Many art fairs have been moved online due to the global pandemic. Now, as a way to provide access to the best of art glass – Glass Art Fair has been formed. This new online art fair provides a unique opportunity with virtual experience – where all are invited to learn and explore each artist featured and share on their personal social media. The future has “arrived so much sooner,” said the creator of Glass Art Fair, “If galleries and fairs are closed, how can we sell art? Creating an online art fair platform is something we envisioned as an important part of what we do.”
artist: Tim Tate. Image courtesy Habatat Galleries.
New for 2020, the Glass Art Fair online art fair features over 60 artists creating using glass as their art medium, opening online to the public on Sunday, November 1st, 2020. This art fair will be online the same time as the Sofa Chicago art fair (rebranded Intersect Art Fair).
artist: Michael Janis. Image courtesy Habatat Galleries.
Glass Art Fair hopes collectors on their laptops and iPads will take more time with the work than those darting through a Navy Pier or a Miami beachfront tent. “We have the ability to have multiple images and detail shots – When people are visiting the online platform, they aren’t walking through for 45 seconds. You’re going to have their attention for so much longer.”
This online presentation will continue for the month of November with more presentations as works become available. Each artist has the availability to edit and add artwork throughout the month so please check back in for updates often. The works on the site are available for purchase.
artist: Christina Bothwell. Image courtesy Habatat Galleries.
Peppermill Community Center public art by Washington Glass Studio and the Peppermill/Landover community.
Cassi Hayden, the Senior Visual Media Photographer for The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) was at Peppermill Village Community Center covering an event recently and found the artwork (made by Washington Glass Studio) in front to be exceptionally beautiful!
Detail of the internally illuminated glass panels made with the Peppermill community as part of the public artwork.
Cassi took some shots attached high-res files for your use. All photos in this posting by: M-NCPPC/Cassi Hayden
The artwork reflects well in the glass of the new center – and on the community that inspired the creation!
Click HERE to see the public art sculpture in the daytime and how the work came to be!
“All That Is Solid Melts Into Air” Michael Janis & Tim Tate; 2019, fused glass, cast glass, sgraffito imagery, steel; 6′-0″ x 9′-0″; Photo credit: Pete Duvall.
Michael Janis and Tim Tate have worked together as Co-Directors of the Washington Glass School and Studio for more than 15 years, working on their own individual work, teaching and creating a functioning arts studio in the nation’s capital.
Michael Janis creates imagery with crushed glass powder his signature “sgraffito” technique.
This summer, the two artists decided to build on that rich and storied history by collaborating on an impressive piece that would both combine and challenge their individual, and strongly, narrative work.
Tim Tate works on the glass panels for the collaborative artwork.
“All Things Solid Melt Into Air” is the title of their 6’ x 9’ wall installation, comprised of 54 separate kiln cast glass insets. To create this work, the artists made 42 separate bas-relief plaster molds, 12 sgraffito glass powder drawings, 12 lost wax glass castings and 4 months to produce this spectacular and monumental work.
Detail of “All That Is Solid Melts Into Air” Photo credit: Pete Duvall
Referencing mankind’s interaction with nature as the artwork main theme, Tim and Michael set about to produce an experience that people will want to engage with…on a tactile basis. One can explore each of the olive tinted glass tiles to feel sentiments and poetic visions of the artists, or step back and just enjoy the piece as one would enjoy a bird’s song. They are both immensely proud of this work, which will be shown at the Habatat Prime exhibit during SOFA Expo in Chicago, (October 31, 2019 – November 3, 2019).
Artist Tim Tate has been pulling traditional craft into new realms and depths. Tim shared his newest series “Witnesses of Wonders” and the work is incredible. In this series,Tim has been using elements that were 3-D printed at Catholic University’s modeling department combined with infinity mirrors to expand the sensation of unlimited space in the artwork.
From Tim’s artist statement about his series:
Tim Tate, “21st Century Guernica”; Glass, Cast Images, LED; 36″ x 36 x 4″. In this piece a ring of translucent refugee boats float in the center, all with no where to turn to. The center ring is shared with red poppies, the symbol for war remembrance in England. The outer edge is made up of individual images from the powerful Picasso painting entitled Guernica.
“I try to entice the viewer to look deeply into and completely experience my windows into alternative dimensions. My works create an optical and bodily illusion of infinity through apparently limitless space. There is an intimacy created by viewing deeply into a circular opening, as if peering through a portal to witness another endlessly repeating reality.
Tim Tate, 21st Century Guernica – detail . Said Tim about the imagery of the refugee boats, ” Refugees right now are trying to escape unspeakable atrocities and protect their families who are turned away at country after country. This is the shame of our decade. “
The constant repetition of imagery also speaks to us of timelines: ones that go endlessly into the future or extend endlessly into the past. These repetitions reference society mired into static social patterns, some good, some bad.
Tim Tate. “21st Century Guernica” detail. “Picasso made his painting in mostly tones of black white and gray “to drain the life out of them”. I drenched them in red and returned color to them because this horror is happening right now in this world….in fact this very second.” said Tim Tate.
We look inside these portals as if seeing into a dream, fully realizing that this is but an illusion. But even though we know it is a illusion that should not stop us from freely examining it, and hopefully seeing another world at the same time.
Tim Tate, “The Endless Cycle”; 36 x 36 x 4″; Glass, Aluminum, Poly-Vitro, electronics
Uncomfortable with any single defining time, I prefer sliding through the centuries; from 19th century Victorian techno-fetishism, to mid and late 20th century references to endless mirrors and studio glass to 21st century electronics and political focus. Perhaps all my work can be defined by how uncomfortable I am with definitions.” Tim Tate.
For more images of Tim Tate’s newest works – click HERE to have a look at his website
Tim Tate, “The Endless Cycle”. Said Tim about this work: “For every man shown here, 1000 people died last year because of gun violence. For every gun shown here, a child dies every day. A hard lesson we have to learn from Orlando…..only by joining together can we hope to curtail gun violence.”
Artist Leana Quade has video of her in Graduate school thesis project where she uses a ratchet strap to create tension, anxiety and stress (with nerves of steel) in finding how far a piece of tempered sheet glass bends before exploding. This thesis show video won 2nd place at the International Student Exhibition at the 2016 G.A.S. conference.
Internationally renowned artist and designer Vivian Beer won HGTV’s “Ellen’s Design Challenge Season 2”, and in August, Vivian will be coming to the Washington Glass School to help our students “push the envelope” in a very special one day class! Come have some wine, make some art and hang with one of television’s (and Penland’s!) most beloved designers!
Wine and Weld with Vivian Beer Instructor: Vivian Beer Aug. 7th
Learn how to weld your own wine rack with renowned designer/maker and winner of Ellen DeGeneres’ Design Challenge on HGTV,Vivian Beer. In this 3-hour afternoon at the Washington Glass School, we will be learning basic metal working skills such as MIG welding and texturing. You will be able to start and finish this wine rack project with no previous welding experience. And when we’re done, we’ll put our wine racks to the test with a wine tasting from a local winery! You’ll even get a wine glass of your very own design to take home with your wine rack! Bring some cool hors d’oeuvres to share with the gang and make it a party!
When : August 7th 2016 Two (2) times to pick from: 12:30 to 3:30pm or 4 to 7pm Tuition : $300
Television host Ellen DeGeneres presents the winner of “Ellen’s Design Challenge,” Vivian Beer. – Photo courtesy of HGTV
Requisites
Must be over 21 to participate and no welding experience is necessary.
This class has limited space, so if you wish to take it, please call to hold your space! 202-744-8222
Erwin Timmers instructs one of the lighting class students.
Erwin Timmer’s artistic lighting class these past few weeks brought some serious color to the studio – really brightening up the studio!
Over the three week class, students completed a number of lighting designs, ranging from pendant to wall sconces and table lamps. Great to see how each created functional art that reflected the tastes and aesthetics of each of the artists. This was certainly a class that put forth the effort in the design!
Vibha’s glass design was dazzling!
Students designed and made the glass as well as assembled the mounting hardware.
Louis Comfort Tiffany would have been jealous of the glass created for the light fixture.
Jerrelee loves her light fixture that relates to her artwork.
Design sketches of the two lobby areas were created.
Sample showing glass colorways.
Washington Glass Studio recently completed commissions for artwork in a refurbished downtown Bethesda building lobby. Working with art consultants,Directions in Art, Washington Glass Studio began creating artwork options for two levels of an office building that was undergoing a major renovation.
The proposed floor-to-ceiling glass artwork was designed to be fully backlit with LED panels, giving the artwork a strong visual punch. The artwork proposals were presented to the client, and the direction on colors was approved.
Crushed glass (frit) was used to make the large circles of glass color.
Working with the building architects, the design was modified to allow for a stainless steel surrounding frame. The framework would conceal the electrical transformers required for the LED wall. Timing and coordination issues for installation on two separate floors were addressed, as were wall structure concerns.
Artists Audrey Wilson and Erwin Timmers discuss the fabrication of the glass panels.
Layers of fused glass created the desired textures and colors.
Installation of the main lobby artwork.
The finished artwork. WGS Project team: Tim Tate, Erwin Timmers, Michael Janis, Audrey Wilson
Habatat Galleries was established in 1971 in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. It is the oldest and largest gallery in the United States devoted exclusively to artists working with glass as their medium. The 12,000 sq. ft. gallery in Royal Oak, MI, is the home of the International Glass Invitational, which for 42 years has introduced and exhibited the greatest artists working creatively with glass. This year, three artists from the Washington Glass School – Sean Hennessey, Michael Janis and Tim Tate are included in the exhibition.
Habatat Galleries – Michigan works with many museums and art centers where they have developed exhibits that have been displayed in over 100 public institutions. Each year Habatat publishes catalogs celebrating these both national and international events.
Habatat Gallery has the catalog for the 42 International Glass Invitational online – click on image to jump to online publication.
>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’Brienhas 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.
