International artist David Reekie, one of the UK’s leading glass sculptors, is holding a one-man show at the Corn Hall, Diss, Norfolk, UK, opening on 23 March 2024.
The show, ‘David Reekie: The Abstract Figure in Glass’ collects together David’s expressive drawings and glass sculptures, providing an opportunity to see a comprehensive body of work from an artist who has been working with glass for over 50 years.
David’s drawings and sculptures are inspired by the tensions and temptations of society that pull people in different directions.
“Drawings are key to all my work; they are the beginning where I have time to think and pull together emotions and frustrations of the complex world in which we live. My drawings are very rarely seen and this show is a great opportunity to bring together my 2D expressions with 3D finished sculptures.”
Although David’s work is seen across the world, it is unusual to be able to view both drawings and finished sculptures in one location in the UK.
There will be a chance to meet the artist from 2pm on the opening day (23 March) and the event runs until 27 April 2024
Glass artists wanting to hone their skills and take their craft to the next level should apply for the latest round of grants offered by the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST).
There are three fund categories available, with grants of up to £18,000 for Scholarships, up to £10,000 for Emerging Makers and up to £12,000 for Apprenticeship training.
Applications close on Monday 12 February 2024 at 5pm.
Find out more about these great opportunities and apply via this link.
Successful applicants are often supported beyond their funding and training by QEST, with the chance to show their work at prestigious venues and gain valuable publicity.
For example, the QEST Northern Ireland Showcase Exhibition, from 1 February to 22 March 2024, highlights QEST alumni from the island of Ireland. The exhibition will be held in the Craft NI Gallery, which is Belfast’s only dedicated craft venue. Glass artists Scott Benefield, Laura Quinn and Andrea Spencer will be taking part. The Gallery is open Monday to Saturday from 10am-5pm. It is located at 115-119 Royal Avenue, Belfast, BT1 1FF, Northern Ireland.
In addition, QEST alumni will be exhibiting at the leading annual Collect 2024 at Somerset House in London (1-3 March 2024), which will be celebrating its 20th edition. Among them will be Sophie Southgate, who recently completed her MA in Ceramics & Glass at the Royal College of Art with the support of a QEST Britford Bridge Trust Scholarship. On this course she transitioned from a purely ceramics practice to casting in glass, developing a new material-led methodology to explore geometry, architecture and places of transience. Working with blocks of cast glass that are joined to become segments, Sophie finds a playfulness in the infinite colour combinations and iterations.
QEST will be at stand W5 in the West Wing during Collect. Tickets go on sale on 15 January 2024 here.
Image: ‘Drift’ cast glass by Sophie Southgate. Photo credit: Sophie Southgate.
Swedish glass artist Ulrika Barr likes to contrast blown glass with textured cast glass, encouraging curiosity in the viewer and engagement with her work. Linda Banks finds out more.
What led you to start working with glass?
In my case it was my mother – she was a creative person and worked as a preschool teacher. She used a lot of creativity when she worked with the children at school and in our home. We painted every day when I was growing up and, when I got older and found joy in the wood shop or with metal or clay, and then finally glass, she was always there as my biggest supporter.
She was also a collector of glass, so she took me to visit a glass studio when I was 16. I became so fascinated by the material – mesmerised really. Therefore, when I graduated, I looked up where to start learning the trade and found Orrefors Glass School, where I stayed for three years.
What glass techniques have you used and which do you prefer?
Since I’ve been blowing glass for 19 years now, I have tried a lot of different techniques, but I’m mostly drawn to sculpture and the abstract form. Right now, I’m exploring blown glass combined with sand-cast glass, but I also like to work with stained glass.
‘Withered Shell’ (2023). Photo: Kjell B Persson.
What is your creative approach? Do you draw your ideas out or dive straight in with the materials?
In my work, a lot happens in the hot shop when I’m working with the material; one thing leads to another. A mistake can be a good thing; I work with the chance, the flaws. But, of course, I also have an inspirational process of reading and going to different exhibitions to gather new input or ideas. Mainly, it depends where I’m at emotionally; what do I want to say right now and how can I translate that into the material? I see my art and the material glass as ways to express my thoughts and as an extended language.
‘Dawn’ (2023). Photo: Kjell B Persson.
What message(s) do you want to convey through your art?
I want to encourage curiosity. For example, I like to play with perception and create an interest or urge to touch the material. Much of my glass does not look like typical, shiny glass; it can seem like stone, lava, or ceramics.
My work is often intuitive. I listen to my gut instinct and work the material in a very playful way. It can be a little messy and rough – and I often work with contradictions in the material. I would say my designs are often connected to themes of femininity, organic form and the body. It is a way for me to tell stories related to those kinds of topics.
‘Inside’, sand-cast sculptures (2015). Photo by the artist.
What is your favourite tool or piece of equipment and why?
I would say my big, thick, protection gloves are my favourite. I use them when I shape the sand-cast glass freehand.
Where do you show and sell your work?
I sell mainly through Galleri Glas in Stockholm, Sweden, but I also sell through Culture Objects in New York, US.
What advice would you give to someone starting out on a creative career?
Be patient, be thorough and understand that to learn a craft takes time. Be proud of the knowledge and the practice. And don’t hesitate to reach out for an internship – it´s best to have the actual lived experience of working with the material.
An exhibition of Ulrika’s glass art series ‘Ouroboros’ at the Astrid Textiles Showroom in Stockholm, Sweden, with their fabrics (2023). Photo: Idah Lindhag.
Do you have a career highlight?
I would say my career highlight was when, as part of the duo BarroLevén, we held an exhibition at the Glass Factory in Boda, Sweden, in 2019/2020. It was a big one, with a 300 sq m room space to fill. It took a long time building it and it was a lot of work. But it was such a great experience for me – and us as a team. The exhibition lasted for almost a year a was really appreciated by everyone – from kids to grown-ups.
Where is your practice heading next?
I´m currently working towards a solo show at Galleri Glas during 2024, where I´m going to dig further into the technique of combining blown glass with casting in sand. Plus, I´m also working on some lighting projects for restaurants.
‘Mercury’s Mirror’ (2023). Photo: Kjell B Persson.
And finally…
I must mention how COVID-19 has affected me as an artist. This is a big one as, when it hit, I found it a very tough period. Eighteen months earlier I had completed my master’s degree at Konstfack university in Stockholm, Sweden, so everything was rolling along nicely. Then, suddenly, everything stopped. I had been working as part of a duo called BarroLevén with Kristina Levén and I was very proud of what we achieved together. However, unfortunately, she caught COVID-19 and has been long-term sick ever since. This definitively changed my professional career as an artist, putting a very good working relationship on hold and backing the tape a little bit. Now I’m starting a new era as a solo artist, after working in a partnership for four years.
Ulrika Barr working with glass at the Boda Glass Factory. Photo: Jonas Lindstöm.
About the artist
Ulrika Barr with her glass work at Astrid Textiles Showroom in Stockholm, where she had an exhibition in 2023. Photo: Idah Lindhag.
Ulrika Barr’s journey into the world of glass art began with a three-year education at Orrefors in Sweden, before undertaking her master’s degree at the Konstfack – University of Arts, Crafts and Design. This course included work at the Stockholm Glassworks, JP Canlis in Seattle, US, and Gunilla Kihlgren in Stockholm.
Her work has been exhibited in New York, Prague and Sweden.
Previously, Ulrika was a significant part of the glass artist duo BarroLevén, which created a unique combination of artistic vision and technical skills.
An exhibition of contemporary glass by Catherine Dunstan takes place at the New Ashgate Gallery in Farnham, Surrey, UK from 27 January to 9 February 2024.
The show is entitled ‘Transmissions’ and Catherine explained the reason for this title: “I am interested in the moment transmitted information is received by an individual mind, and how someone’s experiences and beliefs provide context for how that information is understood.”
From large, lit, wall artworks to miniature sculptures, each piece in the display uses light, colour and kaleidoscopic patterns to communicate.
“This collection invites a moment for pause and introspection, for each viewing mind to find its own meaning and emotional response,” Catherine added.
The exhibition is located in the Balcony Gallery, New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham, GU9 7PS. The Gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday ,10:30am-5pm. https://www.newashgate.org.uk
Find out more about Catherine and her work via her website.
Image: One of the intricate, illuminated wall artworks in the exhibition.
Congratulations to innovative stained glass artist Brian Clarke, who has been awarded a knighthood in HM The King’s New Year Honours list 2024.
Speaking in response to the announcement, Clarke said, “I’m feeling very surprised and grateful really. It’s wonderful to get noticed for one’s work, but to get honoured for it too is really very encouraging.
“I am working class by birth and by inclination. My art is for the working class and my public art in stained glass is intended to beautify the corners of the world it occupies.
“The medium that I’m best known for, I used to be best known as a painter, but I think there’s been more attention paid to my stained glass in later years. And it’s a medium that this country has had a thousand years of tremendous history, this medium has impacted on our culture in a substantial way. It’s a wonderful, wonderful medium. It lifts the spirits and helps articulate the nature of architecture. It’s a thrilling medium, and I want it to last as long as it possibly can.
“And so, anything like this, of course, will contribute to supporting the continuation of what is a unique and special part of our visual arts culture.”
Clarke celebrated his 70th birthday in July 2023 and has marked the occasion with his current exhibition, A Great Light, on show at Damien Hirst’s Newport Street Gallery, London, until 7 January 2024. The exhibition is presented by HENI and features works dating from 2002 to the present day.
Since the 1970s, Oldham-born Clarke has drawn stained glass away from its use as religious art through innovations in technology and visual presentation, such as fabricating freestanding stained glass panels without lead, developing Pointillism in glass, as well as through the creation of sculptural stained glass works inspired by collage, made primarily or entirely of lead – thereby pushing the medium to its extremes in both directions: absolute transparency and complete opacity.
The current exhibition shows how flexible and wide-ranging the medium can be. His latest work, ‘Ardath’, is a 42m2 wall of mouth-blown glass, bathing the gallery in light and colour, as flowering meadow motifs build up a rich and dense tapestry in etched glass.
Meanwhile, new work ‘Stroud Ossuary’ depicts hundreds of skulls towering 10m above visitors, with each graphically etched skull carefully placed on traditional lead lines. Other works are on a smaller scale, such as the ‘Kabinettscheiben’, which are based on his latest collages and drawings.
Earlier works are presented in a gallery filled with vibrantly coloured folding screens, layering a multitude of patterns and colours. In contrast, large leadworks create a contemplative environment, filled with reflection and mourning.
Newport Street Gallery states, ‘Large battleships and beachboys from 2002 show Clarke’s continued experimentation with method and process. Triple-layered sheets of dot-matrix glass build up the translucent and transparent image of the battleship as if in a distant haze. The same process was employed on a monumental scale with architects Norman Foster and Partners on the Al Faisaliah Centre, Riyadh.’
Over the years, he has been commissioned by other leading designers, including Japanese architect Arata Isozaki and the late British architect Dame Zaha Hadid, to design stained glass for buildings across the world.
Clarke’s work can be found in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Corning Museum of Glass, New York, and the Tate in London.
Find out more about the A Great Light exhibition here.
Fellow British stained glass artist John Reyntiens was awarded an MBE in last year’s 2023 New Year Honours list, alongside Barbara Beadman, who received an MBE for services to the glass industry.
Photo: Brian Clarke with his collage-inspired glass work. Image courtesy Brian Clarke studio.
Stained glass works by 13 renowned artists will be displayed in a new exhibition at Glas – Museum of Glass Art in Ebeltoft, Denmark, opening on 20 January 2024.
Entitled ‘The Maze’, the exhibition layout transforms the museum into a labyrinth of colours, figures and stories. It includes works by some of Denmark’s most well-known artists who have worked with stained glass, painted glass and glass mosaic. The exhibition combines works by two younger artists, Esben Weile Kjær and Dutch artist Jeannette Slütter, with works on loan from the master glazier Per Steen Hebsgaard, who has worked closely with the artists for many years.
Other artists represented in the show include Jens Birkemose, Ursula Reuter Christiansen, Erik A Frandsen, Per Kirkeby, Malene Landgreen, Mie Mørkeberg, Bjørn Nørgaard, Inka Sigel, Jan Sivertsen, Arne Haugen Sørensen and Niels Winkel.
The works in the exhibition are integrated into temporary walls, transforming the museum space into a maze. Guests are invited on a journey into the maze and can explore the works from different angles and in various light along the way.
The works are all flat glass panels produced using classic glazing techniques. Visitors will be able to see through the architecture and through some of the works to see a glimpse of other works integrated in the walls behind.
Many different motifs and artistic expressions are included. There are studies of colour, form, line and rhythm in abstract compositions, such as those of Malene Landgreen, Jens Birkemose and Inka Sigel. There are imaginative stories about animals, nature and people by, among others, Jan Sivertsen, Niels Winkel, Ursula Reuter Christiansen and Mie Mørkeberg. There are conceptual reinterpretations of leaded glass panels in a contemporary context by Jeannette Slütter and Esben Weile Kjær. And then there are colourful, figurative compositions in glass mosaic by Arne Haugen Sørensen and Erik A.Frandsen, the 12 Apostles made in painted glass by Bjørn Nørgaard and Per Kirkeby’s graphic and expressive works that combine stained glass, mosaic and lead framing.
The exhibition is on until 29 September 2024 in the modern wing and 3 November 2024 in the old building.
Glas – Museum of Glass Art is at Strandvejen 8, 8400 Ebeltoft, Denmark. Find out more here.
Image: Detail from a stained glass panel by Esben Weile Kjær. Photo: Malle Madsen.
The Glass Factory in Sweden is hosting an exhibition of glass engraving that will celebrate both historical and contemporary works of glass, alongside workshops and demonstrations.
The venue is inviting glass artists to submit glass pieces that incorporate cutting and engraving for the contemporary part of the exhibition, which is called ‘At The Tip Of The Wheel’.
Simon Gate’s famous Bacchus Bowl or Kosta’s famous crystal Tsar’s Bowl could not be made today. There are very few who possess the necessary knowledge today, plus some of the equipment that was used is only preserved in museums. Therefore, At The Tip of The Wheel aims to raise the profile of these at-risk techniques, through a blended historical and contemporary exhibition, complemented with workshops and demonstrations.
The exhibition will bring together historical cut glass objects from the museum collection and contemporary glassworks that incorporate cutting and engraving.
The open call is for the contemporary portion of the show, with objects that utilise at-risk historical cutting and engraving techniques the focus, though the open call is not limited to particular techniques.
The application deadline is 15 January 2024 and the exhibition will take place from 22 June to 31 October 2024.
Anyone interested in submitting work to the exhibition should email a single PDF with the following information to: max.syron@theglassfactory.se
Up to 5 works, Maximum 10 photos total
Short description of submitted works with dimensions (200 characters
Biography and short description of artistic practice (300 characters), plus link to further information (website etc).
The deadline for work to arrive in Sweden is 1 May 2024 and exhibitors must organise their own shipping. Shipping expenses will be covered by The Glass Factory, which will confer with all selected artists about shipping methods. Works outside of Europe are size limited to regular post – no pallet-sized shipments.
The cutting and engraving workshops and demonstrations will take place during the exhibition period, mainly held by The Latheriders, an international contemporary coldworking collective.
Anyone interested in participating in a workshop or leading a demo/workshop, should indicate this in their application.
The Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) is delighted to be collaborating with Black Swan Arts in Frome, Somerset, UK, to present an exhibition of glass work by 39 glass artists at different stages of their careers.
Black Swan Arts’ Long Gallery will host ‘Sparkle! A Spectrum of Contemporary Glass’, the application process for which was open to all CGS members, with an emphasis on those based in the Southwest and Midlands regions.
The exhibition shows the dazzling delight of glass in all its facets of light, colour and technique – some presented on plinths and some wall-mounted. It is a true celebration of the diversity of contemporary glass. Plus, all the pieces are for sale.
The artists taking part are Yiran An, Emma Baker, Katrina Beattie, Tulin Bedri, Peter Berry, PJ Buchanan, Madeline Bunyan, Sue Burne, Teresa Chlapowski, Julie Coakley, Beth Colledge, Stevie Davies, Dalia Doron, Shirley Eccles, Rachel Elliott, Hannah Gibson, Jianyong Guo, Claire Hall, Oliver Hanney, Nick Hasell, Kate Henderson, Ali Jarvis, Wendy Jeavons, Sheenagh McKinlay, Wendy Newhofer, April Owen, Jade Pinnell, Stacey Poultney, Susan Purser Hope, Anna Laura Quintana, Morag Reekie, Donna Richardson, Hadia Roushdy, Bailey Shooter, Sue Sinclair, Alison Vincent, Frans Wesselman, Abigail Wilderspin and Jane Yarnall.
The exhibition runs from Friday 19 January to Sunday 25 February 2024, with a special Meet-the-Makers event from 2-4pm on Saturday 20 January, where the exhibitors will chat about their artworks.
In addition, the Glass Hub educational centre, based a few miles away near Trowbridge, will be supporting the event by holding an open studio event where it will welcome visitors to see all its glass making provisions and provide demonstrations of glass making.
Black Swan Arts is at 2 Bridge Street, Frome, Somerset BA11 1BB, UK.
Image: (left)’Marbles Anyone’ by Morag Reekie, (right) ‘Grey Trio Stop’ by Rachel Elliott.
Renowned glass authority Charles Hadjamach will be addressing The Arts Society Stourbridge on the topic, ‘Émile Gallé and René Lalique: Masters of Art Nouveau and Art
Deco glass’ on 11 January 2024.
Charles is one of the top authorities on glass in the UK and his talk will contrast the achievements of these two great French masters of glass.
Charles was Director of the former Broadfield House Glass Museum, Kingswinford, UK, from 1974 to 2003 and is the author of numerous books and articles on glass.
The presentation takes place at Stourbridge Town Hall, commencing at 10.55am. The Hall is based at the Crown Centre, Crown Lane, Stourbridge DY8 1YE, UK.
A new exhibition traces the evolution of the studio glass movement across six decades and includes glass made by US studio glass pioneer and educator Harvey K Littleton.
Approximately 40 works have been selected from the Simona and Jerome Chazen studio glass collection for the ‘Look What Harvey Did: Harvey K. Littleton’s Legacy’ exhibition, with each piece chosen to demonstrate technical and conceptual advancements in glassmaking from functional ware to fine art.
A view of the exhibition.
The show has launched at the Chazen Museum of Art, located at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, US.
Littleton’s works appear alongside renowned artists who have followed his lead, including Michael Aschenbrenner, Dale Chihuly, Daniel Clayman, Dan Dailey, Clifford Rainey, Ginny Ruffner, Lino Tagliapietra and many others. The exhibition also explores other developments in the field, such as collaboration and the changing demographics of glass artists.
Even though the collection spans primarily the last decades of the 20th century, the show promises an illuminating perspective on how Littleton’s advocacy of glass as a vehicle for contemporary expression evolved into a recognised movement that continues to impact 21st-century art.
Beginning his affiliation with the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1951 as head of ceramics, Littleton organised the seminal 1962 Toledo Museum of Art workshops that enabled artist-craftsmen in ceramics to explore glass. Shortly thereafter, he established America’s first university-level, hot glass programme on the university’s campus.
Until Littleton’s intervention, except for a few forerunners, glass was used primarily in factories for functional wares. Littleton’s approach eliminated the rift between designer and fabricator that invariably plagued production in these shop settings over the centuries, while empowering artists to work with glass within the confines of their studios.
During the early years of studio glass, in their respective ways, artists in the Chazen collection – such as American artist Dale Chihuly, Czech artists Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová and Italian artist Lino Tagliepietra – demonstrated the necessity for collaboration and teamwork.
Other artists, such as Howard Ben Tré and Bertil Vallien, incorporated specific resources from particular glass factories into their own studio practices. Littleton’s call for glass artists to reduce emphasis on technique in favour of content was heard internationally.
American Michael Aschenbrenner and Australian Scott Chaseling address topical issues from the last decade of the 20th century in their works. Concept and narrative are now central to glass art.
In addition, the demographics of glassmaking have changed over the years. Pioneers such as Mary Shaffer, Toots Zynsky, and Therman Statom have paved the way for women and people of colour in the contemporary glass field. In these and many other ways, the exhibition is a persuasive testament to the far-reaching vision of Harvey K Littleton.
‘Look What Harvey Did’ is guest-curated by Davira S Taragin for the Chazen Museum of Art. It is on until 16 August 2024.
The University of Wisconsin’s Chazen Museum of Art is at 750 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706, US. Find out more via the website.
Image: Harvey K Littleton’s ‘Triple Loops’ (1978) features furnace-worked barium/potash glass with Kugler colour. Photo courtesy of Simona Chazen.
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