International Glass + Clay: Collective Imagination Pt 3

Opening March 1, 2013, Washington, DC will host an international exhibit of glass and clay artwork – the third collaborative exhibition organized by Artomatic and the DCCAH between Washington, DC artists and artists from our Sister City of Sunderland, England. With all the amazing glass and ceramic artwork being showcased, Washington Glass School will publish online a five part series of profiles on the artists behind the works. US & UK Artists in the International Glass + Clay 2013 Exhibition in Washington, DC.

Part 3 of 5

                                                                                                 

Margaret Boozer / Clay / US

Margaret Boozer lives and works in the Washington, DC metro area. She received a BFA in sculpture from Auburn University and an MFA in ceramics from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Her work is included in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Museum of the City of New York, The US Department of State, The Wilson Building Public Art collection and in many private collections. Boozer taught for ten years at the Corcoran College of Art and Design before founding Red Dirt Studio in Mt. Rainier, MD where she directs a ceramics and sculpture seminar. Recent projects include a commissioned installation at the US Embassy in Djibouti and writing a chapter for  U. S. Geologic Survey’s Soil and Culture. Recent exhibitions include Swept Away: Dust, Ashes and Dirt at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.
                                                                                                

David D’Orio / Glass / US


David D’Orio has a BFA in sculpture from the University of Hartford and has worked in glass for over 15 years. His artwork features mixed media, glass and steel. Dave is Director of DC GlassWorks, one of the DC area’s premier public access hot glass shop, located in Hyattsville, MD. His work has been shown at Artomatic in Crystal City, the Marlboro Gallery of Prince George’s Community College and last year was part of the Arlington Arts Center Solos. At this past Artomatic Art Fair, the James Renwick Alliance gave Dave’s installation sculpture its ‘Award of Recognition’. David was awarded second place in the 2012 Trawick Art Prize.
                                                                                                

Robyn Townsend / Glass / UK


Robyn Townsend‘s work is focused in areas of psychology, biology and philosophy, but the key theme of her work is the human condition.  Working in glass as well as casting with industrial materials to create a unique aesthetic and lifelike atmosphere, Robyn shows people for their similarities rather than their differences, their universally qualities that are consistent regardless of race, culture, gender or political background. Robyn says of her work: “I am using intimate and recognizable body parts that give no hint of identity, to highlight the anonymity of people as well as reflect how our actions, often guided by our internal thoughts and fears, allow us to form our own human nature and create ourselves.
                                                                                                

Cate Watkinson / Glass / UK

Cate Watkinson of Watkinson Glass Associates has over 20 years experience as an architectural glass artist, designing and fabricating architectural glass to commission for a wide variety of applications. During this period she has been instrumental in developing the potential of glass in the public realm. Her projects range from decorative glass panels for public and private buildings to street furniture and sculptural public art pieces. She has also exhibited her works in galleries in the UK and across Europe. Through commissioned works Cate has built up a wide range of innovative techniques and has gained significant knowledge and experience working with glass on a large scale in the public realm, not only in aesthetic terms but also in design of structure and durability of materials used. Since 2006 she has held the post of Subject Leader and Senior Lecturer in Architectural Glass at the University of Sunderland in the UK.
                                                                                               

Michael Janis / Glass / US

Michael Janis developed a focus on kiln-glass after working for twenty years as an architect in the United States and Australia. Now Co-director of the Washington Glass School, Michael has taught at the Penland School of Crafts, California’s Bay Area Glass Institute, and The Glass Furnace (Istanbul, Turkey). His work has been shown at major galleries and art fairs and is included in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 2011, Michael mounted a solo exhibition at the Fuller Craft Museum (Massachusetts). His work was featured in Corning Museum of Glass publication ‘New Glass Review’, and he was named a “Rising Star” by the Creative Glass Center of America. In 2012, awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, Michael went to the UK’s University of Sunderland and National Glass Centre. He was an Artist-in-Residence at the Institute for International Glass Research (IIRG). American Craft Magazine will have an 8-page profile of Michael and his work in the 2013 April/May issue.
                                                                                           

Criss Chaney / Glass / UK

Criss Chaney is an internationally recognized glass artist, who has exhibited extensively in the UK, Europe, and the United States. Including a solo exhibition at the Museum Humanum in Austria. For years she has been developing techniques for combining glass and metals, exploiting methods for working with both materials. Her pieces make people question their views on glass and push the boundaries between glass and other media. She now makes her work at Creative Cohesion in Sunderland, where she has recently completed a large public art commission. Criss’ work is about the human experience, spirituality and the subconscious.
                                                                                                 

Click Here to jump to US / UK Artist Profile Part 1
Click Here to jump to US / UK Artist Profile Part 2
                                                                                                

There will be a “Day of Demos” by a number of the visiting UK artists – Saturday, March 2, 2013.

Criss Chaney “Vessel”

11:00 AM at the Washington Glass School, UK-based glass artists Criss Chaney and Robyn Townsend will demonstrate using metal wire and sheet inclusions into cast glass, and painting a layer of metal powders onto the inside mould surface. They will also demonstrate cold techniques for applying metals to a finished piece of glass, and options for patination using common household chemicals. Click HERE to reserve a space at this free demo.

2:00 PM at DC GlassWorks, superstar UK hot glass artists Phil Vickery, Colin Rennie and Roger Tye will show how they work. Click HERE to reserve a space at the free demo.