quite a ride! Tim also has exclusive perks for some key pledge amounts. Watch Tim's explanatory video....and give if you can. Click HERE to jump to Tim's USA.org posting.

Daily Art Muse Has Left The Building

For the past two months, artist/writer Susan Lomuto of Daily Art Muse has been an apprentice for the Washington Glass School as well as three of the adjacent ceramic studios - Red Dirt Studio, Flux Studios and Ani Kasten Studio.

Susan Lomuto preps the kiln with Matthew Duffy.

Susan did the research apprenticeship as a way to gain insight into the lives of professional artists; hoping to see the how the artwork is made - the process - the success and strife - all from the perspective of the artist involved. Susan has (and will continue to) post some of the information on her blog Daily Art Muse. She also is planning on furthering the project into a book, and she wishes to create a full multi-media presentation (video, sound, photos, exhibitions) on the subject.

Susan photos Robert Kincheloe as he works on the torch.

Leaning how to make a good weld with Erwin Timmers. Salvaging glass for use in a recycled glass public art project.

This week marks the end of Susan's DC apprenticeship - and she has posted about her farewell. Hugs all around - an we look forward to DaMuse's writing and postings!

Click HERE to see her farewell posting (with animated photo).

(While sad to see her go - Susan hopes to return for a residency at Flux Studio this coming fall.)

Seeking Artist Studio Space?

Would you like to be part of a fun, dynamic group studio?

Flux Studios - adjacent to the Washington Glass School (near the Rhode Island/ Route 1 Eastern Ave border of the District) is now accepting applications for two studio spaces:

(one is available May 1, 2011- 10 x 16 ft- $400 a month; the other available June 1, 2011- 14 x 17 ft- $595 a month)

Flux Studios is a 3000 square foot arts space in the Gateway Arts District that houses the studios of six professional artists. Each individual studio has ten-foot ceilings, concrete floors and walls of finished drywall over plywood. The studio offers a friendly and collaborative atmosphere, 24 hour access, free on-site parking, a large flexible common area available to all members for projects, installations or teaching, an exhibition area with gallery lighting, a computer controlled studio kiln available for rent and a loading dock with garage doors.

If interested in applying, please contact Novie Trump at novie@novietrump.com

Click here to jump to the studio website: http://www.fluxstudiosdc.com/

Flux Studios 3708 Wells Avenue, Mt. Rainier, MD 20712