> The Eco-Tables class- where the students create the tables using recycled materials (both reclaimed steel & glass) just completed – here are some photos from the class!
The class first creating the table-tops, working with salvaged and recycled float glass.
After fusing the recycled glass, the tops were coldworked and made smooth.
Erwin Timmers – DC’s leading “Green-artist” outlines what is required to make the metal work support. Some students are overwhelmed.
Erwin outlines step-by-step the procedures to cut, weld and grind smooth the steelwork.
Some of the students were stylin’ in the welding helmets and green welding jackets.
Teaching Assistant Laurie Brown supervises the metal working.
Soon, tables are marching out from the coldshop. The students – some who have never cut glass or welded before – are amazed at their artwork and celebrate their progress. “What’s next?” is on each student’s mind. The new class schedule is due out soon – Keep posted for the listing!
Safeway Bethesda site construction photo August 22, 2011
Earlier posts on the Washington Glass School Blog featured the design and fabrication of Safeway supermaket’s first public art project – located here in Bethesda and created by the Washington Glass Studio. Installation of the public artwork has begun. The cast glass panels were made from recycled glass taken from the original supermarket during the demolition phase, and the salvaged glass was cast in a bas-relief method to create translucent panels that referenced fresh herbs – perfect for a new LEED Certified building that would house the trendy Safeway supermarket.
Erwin Timmers installs the cast glass & steel panels.
Evan Morgan affixes the glass panels to the steel framework.
Interior view of the artwork – looking out towards Bradley Ave. Bethesda, MD.
The concept of the panels was to have the artwork allow openings to allow the interior and exterior blur – approx 25% of each building bay is open to allow air flow.
Hardware still-life.
Roche Constructors are the builders of the project – and they have a Safeway webcam. Click on the link and at the top is a time-lapse feature that allows one to see the project’s demo-to-current construction status. Click HERE to jump to the Roche webcam site.
UPDATE: Click HERE to jump to finished project images.
>Kris Coronado’s article about Erwin Timmers and his eco-art that uses recycled glass and salvaged components for his artwork and the classes he teaches was in the Washington Post magazine this weekend.
Kris writes more about the experience and has more images on her blog – click HERE to jump to her blog.
The Washington Post Sunday Magazine has a great article about how Erwin Timmers is able to source artwork from ordinary cast-offs. Washington Post writer Kris Coronado interviewed Erwin for the “Closer Inspection” column of the magazine, and spent the day at the school with photographer Ben Tankersley, wanting to know the story of seemingly every piece of glass they found.
Washington Post’s Ben Tankersley sets up an impromptu photo studio for Erwin Timmers work
Kris writes: “Erwin Timmers, artist and co-founder of the Washington Glass School in Mount Rainier, has taken recycling to heart. “That’s my carbon footprint,” he jokes, pointing to a depression of his boot set in the large slab of repurposed green glass hung on the wall. “I like using objects that everybody recognizes that are everyday, common items,” he says, “that people don’t really realizewhat value they have … until they end up in the trash heap.”
Washington Post Magazine “Closer Inspection” Sunday, August 21, 2011
Get your paper this weekend! Or for those looking to minimize their carbon footprint – click HERE to read the article online.Want to know more about Erwin’s upcoming class on fusing with recycled glass or making tables with recycled glass? Click HERE to jump to the Washington Glass School online class list.
In honor of Earth Day, today’sartist profile is about eco-artist Erwin Timmers.
Erwin has become one of the area’s leading “green artists”. Recycling, waste, the environment and how they relate to society are recurring themes in his work – all of which he blames on his Dutch heritage. Erwin’s main medium is one of the least recycled building materials; float glass or window glass, and he has had to develop new techniques to work with this material.
Originally from Amsterdam, Erwin Timmers moved to California, graduating from Santa Monica College for Design Art and Architecture in 1995. Erwin’s artwork and sculpture has always incorporated recycled materials, and often integrated lighting elements. In 1999 he came to the Washington DC area and along with a new home came a new passion: Glass – creating the perfect marriage of metal and light. Combining this with found and recycled metal, his work carries strong environmental themes.
“Love Me, Love Me Not”, recycled steel, cast recycled glass, neon
Seeking to further his knowledge on using recycled glass, Erwin soon found there were few local options that taught glass techniques and recycled glass processes. And with little information available, Erwin became a pioneer in the field, developing his own kiln schedules. Fate would have it that he met up with Tim Tate, who was then starting the foundations for a glass school in Washington, DC. With his experimental approach and his easygoing, accessible teaching attitude, Erwin and Tim started the Washington Glass School in 2001. Erwin developed a number of courses that integrate his love of the materials and his environmental philosophies. His sustainable design knowledge has been sought by other glass schools, and besides courses here at the Washington Glass School, he has been teaching across the country, spreading the word about eco-friendly art.
Erwin Timmers chats with Italian glass Maestro Lino Tagliapietra.
Erwin has also become a leading consultant in LEED Certified artwork. He has received multiple public art commissions and is also featured in numerous private collections. The EPA had commissioned Erwin and the Washington Glass Studio to create an educational sculpturefor the courtyard at the EPA’s Washington, DC headquarters.
Erwin Timmers and Evan Morgan installing recycled glass panels.
Recently completed architectural projects include recycled glass works for Prince George’s County Courthouse and for Fox Architects and he is currently working on an eco-friendly project for the new Safeway in Bethesda, MD. Erwin’s expertise in the field of environmental art is sought out by the media, with interviews on local news stations, including this video where Erwin’s demonstration of tempered glass did not go quite as planned. The Washington Post Magazine has just interviewed Erwin for an upcoming article on recycling, scheduled to come out this June. His artwork is featured in several books, notably “Art Glass Today” by Jeffrey Snyder and “Ideas for Creative Reuse” by Garth Johnson.Two more books that include work by Erwin are due out this Spring/Summer.
Erwin’s environmental focused artworkhas found an audience, from Miami International Art Fair to local and regional art gallery shows, including and upcoming engagement at Project 4 Gallery this summer.His work showcases the possibility and beauty of recycled material, while encouraging the viewer to consider his or her environmental impact.
“What We Leave Behind” cast recycled glass, steel.
Using glass salvaged from a Virginia office building refurbishment, disposable technology and ephemera from recent decades are expressed as though discovered from a future archaeological dig.
“What We Leave Behind” detail, 2000’s
photo by Anything Photographic
His work is not always appreciated in the manner he expected – a feature on his work on theArtist-a-Daywebsite prompted viewers to ask if the work was made of Jello.
Erwin will be one of the artists featured in the upcoming LongView Gallery show Artists of the Washington Glass School: The First Ten Years.
Washington Glass School: The First 10 Years LongView Gallery 1234 9th Street, NW, Washington, DC May 19 – June 19,2011 Artist Reception, May 19th, 6:30-8:30 PM
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.
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 StreetStudios website.
>Readers of the WGS Blog are familiar with the Public Art Project currently underway for Safeway Supermarket’s new LEED Certified building in Bethesda, MD.
Green up your life by doing something creative to help the environment! This class is an exploration into using recycled glass to make sculptural pieces, architectural elements, and tableware. The class will delve into multiple techniques, including casting, fusing and slumping. Glass chemistry, coloration, and firing temperatures will be explained for each particular application. It is a fantastic way to learn aspects of any warm glass work while focusing on recycling!
Once you start down the path of recycled glass, you will see more and more opportunities for experimentation around you. No prior experience is necessary – you are encouraged to bring in materials you’d like to try…and you will leave with several very cool items! Erwin Timmers Going Green Class 1043 Dates Sat/Sun/Mon on Feb 19, 20 & 21 Time 10am – 4pm Tuition $400
Erwin is one of the area’s leading “green artists”. Recycling, waste and how they relate to society are recurring themes in his work. Erwin’s main medium is one of the least recycled materials; float glass or window glass, and he has had to develop new techniques to exploit the properties of this material. His approach to art is multifaceted, incorporating metalwork, innovative lighting and glass design.
detail showing interconnection of cast glass rods and knots
“Self-Scrutiny” is a new wall-mounted artwork by Erwin Timmers made from cast recycled glass and steel pipe. Erwin casts recycled glass into twisted tube-like shapes that he joins and creates forms with steel connectors. On the wall they form a maze that creates positive and negative spaces while highlighting the complex qualities of recycled glass.
detail showing depth of work
Glass for the piece is recycled – sourced from windows, household vases, and bottles. Unlike the glass made specifically for craft and art use, industrial glass is difficult to re-melt. Erwin has developed new techniques to exploit the characteristics of this material.
Erwin writes of his work: “My work references environmental issues of concern to me – primarily I see my artistic process as being involved with the process of recycling to create art…”
“I choose to recycle or reinterpret not only for reflection on environmental issues, but also for fun, play, and ultimately art. My work showcases the possibility and beauty of recycled material, while encouraging the viewer to consider their environmental impact.”
Erwin feels that one of the artist’s most important roles is to reveal the hidden value inherent within a particular object. His work encourages a re-examination of objects around us. Byframing the object in a new way, one is challenged to rethink the value of everyday objects and one is encouraged to find aesthetic pleasure from what might seem to be the most mundane and ordinary of things.
In today’s society, the philosophy exists that once something has fulfilled its use, we should throw it away rather than try to find another use for it. Yet, finding new uses for discarded objects is one way to breathe life back into the objects around us. To see art where others see trash is one thing, but to lead others to see that art for themselves is what artists have been engaged in since the turn of the century.
Safeway Bethesda site construction photo August 22, 2011
Erwin Timmers installs the cast glass & steel panels.
Evan Morgan affixes the glass panels to the steel framework.
Interior view of the artwork – looking out towards Bradley Ave. Bethesda, MD.
The concept of the panels was to have the artwork allow openings to allow the interior and exterior blur – approx 25% of each building bay is open to allow air flow.
Hardware still-life.
