Category Archives: phil vickery

British Council USA Blogs About Phil Vickery

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Phil Vickery glass – photo credit: Jo Howell

The British Council asked Washington Glass School Co-Director Michael Janis to act as a US Cultural Ambassador and write a series of articles for their blog regarding the collaborative art exhibit “International Glass and Clay 2013“, now open in Washington, DC. The latest post is an interview with UK glass artist Phil Vickery, a Sunderland-based artist that has shown his work at two previous US/UK exhibitions held in Washington, DC.

Phil Vickery at the bench.

Michael interviews Phil and outlines his background in glass and his artistic influences. In the article, Phil discusses the benefits and outcomes of the (art) trade missions for him and the Cohesion Glass Network. 
Phil also talks about his current series of glass sculptures. Says Phil about his techniques: “I use the material properties inherent to (hot) glass to express this quality. Working with the fluidity of molten glass, I manipulate it into shapes and also allow gravitational force to create my signature spiral forms.”

Click HERE to jump to the full interview on the British Consulate website.

The International Glass and Clay 2013 exhibit is open through March 23, 2013, at Washington, DC’s Pepco Edison Place Gallery, located at 702 Eighth Street, NW, Washington, DC. The show is organized by Artomatic and the DCCAH.

Posted in British Council, creative cohesion, international glass and clay, phil vickery

Brits To Teach Yanks A Thing or Two (in the glass shop!)

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As part of the International Glass + Clay exhibit that runs from March 1, 2013 through March 22, 2013, a day of free demonstrations of amazing techniques utilized by the visiting artists will be held at the Washington Glass School and at DC GlassWorks Studio.

Saturday, March 2, 2013 starting at 11:00 AM – at Washington Glass School

UK based 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.

RSVP for the free WGS event to: washglassschool@aol.com – put “metal inclusion” in the subject line. Click HERE to register online.

Later the same day – 

starting at 2:00 PM at DC GlassWorks (just down the road in nearby Hyattsville) UK glass artists Roger Tye, Phil Vickery and Colin Rennie will be demo-ing their glassblowing techniques.  These Sunderland artists are extremely accomplished glass makers and their demos are always a highpoint.

Phil Vickery & Roger Tye demo at DC Glassworks in 2009

RSVP for the free DC hotshop demo to washglassschool@aol.com – put “hotshop” in the subject line. Click HERE to register online.

What could go wrong?

The loverly accents alone will make the demos like a trip overseas! Its as if Downton Abbey came to Mount Rainier!

Posted in criss chaney colin rennie, dc glass works, demo, phil vickery, robyn townsend, roger tye

Congrats on Creative Cohesion Relaunch

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Artists Phil Vickery and Roger Tye work in Creative Cohesion’s hotshop.

Last spring, Washington Glass School Co-Directors Michael Janis and Tim Tate were in the UK on their Fulbright assignment to the University of Sunderland and the National Glass Centre. The guys also held workshops at the City of Sunderland’s professional artist center “Creative Cohesion”.

Fulbright Scholar Michael Janis introduces the Bullseye Roll-up technique to artists at Creative Cohesion.
UK artists gather for a talk with Fulbright Scholar Tim Tate at the Cohesion Center in March.

 Creative Cohesion is a center for creativity in Sunniside, Sunderland, providing not only studios for artists, but provision for community, arts and business activities, as well as a retail outlet for art. Creative Cohesion runs monthly workshops for professional creative practitioners and is home to graduates from the University of Sunderland who are recipients of the ‘Sunniside Graduate Scheme’.

The Creative Cohesion building was damaged by high winds that caused the adjacent building to collapse onto the center’s roof  in April . 

Last Spring, high winds caused their neighboring building to collapse onto the center’s roof, resulting in a lot of damage. After months of disruption for the non-profit center and its tenants as the repair work was implemented, they are happy to be finally back in full working order, and are holding a Relaunch of the Center on Oct 18!

Artist Frank Styles was commissioned to create the visual graphics on the center’s exterior shutters.

Their celebrations continue in welcoming new tenants, a new logo for the center, the launch of their new website and completion of the center’s shutter artwork by graffiti artist Frank Styles.

There will be happy faces all round on the opening launch day with the building’s face lift, the opening of a new exhibition titled ‘Reconnection’ and entertainment with local glass blowers having a play day in the glass hotshop.

Congratulations to Creative Cohesion on making Sunderland a hotbed of creativity again!

Click HERE to jump Creative Cohesion’s website.

Posted in creative cohesion, frank styles, fulbright scholar michael janis, fulbright scholar tim tate, phil vickery, roger tye, sunderland