Erwin Timmers at Duncan McClellan Studio in St Pete

Washington Glass School Co-Founder & Co-Director Erwin Timmers was at the Duncan McClellan Gallery for the start of the exhibit “Dreams & Visions; Artists of the Washington Glass School”. The spectacular show features works by Christina Helowicz, Michael Janis, Tony Porto, Teri Swinhart, Tim Tate and Erwin Timmers and runs thru March 15th, 2023.

Erwin Timmers is introduced to the audience by Duncan McClellan.

Erwin also taught a workshop for kiln casting glass – teaching the students how to effect bas relief imagery in float glass.

Acadamy Prep students learn all about cool glass art from visiting artist Erwin Timmers.

The fun filled weekend started with a gallery visit from 7th graders from Academy Prep. They received a tour in the museum-quality art filled gallery, followed by a glass demonstration and more.

Erwin Timmers’ kiln casting class at Duncan McClellan Glass Studio underway in St Pete.
The workshop was lots of fun for the students – many who never worked with glass before.
Learning how to get detailed bas relief imagery got the students excited about the possibilities!
Working inside the special kilns at Duncan McClellan’s glass studio was a treat for the students.

The results! Awesome!!

Tim Tate & Michael Janis Collaborate

The Collaboration…..

"All That Is Solid Melts Into Air" Michael Janis & Tim Tate; 2019, fused glass, cast glass, sgraffito imagery, steel; 6'-0" x 9'-0"

“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.

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.

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"

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).

Habatat Prime
Location: Roosevelt Collection @ 1023 S. Delano Court East, Chicago, IL 60605
Habatat will have transportation to and from the space that is 3 miles from the Pier.

Bas-Relief Cast Glass In Architectural Settings

Kiln cast glass by Patrick Truby / Trubydesign.

Kiln cast glass by Patrick Truby / Trubydesign.

Exhibit and graphic designer Patrick Truby checked in with a couple photos of an architectural project that he completed that featured the cast glass he made at the Washington Glass School. Said Patrick of his work “…Refinished this 1920’s door set on barn style sliders for a friend’s house renovation with inset piece of dimensional kiln formed glass produced during my time … at Washington Glass School”

trubydesign

Cast glass by Patrick Truby

Patrick used to be the senior designer for the National Geographic Museum, where he designed graphics, exhibition build elements and promotional materials for over 60 in-house and traveling exhibits, ranging from information kiosks to touring exhibitions.

Fleet-Explorer In 2012, Patrick created cast glass artwork for Lindblad-National Geographic’s expedition ship, the National Geographic Explorer. Below is a photo of one of the cast glass panels as it was installed in one of the ship’s lounge areas.

Bas-relief cast glass panel in the Explorer depicts a school of fish swimming around the sandblast text.

Bas-relief cast glass panel in the Explorer depicts a school of fish swimming around the sandblast text.

 

Glass Sheds Light On the New Year!


In honor of the regulations that phase out incandescent light bulbs starting in 2014, photographer Pete & Alison Duvall had a cast glass light fixture for their home in Silver Spring, MD. 
In 2007, President George W. Bush signed into law an energy bill that placed stringent efficiency requirements on ordinary incandescent bulbs in an attempt to have them completely eliminated by 2014. The law phased out 100-watt and 75-watt incandescent bulbs in 2013.

As artists that depend on light and its transmission, the photographers worked with artist Erwin Timmers to get every kind of light bulb they could referenced in their ceiling mounted glass artwork. 

Cast glass lightbulbs

 

Inspired by a commissioned ceiling mounted artwork that Michael Janis did in 2007 for a Washington, DC collector. The couple that commissioned the work had limited space in their apartment, and felt that the creating an artwork piece mounted on the that diffused light would be a crossover of art and function. In the earlier suspended artwork panel, faces look down from a textured surface. 
Pete Duvall noted that the light source for the new artwork piece is from energy efficient LED bulbs.

Original cast glass panel by Michael Janis – Photo by Pete Duvall.

Report From Penland School of Craft

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Penland School of Craft is a

center for craft education located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Spruce Pine, North Carolina.

Tim Tate along with Sean Hennessey and  Rob Kincheloe have just returned from teaching a class at North Carolina’s Penland School Of Craft for a fall session titled: 21st Century Reliquaries. Here are some comments and photos from the class.

The glass studio at Penland.

The guys said they hit the ground running on Monday working doing demonstrations on Rubber Mold Making, Wax Casting, Plaster/Silica Mold Making, Lost wax, Dry Plaster Casting, Painting Glass, Cutting Glass, Glass etching, Flameworking. 

Sean Hennessey outlines the process for Dry Plaster Casting to create bas-relief imagery.
Robert Kincheloe shows how wax components are used to create forms in the Lost Wax process.

The WGS team talked through ideas with students, help shape the directions of work, encouraged, excited, and admired all their interest and energy. 

Tim Tate outlines the process for creating personal reliquaries.
The class learned new techniques and worked at making artwork from the objects made.
Penland Boardmember Glen Hardymon shows off his new glass slippers made in the lost wax process.
Some surprises for the class – a special flamework demo by

Simone Crestani.

The class techniques taught included pretty much everything except glass blowing. But since the absolutely incredible glass artist Pablo Soto was teaching a glass blowing class in the next room, he had his class make domes for the reliquary class.

Pablo Soto’s hot glass class blew the glass for the domes.

After the techniques were taught, learned, and employed, the part of the class where artists pulled it all together was explored – making the reliquaries. Stories of regret were created, stories of anger, stories of triumph, religion, lamenting the death of bees, cheering the death of squirrels, issues of money, sexuality, and hope were all created. 

After the students created their works, a “Show & Tell” exhibit.

Yes, thats a real (taxidermied) squirrel with a glass hand grenade.
The class made and presented Tim with a special reliquary. The “F” inside refers to Tim’s prolific use of ‘f-bombs’ in his banter.

All in all a fantastic experiencefor all involved – we’d highly recommend taking a class there!

Sean Hennessey at GooDBuddY Gallery

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Sean Hennessey, “Pool of Tears” detail, kilncast glass, paint, integrated video. 24″x12″

For the last few months, sculptor Sean Hennessey been working on a series of pieces for a solo show – Reimagining Alice: A MixedMultimedia Series Based On Alice In Wonderland.

Sean Hennessey creates sculptures in glass and concrete that are narratives based on mythologies, religions, personal experiences and whimsy. By using imagery of common and slightly nostalgic items Hennessey tells narratives of hopes and dreams, and of memories and transformations. 

Sean Hennessey,  “Killing Time and Times Revenge” (detail and full image), glass, concrete, found objects, paint, wood, integrated video components

A graduate of the unique Berea College, Sean worked in professional theater for 10 years as a welder, carpenter, rigger, scenic artist, prop artist, and designer all the while creating his own artwork. Sean has been with the Washington Glass School since 2004 when Tim Tate finally convinced him that glass was cool.

Sean Hennessey reviews the cast glass panel fresh out of the kiln. After the annealed panel cools, Sean works the panel with concrete and paints.

Hennessey’s sculptures are kiln formed slump cast glass panels that he trowels and paints with concrete and stains. His works have a feeling of relics, of archeology, and of the study of the past.

Sean Hennessey “The Tweedles” (detail) kilncast glass, paint, EL panel lighting.
24″ x 12″

Said Hennessey of the new works being installed his solo show “I wanted to start with the fun, absurdist, creative stories of Lewis Carroll’s tale, using my own imagery, visual language and loose interpretations, riddled with a personal take on metaphors and combine that with materials I have been using and with materials that are very new to me. The desire to include video and lighting in my work was the original impetus for this project”. 

Sean Hennessey “Finding The Right Key” (detail) kilnfired glass, concrete, paint, EL panel lighting.

 “I equate the concrete with the realities of earth, and life, and the shell that we use to protect ourselves from exposing our soul to the world” Hennessey said his use of unusual medias not normally associated with fine art.I‘ve been combining glass, paint, steel, wood, concrete, found objects, stencils,  LED’s, electroluminescent lighting (EL) and video. All the fun stuff.”

Sean Hennessey, “Pool of Tears” (with image detail), kilncast glass, paint, steel, wood, integrated video component

The series was funded, in part, from a grant Hennessey received from the District of Columbia’s Commission on the Arts and Humanitiesand will be hosted by the architecture firm Weibenson and Dorman in the 410 Goodbuddy Gallery.

Hennessey is one of the artists involved in the renovation of the entry doors of the Library of Congress’ Adams Buildingby the Architect of the Capitol, now under production. One of the East Coast’s leading mold makers, Hennessey has been taking castings of the landmark’s historic bronze doors as part of the process in translating the relief sculptures into cast glass for the building entry.

Sean Hennessey, “Drink Me” (detail)

Sean Hennessey: Reimagining Alice

A MixedMultimedia Series Based On Alice In Wonderland
September 28th – October 26, 2012

Opening Reception Friday, September 28th, from 5-8 PM

410 GooDBuddY Gallery

410 Florida Avenue, NW, Washington, DC

410 GooDBuddY is an exhibition space can that can be used by a single artist to exhibit their works. It is within the FRINJ neighborhood of Washington, DC, and is partially provided by Wiebenson & Dorman Architects whose studio is located in the same building.