Podcasts about lino tagliapietra

Combining technical skill with a strong aesthetic, flameworking pioneer Sally Prasch is known for her work that places other-worldly figures in glowing globes filled with rare gasses. She has also constructed portraits from broken shards of glass and is well known for her goblets made with coiled stems that allow them to bounce when handled. Her latest work incorporates cast bronze with glass. But perhaps Prasch's greatest fulfillment has come from teaching. She has taught flameworking workshops at UrbanGlass, Brooklyn; the famous Niijima Glass School, Japan; Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA; Penland School of Craft, Penland, NC; Pittsburgh Glass Center, Pittsburgh, PA; Grove Gas & Light Co, University of CA, San Diego, CA; Ingalena Klenell's Studio, Sweden, and many more. States Prasch: “Teaching has always been a part of my life. My parents were teachers, and both my brother and sister have also been teachers. Lloyd Moore, my first teacher, found it very important not to have any secrets but to share your knowledge with others – share your love of glass and making things. He taught thousands of people, and I continue in his tradition. Lloyd started me teaching at age 15. It was scary for me to teach adults, but made me practice things over and over again. We started people on soft glass tubing and then worked them up to borosilicate.”  Prasch began her career at age 13 with Moore working as a part-time apprentice at the University of Nebraska and then worked as a glassblowing instructor for the City of Lincoln Recreation Department. Later on, she took workshops from some of the best glassblowers of the time including William Bernstein, Ray Schultz, and Lino Tagliapietra. She attended the University of Kansas from 1977 to 1980 and received a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Art in Glass and Ceramics.  After college, Prasch started her glass art business that is still active today. She soon began to receive recognition for her artistic work and was selected for the Corning Museum of Glass' New Glass Review in 1993. The artist has been attending Glass Art Society (GAS) Conferences since 1978 and continues to participate by giving demonstrations and lec-moes, serving on the GAS Advisory Board and working with the organization's History Committee. In 1985, Prasch received her Certificate in Scientific Glass Technology from Salem Community College (SCC), Carneys Point, New Jersey. Soon afterwards, she obtained a position with AT&T doing large quartz work for the semiconductor industry. Continuing with her studies, Prasch earned her degree in Applied Science from SCC in 1986. Later that year she got a job as a scientific glassblower and glass instructor at the University of Massachusetts. She has worked as a scientific glassblower at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (UMass Amherst), Syracuse University, and the University of Vermont, Burlington.  Currently, Prasch is the scientific glassblower and also teaches Scientific Glassblowing and the Properties of Glass to graduate students in Chemistry, Art and Physics at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is a member of the American Scientific Glassblowers Society (ASGS) and the director of the Northeast section. Her ASGS experience includes participating in seminars on such subjects like vacuum technology, quartz technology, and glass sealing. She has instructed a neon class with David Wilson, presented a paper on her work with the discovery of the gravitational wave, and co-chaired symposiums.  In 2025, Prasch will exhibit her work in Glass Lifeforms at the Pittsburgh Glass Center, opening February 7 and running through April 20. Her work will also be on view in Glasstastic at the Brattleboro Art Museum, Brattleboro, VT, March 22 through November 1. The artist will teach at the Pittsburgh Glass Center, Pittsburgh, PA, from July 28 – August 1. After curating the annual glass exhibit at Leverett Crafts and Arts in Leverett, MA for the month of November, Prasch will have a one-week fall residency with George Kennard at SCC, as well as a residency at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In 2026, the Herter main gallery at UMass Amherst will host a solo exhibit of Prasch's work from January 29 through May 8. The opening will take place Friday, April 24, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m. with an artist talk from 6 to 6:30 p.m. Her work will also be on display at the Science Library and at the Durfee Conservatory at UMass during the show.  As Prasch develops new work, including pieces for Laura Donefer's 2026 Glass Fashion Show to be held at GAS, she continues to teach and fabricate scientific glassware at UMass. She says: “I have taught on average 25 students a month for my entire career, only taking a break during the pandemic. Obviously, teaching is a part of me, and I gain so much. It is not about teaching, not about glass, not about notoriety, not about pay – it is about the energy between people. It is about trust.”  UPCOMING EVENT LINKS Spring and Fall semester classes and weekend workshops at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst https://www.umass.edu/natural-sciences/research/scientific-glassblowing-laboratory February 7 – April 20, 2025 – Glass Lifeforms Exhibit, Pittsburgh Glass Center https://www.pittsburghglasscenter.org/event/exhibition-lifeforms/ March 22 – November 1, 2025 – Glasstastic, Brattleboro Art Museum, Brattleboro VT https://www.brattleboromuseum.org/2024/09/06/glasstastic-2025/ March 21 – 23, 2025 – International Flameworking Conference, Salem Community College, Carneys Point, NJ https://www.salemcc.edu/glass/international-flameworking-conference April 5, 2025 – Northeast American Scientific Glassblowers Section Meeting, Cornell University https://northeast.asgs-glass.org/ May 14 – 17, 2025 –Glass Art Society Conference https://www.glassart.org/conference/texas-2025/ July 28 – August 1, 2025 – Teaching at the Pittsburgh Glass Center, Pittsburgh PA https://canvas.pittsburghglasscenter.org/classes/1632 Fall, 2025 – one week residency with George Kennard at Salem Community College, Carneys Point, NJ https://www.salemcc.edu/glass Fall, 2025 – one week residency at the University of Massachusetts https://www.umass.edu/natural-sciences/research/scientific-glassblowing-laboratory January 29 – May 8, 2026 – Exhibit at the Herter Gallery, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Opening April 24, 5 – 7 p.m. with artist talk 6:00 – 6:30pm https://www.umass.edu/herterartgallery/herter-art-gallery January 29 – May 8, 2026 Exhibit at the Science and Engineering Library and the Durfee Conservatory https://www.library.umass.edu/sel/ https://www.umass.edu/natural-sciences/research/greenhouses/durfee-conservatory  

FINDING YOUR Business TRIBE It's a lonely world sometimes as an entrepreneur.  Especially when you're in your sixties and starting over from ground zero.  If your business is recovering financially from the Pandemic - career changes, losses it can be painful. Finding your business tribe is important to help you get that help and support to get you to your success. I believe in the process of QUANTUM LEAPS and using that to FIND YOUR BUSINESS TRIBE. Here's a step in that direction. Alignable:  with Paul Finkelstein.. He is a community oriented guru who has four different ways to meet the good folks who want to help you and YOUR business:  here's the scoop:  About Us

Town Hall Seattle and Gage Academy of Art present Preston Singletary: Honoring Stories Through Glass-Blowing. The art of Preston Singletary has become synonymous with the relationship between European glass-blowing traditions and Northwest Native art. His artworks feature themes of transformation, animal spirits, and shamanism through elegant blown glass forms and mystical sand-carved Tlingit designs. Singletary learned the art of glass blowing by working with artists in the Seattle area including Benjamin Moore and Dante Marioni. As a student and assistant, he initially focused on mastering the techniques of the European tradition. In 1993 he traveled to Sweden and was immersed in the Scandinavian design community where he met his future wife Åsa and lived there for 6 months. Throughout his over thirty years of glass-blowing experience, he has also had opportunities to learn the secrets of the Venetian glass masters by working with Italian legends Lino Tagliapietra, Cecco Ongaro, and Pino Signoretto. In 2010, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Puget Sound. Now recognized internationally, Singletary's artworks are included in museum collections such as The British Museum (London, UK), The Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA), The Seattle Art Museum (Seattle WA), the Corning Museum of Glass (Corning, NY), the Mint Museum of Art and Design (Charlotte, NC), the Heard Museum (Phoenix, AZ), and the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC). Preston Singletary maintains an active schedule by teaching, lecturing, and exhibiting internationally. In 2009, the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA, launched a major mid-career survey of his work, entitled “Preston Singletary: Echoes, Fire, and Shadows”. In 2018 he launched a new traveling exhibition with the Museum of Glass, titled “Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight”, which pushes the boundaries of glass as a medium for storytelling. His latest work is a large Killer Whale Totem created entirely in lead crystal and standing at nearly eight feet tall.

Why do we have a Fear of Public Speaking? I have a fear of singing in public because when I was 5 years of age, my mom took me to a beauty school and shorn my hair into a pixie.Then she took me down the hall to play a piano and sing twinkle twinkle little star. I was mortified.  This video is the introduction and first lesson to my online mini course Fear of Public Speaking: Kick those Thoughts to the Curb.  Listen to the video.  It's funny.   And my virtual courses are fun!  https://minicourses.mykajabi.com/offers/SY7bdnxQ/checkout  I have no fear of speaking in public. The main reason I have no fear is because I have had proper training. I practice speaking constantly and look for opportunities to be in front of groups. I bet everyone of you have had a bad speaking experience.  These situations impact our THOUGHTS and feelings.   Then our imagination creates images of FAILING in our presentations, speeches and networking. We become nervous, flustered, embarressed when we are unprepared to speak.  Many of us have these feelings in all public speaking situations. Think about this: if you don't conquer your fear of speaking or networking or acing the interview, you could be missing a lot of life's opportunities.. How is that you ask ? If we don't learn the art of speaking, simply using the right words, phrases and eye contact we don't make a good first impression. Click on this Minicourse to see a unique class. It's a GIFT https://minicourses.mykajabi.com/offers/SY7bdnxQ/checkout   Kundalini Yoga "Conquer self animosity"  https://youtu.be/99M6lhJvCJY www.madeinmeditation.org   Wine www.Glenellyestate.com The GLASS COLLECTION wine series: Inspired by May de Lencquesaing's beloved collection of glass art, this range showcases the unique terroir and grape cultivars planted on the estate. UNOAKED CHARDONNAY SYRAH MERLOT CABERNET SAUVIGNON CABERNET FRANC LE ROSE DE MAY May de Lencquesaing's spectacular glass collection housed in the winery is one of the largest privately-owned collections in the world. The exhibits range from the 1st and 2nd Century to modern classics, including pieces by Salvador Dali and Lino Tagliapietra. My Favorite Things Masterclass to create your online course https://imonline.samcart.com/referral/24cclive/mP9iBKaKULc8ktmx www.dolphinlandings.com GIFT CERTIFICATES  https://www.sootheoursouls.org. Kerry KOPASEK virtual meditation class that includes a fun art projects. www.madeinmeditation.org www.chezvalerie.us vahail1956@gmail.com @valeriehail56

Studio artist and instructor Jean Cheely has been working with fused glass techniques since 2001. She uses many approaches to transform “super cooled” liquid into art pieces. Jean is an award-winning artist who exhibits in juried glass competitions in the U.S and abroad. She has pursued her passion by studying under nationally known artists at numerous glass studios, including:  The Corning Museum of Glass Studio, Arrowmont School of Arts, Pittsburgh Glass and The Chrysler Museum Glass Studio. Currently she is an instructor at the NCSU Craft Center.Jean's work can be found on her website and  Cary Gallery of Artists, Cary, and the Tacoma Museum of Glass Museum Store,  Tacoma, WA.Website:  www.jeancheely.comJean's artist recommendations:    Lino Tagliapietra  - www.linotagliapietra.com    Mary Ann Scherr - gregg.arts.ncsu.edu/exhibitions/all-is-possible/    Louis Comfort Tiffany - www.tiffany.com     Support the show

Art collector and entrepreneur Merrily Orsini moved to Asheville so she could be within walking distance of her four grandchildren. The fact that she and her husband have a glass art collection of over 200 pieces has necessitated some well-thought out house designing and strict enforcement of the “don't touch the art!” rule (although, she sometimes breaks this rule herself). In today's episode, Merrily shares the story of the artwork that brought her and her husband together, some of her favorite glass artists, how the glass art industry has changed during this century, and how she hopes to change the world for the better through her Art2025 project. If you're interested in becoming a glass art collector, Merrily also has some valuable advice for getting started! Key Points From This Episode:Merrily explains what drew her to Asheville.The value that glass art brings to Merrily's life.What the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass is, and the role that Merrily has played in the organization over many years.How art brought Merrily and her husband together.The size of Merrily and her husband's art collection.Advice for anyone interested in becoming an art collector.Different types of glass art that exist.Some of Merrily's favorite glass artists.Where Merrily's love of glass art began.Merrily's involvement with the James Renwick Alliance.How the glass art world is changing and the intention behind the Art2025 project.The piece of glass art that Merrily would love to acquire (and why she can't).Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:Merrily Orsini Website — https://merrilyorsini.com/ Merrily Orsini on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/merrilyorsini/ Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass — https://contempglass.org/ Blue Spiral 1 — https://bluespiral1.com/ Blown Away — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9908860/ Karen Lamont — https://www.karenlamonte.com/ Baldwin Guggisberg — https://www.baldwinguggisberg.com/ Lino Tagliapietra — https://linotagliapietra.com/ James Renwick Alliance — https://www.jra.org/ Penland School of Craft — https://penland.org/ Hoss Haley — https://www.hosshaley.com/ Artsville Podcast — https://artsville.captivate.fm/Scott “Sourdough” Power — https://www.notarealartist.com/Louise Glickman — https://www.louiseglickman.com/Daryl Slaton — http://www.tailsofwhimsy.com/Crewest Studio —

Creator. Healer. Traveler. Dutch-born artist, Peter Bremers, is renowned for his glass sculptures inspired by nature's most extreme landscapes and the transformational journeys he has taken around the world. Deeply touched by the majesty of nature, Bremers conveys his awe and gratitude through his sculpture while using his travels as an inexhaustible source of inspiration.  Having begun his career working with a wide range of materials including glass, plastic, steel and stone, over time Bremers found glass to be the best way of realizing his artistic visions. Understanding the captivating power of transparency and light, he has successfully broken boundaries with scale and form throughout his 40-year career leading to his international reputation. The artist's use of reductive forms awakens his viewers' sensitivity to space and perception in graceful, nonverbal poems about light, color, and form.  Bremers states: “I have a deep love for glass as it is the only material that allows you to experience four dimensions. You can see the front and the back of a sculpture at the same time, as well as the matter and space in-between.” Born in 1957 in Maastricht, Netherlands, Bremers attended the University of Fine Arts (Sculpture Department) in his hometown. His introduction to glass came by serendipity after he was well-established as a light-sculptor, when he wandered into a glassblowing workshop and was enthralled by the molten, luminous material. He then studied glass at the Jan van Eyck Akademie, Post Academic Institute for Art & Design, also in Maastricht. He attended workshops at The Oude Horn in Leerdam and became an assistant to Bernard Heesen. In 1989, he participated in a workshop with Lino Tagliapietra, who executed two of Bremers' designs that were subsequently purchased by the Municipal Museum of The City of The Hague. That same year, he went to work with Neil Wilkin in England, where he produced objects using the graal technique. Bremers has taught and exhibited around the world, from Europe to Australia, Africa, China, and North America. His art is included in numerous collections including the National Glass Museum (Leerdam, Netherlands); the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Indiana, the Kunstgewerbe Museum (Berlin, Germany); the Palm Springs Art Museum (California); and the Ringling School of Art and Design, Basch Gallery, (Sarasota, Florida). He has had solo and group exhibitions in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland, the United States, Australia, Israel, Italy, Canada, Dubai, the Czech Republic, China, and Taiwan. Among other public commissions, he has done installations on the Queen Mary II and at the “Murano” Glass Hotel in Tacoma, Washington.   Through January 16, 2022, Imagine Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida, presents Transformation and Transcendence, a solo exhibition including two distinct bodies of Bremers' sculpture – Perception and 7 Bodies. The Perception series of nine sculptures, identical in form, have been created using different colors and materials. Their level of reflectiveness, from transparent to mirroring, change the periphery of our vision and thus the perception of how we are interpreting each form and its impact. The 7 Bodies series represents seven fundamental elements that embody our human existence through repetitive, sculptural forms. The pieces in the series are entitled: Physical, Mental, Emotional, Vibrational, Spiritual, Creative and Ethereal. Bremers approaches each of these bodies with the intention of exemplifying through the exterior and interior forms, the human potential that exists within us all. “Capturing the beauty of life, Bremers' work transports the viewer into the worlds he has created. From the spiritual to the transcendent, his creations leave you with a sense of positivity and hope as we all search for meaning and appreciation of our planet.” – Imagine Museum In this special AMA (Ask Me Anything) episode and Patreon reward, long-time ToYG supporter Anthony Cowan interviews Bremers. Cowan, who lives in Florida, is immersed in energy healing, glass art and poetry. He has written a feature article on Bremers that will publish in Glass magazine on December 1, 2021. If you're interested in becoming a Patreon sponsor and co-producer of ToYG podcast, please visit www.patreon.com/TalkingOutYourGlass  

In this episode, Luca meets Lino Tagliapietra, one of Murano's greatest glassblowers. Their conversation takes us to learn about Lino's long career, the importance of relationships in the design sector, and the future of a discipline as ancient as glass art.

Karsten Oaks: Dynamic Symmetry Using optical crystal, Karsten Oaks cold works sculpture that bends light and color via its unique forms. Often a discernible object appears from a momentary perspective creating a vision that allows the viewer to connect on a more personal level with the piece. This mystery inspires a deeply personal relationship between viewer and object and sets Oaks’ work apart from that of his coldworking contemporaries.  He says: “When working on the design within the piece I’m using elements of dynamic symmetry such as spirals and ratios. Using different shapes in the sculpture while staying consistent with the proportions I can create a sense of harmony within what would otherwise be a disorganized form. Even after all of the major reductive cuts have been made, I leave some of the design to be laid out when the rest of the piece is almost complete. I feel that this mild sense of chaos through the work’s creation gives each piece its personality and character when it is finished.” Born and raised in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Oaks took an interest in the arts at an early age. He started playing music when he was 10 years old and went on to play a variety of instruments. As the son of a trained chef, Oaks grew up learning an appreciation of working with his hands in a creative way and enjoys cooking to this day. When he was 16, a friend introduced Oaks to glassblowing as a medium, and he traveled to Tennessee to take his first classes. This sparked the beginning of Oaks’ love of glass as a means to express his artistic vision. Now one of the most respected and trusted cold workers in the glass sculpture world, Oaks received his BFA at The Appalachian Center for Craft at Tennessee Technical University under the mentorship of Curtiss Brock. There Oaks realized that the necessity of working quickly with glassblowing or hot sculpting did not give him the creative time needed to fully think through his sculptures. After graduating, the artist relocated to Seattle, surrounding himself with leading artists in the field of glass. His first cold working client was Martin Blank, who convinced Oaks that he should open a cold working studio to offer his services to other artists while continuing to formalize what would eventually be his own body of work. Oaks was cold working for a list of respected artists when he met Lino Tagliapietra and was selected as the only artist to cold work and finish the maestro’s sculptures made in the US. This steady supply of work allowed Oaks to finally open his own studio, and as time permitted, develop his own artistic vision. In September 2014, Bender Gallery, Asheville, North Carolina, began to represent his work at the gallery as well as SOFA Expo Chicago, Art Palm Beach and Wheaton GlassWeekend with great response.

Pushing the boundaries beyond form and function, Janusz Pozniak’s blown glass abstractly reflects his personal experiences while distilling human emotion. Works in decorative, functional, figurative or abstract glass reflect the highest level of hot glass expertise. Whether colorful or achromatic, a Pozniak sculpture is always delicate, detailed and striking. In 1986, Pozniak earned his BA in 3D Design from West Surrey College of Art and Design in the UK. He subsequently went to work for Christopher Williams and Annette Meech at The Glasshouse in Covent Garden, London. Driven by his passion for pursuing a creative career, the artist moved to the US in 1991 to work alongside Dale Chihuly. This opportunity allowed him to expand his knowledge, talent, and substantial glassblowing skill.  Throughout his career, Pozniak has worked with the most prominent glass artists in the world including Lino Tagliapietra, Sonja Blomdahl, Josiah McElheny, Dick Marquis, Benjamin Moore and Preston Singletary. He’s been working alongside Dante Marioni since 1992. In addition, Pozniak has travelled all over the globe to teach and mentor others, providing students with the skills, inspiration and encouragement to fulfill their own artistic visions.  After more than 30 years as an artist, Pozniak is still discovering new ways of experimenting and evolving his work to elevate and communicate the unique beauty of glass as an artistic medium. In 2019, he became one of 10 highly skilled glassmakers from North America to appear in the Netflix competition series, Blown Away. On the show, glassblowers had a limited time to fabricate beautiful works of art that were assessed by a panel of expert judges. One artist was eliminated in each 30-minute episode until a winner was announced in the 10th and final episode. Pozniak, an instant show favorite for anyone who knows glassblowing, quickly grew in popularity amongst neophytes, the result of his impressive command of glass and on-screen magnetism.  Riding the wave of fame which resulted from his appearance on the show, Pozniak and wife Michelle funded a successful Kickstarter campaign to launch [Hohm-meyd], a home goods company that utilizes a network of local makers to produce functional wares they design.  Says Pozniak: “Driven by our core values of community, sustainability, and ethics, each product will be made with care and integrity. Simultaneously we hope to train and mentor local artisans. Between the two of us, we have 50 years of making and selling work as artists. We also know that purchasing a piece of fine art is too expensive for many people. Given our combined experience, our community of other artisans and craftspeople and our growing family, there is no time like the present for us to pursue this shared dream.”  

Michelle Plucinsky is the epitome of a human passionate about evolving. Together with her husband Chris Nordin, Michelle runs Furnace Design Studio, a place where glassblowers create their incredible art and where individuals learn the art of glassblowing. Michelle became fascinated with art early on, stemming road trips as a kid when her mom dropped craft kits into hers and her siblings' laps to keep them busy. Her love of manipulating these little craft projects turned into a fascination with glass. One of Michelle's first jobs was at the Henry Ford Museum in the glass shop that turned into a role demonstrating glass blowing for tourists at age 20. There Michelle combined both her burgeoning love of art and history. She attended a seminar at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and studied under Italian master artist Lino Tagliapietra who, along with other teacher artists, opened Michelle up to a new world of techniques and where she discovered the "art" in glassblowing. Then she followed one of the teachers from Haystack to Alfred University where she found her advanced abilities helped her push her art even further. Our conversation traces the lines in her evolution as both an artist and as a business person bent on ensuring she and her husband were able to sustain their art and raise their family. Some misfortune in the economy created a need for the couple to understand the business they were in and make some smart decisions. Michelle developed into a marketer, an accountant and a salesperson seemingly all at once in order to help the Studio grow. Today, both the Glass Academy and Chris Nordin Studios are on solid ground. And Michelle is discovering some other parts of herself that had been hidden. The conversation with Michelle is a testament to how a person can pivot in their career but not lose their essence along the way. You can find Michelle at MichellePlucinsky.com and on social media @michelleplucinsky. Hope you enjoy my conversation with Michelle.

David Patchen: Satisfying the Artist and Craftsman Within Like a beautiful sea creature, David Patchen’s sculpture makes one marvel at how such detail, color, and complexity could be possible within its graceful form. Influenced by textiles, ethnically distinct colors and shapes, and the marine environment, the artist creates multi-layered cane and murrine, then contrasts complimentary tertiary tones in complex woven patterns. The resulting work reflects the artist’s desire to explore a variety of ideas simultaneously and challenges the role of glass in the art world at large. Patchen says: “I find glass as seductive as it is challenging. As a particularly unforgiving medium, an artist has endless creative opportunities to design for its unique properties — the only limitations are their imagination and skill in working with the material. I’ve always been captivated by how one can use this enigmatic material to achieve virtually any form, hold elements in suspension, and achieve great detail or soft abstraction. Its flexibility as a medium is matched by the difficulty it presents in using it to execute precise work.” Patchen’s process begins with meticulously planning and designing colors and patterns. After cane and murrine is pulled, the artist carefully composes these elements to design the final work, sometimes days prior to blowing it. This process of thoughtful creativity contrasts with the immediacy of executing work in the hotshop, where the limited window to shape molten glass demands precision and urgency.  Primarily self-taught, Patchen grew his skills through experimentation informed by observing talented local artists and a few visits with Afro Celotto, maestro and former assistant to Lino Tagliapietra from Murano, Italy. He has served as guest artist at the Corning Museum of Glass, studied at the Pilchuck Glass School, and in 2010 was selected as Artist in Residence in Seto City, Japan, spending a month lecturing and demonstrating his work through an award from the Seto City Art and Cultural Foundation. His book David Patchen, Glass is in the permanent collection of the Rakow Library at the Corning Museum of Glass and the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Centro Studi del Vetro (Glass Study Center Library) in Venice, Italy. Actively involved in the glass arts community, Patchen serves as Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors at Public Glass, San Francisco’s center for glass art, where he maintains a private studio. He is also a member of the Pilchuck Leadership Council and former member of the Board of Directors of the Glass Alliance of Northern California (GLANC).  Patchen recently installed his latest sculpture, Dewdrops, on a ship off the coast of Germany. Other notable projects include collaborations with James Deveraux, Rob Stern, and earlier with Toland Sand and Mark Leputa. From January 16 – 18, 2020, the artist will present a Visiting Artist demo and show at Benzaiten Center for the Arts, Lake Worth, Florida. From May 16 – 17, Kittrell Riffkind Art Glass, Dallas, Texas, will host Patchen’s solo show and demo.     

“Today I opened the window to let the spring come in, and I discovered to my surprise that the forest is in my house and the landscape is within me.” Miriam Di Fiore’s journey through life and glass reads much like Laura Esquivel’s popular 1989 novel, Like Water for Chocolate. With a similar magical realism, the kiln worker discovered both her artistic medium and voice beginning in the small seaside town where she grew up in Argentina. Though it was a forbidden love, a lifelong relationship with fused glass triumphed in the face of political adversity and family objection. As a child Di Fiore lived in Miramar, a little city near the Atlantic Ocean protected from wind and sand by a vast pine forest. Because important moments of childhood passed among those trees, the forest continues to contain deep and symbolic meaning inspiring the drawing, painting, and photography vital to the artist’s work. “What I try to do with my art is not an interpretation of the woods, but rather a simple respectful translation in glass of a little part of our wonderful world where I have been in the company of trees. I want to speak about that place and how I felt there. In that way I can share at least a part of the magic and beautiful moments that made me feel happy to be alive. My works are an illusion of eternity, virtual places that try to preserve what’s constantly changing and what my eyes see in fragments of time.” Di Fiore received her art degree in ceramics and drawing in 1977 from the Escuela Nacional de Ceramica y Dibujo, Mar del Plata, Argentina. In 1991, she studied pate de verre with Linda Ethier at Creative Glass, Zurich, Switzerland, which inspired and informed a new direction in Di Fiore’s fused glass. Additional training took place in 1994 at Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington, from instructors Lino Tagliapietra and Rudy Gritsch. Her professional experience includes working as Narcissus Quagliata’s teaching assistant at the Museum of the Royal School of Glass, Segovia, Spain, and for his Florence, Italy, seminars in the 1990s. Represented by Habatat Gallery, Mostly Glass Gallery, and SOFA throughout the 2000s, Di Fiore’s work can be found in the permanent museum collections of the Corning Museum of Glass (CMOG), Corning, New York; the Newark Fine Art Museum, Newark, New Jersey; Cafsejian Museum of Contemporary Art, Armenia; Museo Nazional del Vidrio, Segovia, Spain; in the Coleccion Estable de la Revista del Vidrio, Barcelona, Spain; in the Museo delle Arti Decorative, Castello Sforzesco, Milan, Italy and in the Municipal Glass Art Museum of Alcorcon, Madrid, Spain.  

In a world of technological excess and social turmoil, one longs to return to the simple goodness of the earth and its bounty. Like a trip to the local farmer’s market, Jen Violette’s cornucopia of glass fruits and vegetables renews in the viewer a connection with the ground we walk upon and the faith that we remain part of a plan that makes life on earth sustainable.   A full-time glass and mixed media artist based in Wilmington, Vermont, Violette is known for her colorful, garden inspired glass sculptures that often incorporate metal and wood. Recreating plant structures with molten glass, the artist has mastered the use of glass powders to mimic the colors and textures found in nature. “Since the growing season is relatively short in Vermont, I enjoy gardening with molten glass to extend my growing season.”   A 27-year hot glass veteran, Violette received her BFA in Glass and Metal Sculpture from Alfred University School of Art & Design, Alfred, New York in 1994. She continued her glass art education through courses at The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass (CMOG), Corning, New York; the Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington; the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island; the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine; and Penland School of Crafts, Bakersville, North Carolina. Her mentors and inspirations include hot glass royalty such as Lino Tagliapietra, William Morris, Martin Janecky, Dante Marioni, Richard Marquis, the late Pino Signoretto, Randy Walker, Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen, Jasen Johnsen, Stephen Dee Edwards, Fred Tschida, Walter Lieberman, and Brian Pike.   Violette’s work can be found in private collections worldwide and is represented by a number of fine art glass galleries including Schantz Galleries Contemporary Art in Stockbridge, Massachusetts; Vetri Gallery in Seattle, Washington; Raven Gallery in Aspen, Colorado; Sandra Ainsley Gallery in Toronto, Canada; and Montague Gallery in San Francisco, California. Her work can also be found at Duncan McClellan Gallery in St. Petersburg, Florida, where from October 12–14, 2018, the artist will be featured along with glass artist Claire Kelly in a weekend event including glass demos by both artists.   Currently fabricating larger scale installations and glass sculpturesdirectly mounted to the wall, Violette’s aesthetic now includes forest floor imagery with fall leaves and branches. She moves in and out of the seasons, simultaneously creating a spring inspired installation containing fiddlehead ferns and glass trilliums, as well as an homage to summer with black-eyed Susans and sunflowers, and a wall piece featuring large-scale ferns installed at different angles.   Upon her return from the Glass Art Society conference in Murano, Italy, in May2018, Violette will participate in a Vermont Crafts Council Studio Tour held during Memorial Day weekend. During August 6–11 the artist will teach her first class ever, a Creative Glass Sculpting Techniques workshop, at the CMOG Studio.    

Sculptor Nancy graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art in 1996 and now lives in Seattle. In addition to making her own work in blown glass, she was for many years a key member of Italian maestro Lino Tagliapietra’s glassblowing team. She also collaborates with New York City lighting designer Lindsey Adelman. Nancy’s own work is in the permanent collections of the Corning Museum of Glass, the Shanghai Museum of Art, and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA. As a woman working in the traditionally male-dominated field of glassblowing she says, "I had to work twice as hard as the boys did."

  Lino Tagliapietra’s visit to Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington, in the late 1970s was a game-changer. His willingness to share glassblowing techniques regarded as Muranese secrets with American artists hungry for knowledge was one of the most important seeds of the Studio Glass movement’s growth. For Tagliapietra, the Americans planted a seed also, one that would encourage him to leave his career working in Italian glass factories and transform himself into an independent glassblower and artist. Since 1990, the Maestro has created some of the world’s most recognizable blown glass, represented by prestigious museums including the De Young Museum, San Francisco, California; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK; the Metropolitan Museum, New York, New York, as well as by numerous galleries and private collections. Tagliapietra’s awards and honors are innumerable and include his 2006 Distinguished Educator Award presented by the James Renwick Alliance of Washington D.C. In 2011, the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere e Arti in Venice held an exhibition Lino Tagliapietra from Murano to Studio Glass, and in 2015 bestowed upon him the coveted Career Award. Tagliapietra holds two honorary degrees and the title PhD of Fine Arts from Ohio State University. In 2012 the Maestro was chosen for the renowned Phoenix Award. In 2014 he was presented with the Visionary Award at Art Palm Beach, Florida, followed by the Best Glass Work Award, Masterpiece exhibition, London, UK. Tagliapietra is widely revered as the Maestro of glassblowing, an inspiring teacher, and the elder statesman linking the glass centers of Venice, Italy, and the Pacific Northwest. Vessels, installations, panels, and Avventurina comprise his current body of work. His 2017 exhibition schedule includes Sandra Ainsley Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, from May 13 through August 6; and Lino Tagliapietra, Master of a Glass Renaissance, Morris Museum, Morristown, now through June 18. The New Jersey exhibition will showcase approximately 30 Tagliapietra masterpieces in collaboration with Schantz Galleries.