The Sculptural Flamework class and the Flamework Club got a great start to the fall semester here at the Washington Glass School. Above photo shows the weekend class completely engrossed in their works in the new lampworking stations. Instructor Robert Kincheloe has advised that there is still space available in the next beginner class coming up in October and the Club is going strong on Saturdays.
The Professional Artists in Residency (PAIR) offered at Pilchuck Glass School is a time for professional artists to come together and share information, expand a current series, or design a new one, to network and use the facilities that Pilchuck has to offer for an intense week of discussions, critiquing, and networking. There are no instructors as such, so each artist is responsible for designing his/her own program for the week within the structure of the larger schedule…in essence every participant is both a student and an instructor, so ideally each will be engaged in both teaching and learning.
Washington Glass School’s Elizabeth Mears has organized this years program for the residency and has given us a look at the schedule:
Janis Miltenberger will be with the flamework group and will lead a discussion and demo of her approach to flameworking. Rob Kincheloe will give a presentation on the boro glass casting process that he is developing – and he will have some samples for experimentation. Kathleen Elliott will give a presentation on the John Burton Program as an example of one of the possibilities of how we can continue to grow as artists.
We look forward to their updates!
Pilchuck’s beautiful wooded campus – about 50 miles north of Seattle overlooking Puget Sound.
Robert Kincheloe has been keeping us posted on the events and demos now taking place at the ISGBConference in Rochester, NY.
After a road trip that included a swing by the Corning Museum of Glass, Robert arrived and assisted with the set- up at the convention center.
Some of the ongoing demos: Nomoda “Cedi”Djaba Cediis from Ghana, West Africa. His family has been making Krobo Powder Glass since the 13th century. Cedi has taught around the world including Penland School of Crafts, Bullseye Glass and The Centre for Global and Development Education in Somerset, England.
Wesley Fleming
Wesley is inspired by the shapes and colors of nature. Here Wesley demos his glass insects showing how he achieves the intricate detail.
Jeanne Menafo and Brett Pierce
Jeanne and Brett have been combining their talents to create blown glass sculpture. A glassblower for 25 years, Brett has taught flameworking and currently is an instructor at The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass. Here Brett sets up a demo of murrini roll-ups at the torch.
>Fairfax’s Adam Lister Gallery sought out artist submissions for its summer juried show titled “Brave New World“. Over 300 artist submissions were received by the gallery, and 20 artists were selected.
Our Robert Kincheloe’s lampwork sculpture was selected to be in the summer show – his will be the only glass artwork in the show.
Brave New World June 4 – July 18, 2010 Opening Reception Friday June 4, 6-9pm.
*gallery entrance on North St. between University Dr. and Chain Bridge Rd.
(across from Panera and next door to Asian Bistro)
gallery hours: Thu.6-9, Fri./Sat.12-9, Sun.12-5
or by appointment
Artists selected:
David Barr, Jennifer Bock-Nelson, Amy Boone-McCreesh, Amy Chen, Travis Childers, Sean Donlon, Kim Hennessy, Craig Hill, Jessica Jastrzebski, Robert Kincheloe, David Livingston, Todd Messegee, Jacobe Noonan, Sarah Samuels, Tamara Staser-Meltzer, Nils Henrik Sundqvist, Crystal Wagner, Jason Wallengren, Ashley Wells & Ann Williams
>The May issue of Glass Line magazine has an article by legendary flameworker Paul Stankard, where Paul had sought questions from other lampworkers and the article creates the feeling of a casual discussion with one of the glass greats. Below is a short excerpt from the article:
Sharing a Journey: Questions and Answers – by Paul Stankard – Over the last two years, I’ve met a large number of borosilicate flameworkers making everything from jewelry to glass pipes who are yearning to do significant creative work and explore new boundaries. They have a strong commitment to the independent lifestyle as studio artists and many make their livings through their highly developed skills. They are not satisfied with staying in one creative place and have larger ambitions. I relate to their struggle to channel their technical abilities into something more significant by creating sculpture. What’s holding many of them back, however, is a lack of artistic maturity. Few of them went to art school, and they are often simply unaware of what is considered important work by the larger world of collectors, galleries, and museum curators.
What I’ve been promoting with these Glass Line articles is excellence, but the notion of “excellence” is defined by the community you belong to. You can be an excellent goblet-maker, an excellent paperweight-maker, an excellent beadmaker, and on and on. To be excellent in these tightly defined categories, you need to recognize what is masterwork and be familiar with the skilled artists and craftspeople advancing the tradition with whom you want to strive to compete. You then can take advantage of the respect you’ve achieved in these decorative-arts categories to catapult yourself into the greater glass community. By competing with the past and matching the category’s history, you’ll be at the front of your field. Our resident torchwork artist, Robert Kincheloe is one of the artists that is featured in the article with Paul.
If you are a subscriber to the magazine, you can read the article online – click HERE.
The Washington Glass School welcomes its new studio coordinator: Robert Kincheloe. Robert has been working with glass since 1997, with a strong background in borosilicate glass.He has studied furnace glassblowing, flameworking, scientific glassblowing, sculpture, murrini, encasements, casting and coldworking.Over the years he has helped to set up several glass studios and has spent the last two years as a studio artist at the WorkhouseArtsCenter in Lorton, VA.
Robert’s work centers on the use of combining hot, warm and cold glass processes, and he takes a mathematical approach to design. This encourages him to repeat a technique over and over in search of perfecting the logic of the design and controlling its process.
Robert hopes to expand the glass community through his works, classes, demos and lectures, and as such, he will be creating a new series of flameworking borosilicate classes here at the glass school.
Floral Cube by Robert Kincheloe
photo: AnythingPhotographic
Robert was part of the Washington Post’s article on the opening of the Workhouse Arts Center in 2008 – click HERE to read the article.
Robert at his torch @ Lorton. He has since escaped the former prison.
