During the first COVID-19 lockdown, glass artist David Reekie drew a Happy Face to help start his day. This is something he does most days, but these drawings were more considered. David is selling the sketches to raise funds towards the 25thAnniversary activities of the Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) so, not only do you have the opportunity to own a piece of unique art by a renowned glass artist, but you will also be helping the CGS to support its members and the wider contemporary glass scene.
The ink drawings are on 30 x 30cm and 22 x22 cm squares of kitchen paper and reflect David’s vast imagination. Each one is dated and totally individual.
He drew around 50 drawings, dated from 9 April-2 June 2020, which are for sale at £20 each, including p&p. Of the funds raised, 70% will go to the CGS and 30% to the Macmillan cancer charity.
The drawings are sold on a first-come-first-served basis, so you pay your money and we will send you a drawing that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face! Already more than half have been sold.
So, to secure your own Happy Face by David Reekie, please make payment by PayPal to admin@cgs.org.uk or by BACS to CGS, sort code 55-61-08, account 66519578. Please also send your name and address and proof of payment to admin@cgs.org.uk. You can request a specific date, but we cannot guarantee we will have it.
UPDATE: All of the drawings are now sold out. In all, 52 were sold, giving a net total of £1,105 after postage and raising £773 for CGS and £332 for Macmillan. Thank you David!
To mark its 40th anniversary year, the volunteer-led Scottish Glass Society (SGS) commissioned a report to examine its achievements, the current needs of members and the wider Scottish glass sector, to ensure it continues to effectively promote Scottish glass and support practitioners in the future.
Funding from Creative Scotland’s Open Project Fund was used to employ a creative industries freelancer to review the work of the Society and make recommendations on the operational and strategic direction of the organisation.
Surveys and focus groups with SGS members and interviews with key individuals in the creative sector identified a strong and widespread belief in the value of the work of the Society, a desire to see it widen its activity base, and the recognition that a more sustainable working model, with less reliance on volunteers, was required. The key areas of the Society’s work were identified as member support, education and sector support.
The report recommended the continuation of the baseline activity of exhibitions, bursaries, Journal production, and strands of work required to ensure that the Society can function on a day-to-day basis in line with its legal and member obligations. However, it recognised that this may need to be simplified and scaled back to a more sustainable level unless the Society becomes less reliant on volunteer resources.
In terms of development, the report recommends that SGS focuses on these areas: Practitioner Support and Development;Use of Digital Resources; Support for Education; Sector Support, and Organisational Development.
The SGS invites you to find out more andread the full report here. It was researched prior to the global pandemic, so further flexibility may be required when implementing future plans. If you have any comments, please email: sgsvicechair@gmail.com.
Would you like to be an art glass collector?CGS Treasurer Mike Barnes has been collecting art glass for over 20 years, having bought his first piece on a holiday visit to see glass blowing on the island of Murano. Here he talks us through some of the highlights of his collection and offers his tips for starting your own art glass collection. My love of collecting glass started on a tourist visit to Murano in 1998. I had never noticed art glass before this, but was fascinated by the process and by the end result. I bought my first piece of glass then and there: ‘Pair of Fish’, by Zanello Zanetti. After returning home I discovered that there were some local artists in and around Newcastle. I dropped into Jane Charles’ studio and found myself buying two of her pieces, and from there it was all downhill! To date, I have now accumulated over 120 pieces.
‘Pair of Fish’ by Zanello Zanetti. 1998.
At first my collection was very eclectic. I travelled all over Europe and further afield on business, and always found time to pop into the local galleries. I often found myself buying yet another piece.
My approach was all a bit haphazard, so I asked the world authority on contemporary glass, Dan Klein, to visit on his way up to Scotland. I had met him previously in London with his partner, Alan Poole (who remains a friend and an inspiration for knowledge of all things glass). Dan’s advice was invaluable. He recommended that I focus on British glass to give the collection a bit more coherence. So, since then, it’s pretty well all been British (with the occasional divergence and sometimes a broad definition of British, such as an artist living, even briefly, in the UK!).
Do I favour any particular style? Not really. I seem to have collected a disproportionate amount of cast glass, but more by accident than design. I am a bit under-represented in engraved glass, but not deliberately. I do tend to favour young artists who have yet to make their mark.
How do I find the artists? Originally, I found them mainly through galleries but, sadly, we have so few galleries now in the UK. London Glassblowing steadfastly holds the fort! And I should also mention Vessel in London and Terry Brett at Pyramid in York. As I have got more familiar with the glass scene, and also through being associated with the CGS, I have been able to get to know the up-and-coming artists. The CGS’s glass prize for newly-qualified artists is a good source of new talent. Plus, I often go to the artist directly and commission a piece, or see if they have existing pieces for sale.
My favourite younger artists? Probably Harry Morgan (see main feature image, Untitled, 2014) and Laura McKinlay, with Elliot Walker a close second. There is such a depth of talent. Hannah Kippax was really special but, as far as I know, is no longer making, which is a great pity. Anne Petters, Jade Tapson and Davide Penso (honorary British!) are artists to look out for.
‘Absolute Indecision II’ by Hannah Kippax. 2006.
What is my favourite piece? A work by non-British artist – Toots Zynsky, which is a stunning piece that I purchased through the Braggiotti gallery in Amsterdam.
‘Melliflua’ by Toots Zynsky. 2002.
My favourite British artist? I have to say David Reekie. His pieces are beautifully made and great fun and now he works with Morag Reekie, following on in the family business! I also have a beautiful child’s dress in pate de verre, by Alison Lowry.
“Daggers Drawn IV’ by David Reekie. 2015. “Inner Child’ by Alison Lowry. 2017.
Any regrets on purchases? Yes, a few. Tastes change and pieces I bought back in the 1990s I may not buy now, but there is no piece about which I have thought, “Why did I buy that?” once I got it home. (OK, there are a couple). A few need to be retired now.
This prompts me to say that the secondary market for modern studio glass in the UK is virtually non-existent, which makes the collection more of interest and a labour of love rather than an investment as, frankly, I would struggle to sell many of them. Auction houses – yes, a few may be interested. Or a private sale maybe? But there are very few serious UK collectors – maybe half a dozen at most.
I tried to form a collectors’ group (twice) but singularly failed to generate any real interest from more than two or three people. It is a pity I don’t live in the US (at least for glass), where there is such enthusiasm and a thriving market (with prices to match).
Do I have a budget for buying glass pieces? Not really, I just buy them when I see them and like them. I control expenditure by not visiting galleries for a while, as I know I will buy a piece or two if I do!
The biggest problem I have is how to display my collection. I live in a semi-detached house in Newcastle and have no “museum” wing. Thus the glass has to be displayed wherever space can be found (and where my wife allows me to put it!). Now I am running out of room, sadly, and it is so important to display the glass well in the right light. So maybe I should now adopt a “one in, one out” rule? But out to where? It is a real problem, but it probably won’t stop me buying more. It’s a bit of an addiction, to be honest. Still, better than smoking or taking cocaine, I suppose.
About the author
Mike Barnes is passionate about promoting and supporting the British glass scene and is an enthusiastic member of the CGS Board, with the role of Treasurer. He is Clinical Director and Marketing Director of the Christchurch Group, which runs brain injury rehabilitation centres around England. He has been Chief Executive of an NHS Trust (a neurologist by background) and chair of various charities.
If you want a bespoke Christmas gift or an artwork to cheer up your home, check out the Contemporary Glass Society’s latest online selling show, “A” Is For Affordable, which is live on the CGS website now.
The Contemporary Glass Society’s latest online exhibition offers beautiful glass at affordable prices that you can buy direct from the maker. All work is priced between £50 and £500 and includes a huge variety of colours, styles and techniques. Whether you want bowls, sculptures, vessels, wall art, plaques or garden features, there is sure to be something to suit you.
This show has been especially commissioned by CGS to help support artists through the COVID pandemic. Many of our members have been locked out of their studios, seen events and exhibitions cancelled and have been unable to run workshops or sell their work. Many also live and work in isolation. So please take a look at our inspired, unique glass work and support creative people!
The Private View will be held on Friday 6 November 2020 via Zoom from 7-7.30pm. Click this link at 7pm on that day and use the Passcode 363880 to join us. In the luxury of your own home, bring a glass of wine and join the CGS Board to launch this first new show on our wonderful new website.
The show runs until 8 January 2021. Click here to browse and shop.
The new editor of the Glass Network print magazine, Kirsteen Aubrey, provides a sneak peek into some of the highlights coming up in her first edition, which will be posted out to CGS members shortly. If you are not a member yet, why not sign up now to ensure you receive future issues?
This year we have experienced many changes, not least those of Covid and the lockdown. We are constantly adapting to new situations and encountering unfamiliar scenarios that have encouraged us to pause, think and reflect.
It has been a transitional time for many, not least the makers, artists and practitioners working in glass. As a community, we continue to adapt and the CGS has used this period well. The CGS has provided a virtual, creative hub through its Wednesday talks, where we celebrate and gain insight into glass practice and share current experiences.
The CGS has also created this new online magazine section, Glass Network digital, led by Linda Banks, and the bi-annual Glass Network print publication that I edit. Both are new, exciting ventures for 2020. Neither could have happened without the guidance of Milly Francis, who ably edited Glass Network for many years. Linda and I are grateful for her support as we embark on our new roles.
Linda’s digital platform draws together her experience in stained glass alongside that as journalist and editor. She explains, “We decided to introduce the online magazine, Glass Network digital, to provide a vibrant and up-to-date means of quickly communicating exciting developments in the glass world to our members, the wider art community and the general public around the globe. The aim is the share a love of contemporary glass with readers, through regular interview pieces with established and up-and-coming glass artists, articles to help creatives do business better, tips on tools and techniques, as well as the latest news and opportunities.”
Each month, CGS members receive an email roundup with links to the most recent digital magazine content, reinforcing the sense of community that is so important to us all in these changing times. Do get in touch via linda@wordbanks.uk if you have news or article ideas (please supply a landscape photo in high resolution too), or if you want information about advertising.
Backed by my glass experience from working in studios and teaching, my objective is to create a thematic Glass Network that showcases and promotes glass widely. Each publication has a central theme, and this November edition focuses on ‘Inspiration’. It is particularly poignant to reflect on what inspires glass artists at this time; many glass studios have had to temporarily pause their work, and artists have reflected on what motivates them to keep creating. This publication is a celebration of this inspiration. Using a central theme for each publication allows us to explore narratives that unite glass artists, enthusiasts, gallery owners, and collectors. We investigate the theme across stained glass, lamp work, kiln glass and glassblowing, using these to open dialogue, question the boundaries of material and process, and to extend the potential of glass as a creative medium.
This issue, number 77, offers insights into the inspiration of landscape, light, process, sound, illusion and conversation. Kate Jones, one half of Gillies Jones Glass, reveals the power of the North Yorkshire Moors. Her studies and exploration of landscape, line and light inform the carved, contemporary glass that is masterfully blown by her partner Stephen Gillies. Landscape also inspires Helen Slater-Stokes, and she uses it to create glasswork that questions illusion and perception. Meanwhile, Bruno Romanelli discusses the role of light to stimulate ideas, exploring this through the process of lost wax casting.
Harriet Shooter-Redfearn and Vanessa Cutler address the role of handwriting to inspire their glass in two contrasting ways. Harriet’s archaeological investigations uncover hidden signatures and reveal personal narratives that inform her mixed media outcomes. Meanwhile, Vanessa shares how handwritten communications led to an exploration of analogue and digital processes, and the creation of interactive glasswork that captures thoughts, conversations and reflections.
Handwritten signature at London Road Fire Station, 2017. Artist: Harriet Shooter-Redfearn. Photo: Harriet Shooter-Redfearn
Also highlighted is the inspiration that enabled Jessamy Kelly and Jahday Ford to respond positively during the lockdown, especially when glass production was temporarily paused. Jessamy explores the opportunities presented by recycling and re-purposing glass, while Jahday explains how he re-evaluated a glass residency without access to a workshop. Engaging with new platforms, both have found new ways to engage with, and communicate, their practice. Their uplifting stories remind us to be adaptable and create daily.
Collectively, these features demonstrate the diverse inspiration that drives glass practice, and a determination and resilience to continue creating, despite current challenges.
The next print edition of Glass Network, number 78, will focus on ‘Collaboration’, exploring the nature of collaborative practice between makers and across skills, and the collaborations that exist between artists, galleries, museums and collectors. A call out will be made soon to invite people to share their collaborations and glass outcomes.
Main feature image: Chitter Chatter by Vanessa Cutler. Photo: Simon Bruntnell.
About the author
Kirsteen Aubrey is the editor of the CGS Glass Network magazine print edition. She is a glass maker and educator, based in Manchester. She regularly engages in collaborations with fellow practitioners across textiles, photography and graphics, using her hot glass specialism to explore the innovative agency of glass. Contact her via: editor@cgs.org.uk
The fascinating painted glass of the 18th century, and the transitional period from the Regency into the early Victorian Era, will be the subject of a webinar presentation by Steve Clare, the chairman of the Conservation Working Group of The British Society of Master Glass Painters, in November 2020.
Steve Clare has unrivalled experience in the conservation of glass of this period. In his talk, entitled ‘The Magic Lantern’, he will discuss the techniques and methods of important figures, such as Peckitt, James Pearson, Francis Eginton, and Joseph Hale Miller, accompanied by images taken during live conservation projects.
Steve Clare ACR, FMGP is a conservator in private practice, national stained glass advisor to the National Trust, and Consultant to the cathedrals at Wells, Gloucester and Winchester, King’s College Chapel, Cambridge and St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. He established Holy Well Glass in 1995.
While BSMGP lectures are normally held in person, during the COVID-19 restrictions, they will take place online using Zoom, for the reduced fee of £5.00 (£4.25 members). To book for this second in the series of BSMGP webinar presentations, taking place on Friday 27 November 2020 at 7pm, click here.
Image: The East Window, St Alkmund, Shrewsbury. Photo by Holy Well Glass.
Rebecca Matthews, former CEO of the European Capital of Culture Aarhus 2017, has been appointed as the new Director of the Danish museum for contemporary, international glass art, Glasmuseet Ebeltoft, from 2021.
Glasmuseet Ebeltoft is a private, self-financing institution established and directed by the Foundation for the Collection of Contemporary, International Glass Art. It presents the best in contemporary, international glass art through an ambitious exhibition programme and has a unique collection of glass art from around the world, as well as a professionally-run glassblowing studio on site.
Prior to this role, Rebecca spent five years as Director of the European Capital of Culture Aarhus 2017 and two years as Director of the international educational charity, Goodenough College in London.
She comments, “I am very much looking forward to being part of Glasmuseet Ebeltoft, a museum which unites the best of Danish and international glass art. Glasmuseet Ebeltoft has a unique international reputation, and I look forward to using my national and international networks to strengthen its continued development across the country and globally.
“Glass is a fascinating and exciting art form, a material that can be formed in a variety of ways and expressions, and one that audiences find captivating to watch. Glass has a long and remarkable history and, as a museum, we aim to convey this in a modern context.
“Ebeltoft has a number of strong cultural institutions, such as Maltfabrikken, Fregatten Jylland, The European Film College and Glasmuseet Ebeltoft as well as an international frontrunner in Kvadrat, and I look forward hugely to collaborating with these institutions and many more.”
Welcoming Rebecca to the museum, Chairman of the Museum Foundation’s Board, Henning Kovsted, said, “The Museum has an ambitious strategic plan for the next five years, and I am confident that Rebecca will use her great professionalism, credibility, infectious energy and a wealth of ideas to pave the way and take the Museum securely into the future.”
Rebecca holds an MA in History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London University, and an MA in Modern and Medieval Languages from Cambridge University.
Margeret Bunn runs the British Craft Trade Fair (BCTF) and has worked with designer-makers for over 38 years, guiding them through the process of trade selling. She explains what creatives need to think about when considering the trade route.
We all want to be individuals, expressing ourselves through the clothes we wear, the food we eat and the products we buy. The benefits of British handmade products are that they are created to high standards, made to last and offer the chance to own something that no one else has.
More and more consumers are looking to buy such unique products, not only because they want to support home-grown talent, but also because they want their homes, offices, and gardens to say something about them and the person they are.
Our aim is to introduce makers of British handmade products to buyers who have the spending power and are mad about British goods – the perfect combination!
For over 40 years, the BCTF has showcased the work of thousands of talented individuals. Often, they combine technological and traditional skills to create magical, inventive, extraordinary collections. With prices ranging across the board, there is plenty of choice for every type of buyer and budget, whether that is a high-end London gallery, The National Trust, a department store, gift shop, museum or a small post office with a gift shop.
Trade selling checklist
The trade route provides the maker with increased brand awareness, resulting in expansion and growth. The more the work is seen, the more chance it has of selling. It is almost impossible to achieve this amount of exposure or sales through direct selling. Although interacting with the public is a great tool that allows makers to sell at full retail prices, its benefits are limited. It can also be tiring and time consuming travelling the country to take part in events.
Taking the trade route means that, once you are established, your work will be on display at venues across the country and the shop and gallery owners will be selling your work for you, while you focus on creating your next collection.
However, you have to consider your pricing. You need a trade price and a recommended retail price (RRP) and the trade price will necessarily be much lower than the RRP. You need to get the pricing right to ensure you have enough return on your trade price, but also that the RRP is not too expensive that the trade cannot sell your pieces on.
You also need to realise that building success can take more than one trade show. Buyers need to feel comfortable with a new seller and trust that they will deliver on time. While some will meet with instant success, many will need to build their brand up from modest sales into an established business over a few years. It is important to manage expectations.
We at BCTF provide free, tailor-made business advice to exhibitors, covering all aspects of dealing with the trade. It includes information on pricing, lead times, minimum orders, terms and conditions, Sale or Return (SOR), stand display and post-show advice.
This advice ensures makers are ready and able to provide orders to trade buyers, starting their trade journey on the right footing from the outset.
As an exhibitor it is important to listen to the buyers and incorporate their feedback – good and bad. Their advice can help you to create new work, for example by extending a current range with the addition of alternative sizes or colourways. It can also inform your pricing and inspire you to make new work, too. The buyers know their market and their advice can be invaluable.
If you decide the trade route may be right for you, register your interest and then we can have a chat about your work and whether it is right for the BCTF.
Now, more than ever, high street shops need to diversify and offer their customers something they cannot easily purchase online. Affordable, unique heirlooms of the future are being created and made right now. Buyers want to support British ingenuity and are looking for new talent.
BCTF takes place in Harrogate, Yorkshire, each April, with the 2021 event scheduled for 10-13 April.
To register as a buyer or a maker, visit: www.bctf.co.uk
About the author
Margeret Bunn has run BCTF for over 27 years. Before that she ran retail craft fairs dedicated, again, to British handmade. She has dealt with literally thousands of makers and seen tens of thousands of products during her 38-year career and received feedback from countless buyers. Few people in the UK have a better understanding of the craft industry and the changes it has seen over the past four decades.
Norwich Cathedral’s Hostry is showcasing a collaborative exhibition of work by two artists, featuring stained glass panels made during lockdown by Sasha Ward, based on drawings by Ray Ward.
Called ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’, the two-month exhibition runs from 12 October until 12 December.
Alongside the series of stained glass panels, the exhibition features a guide to making stained glass and draws a link between the couple’s contemporary art and the stained glass windows in the cathedral and churches around the county.
Although they worked alongside each other since meeting at art school more than 30 years ago, this is the first time Sasha and Ray have collaborated on an exhibition together.
Ray’s art is full of droll, everyday imagery describing passing thoughts or small incidents. He finds his subject matter not only from observing real life, but also from newspapers, leaflets, billboards, television, radio and his imagination.
Ray said: “The pictures are written from scratch. I have no idea what they are going to be when I start. I have displayed them in groups on the wall forming clouds which you can see as a whole. But if you look harder you can always see something else in the cloud, whether it is a camel, a weasel or a whale.”
Sasha is an architectural glass artist who works to commission making windows and other features for mostly modern public buildings. Her distinctive glass panels are highly decorative, with pattern and strong colour applied to the glass using her own enamelling and sandblasting techniques.
At the start of lockdown, Sasha took a step away from commissioned work and returned to traditional stained glass techniques and figurative imagery, with a series of glass portraits and interpretations of Ray’s drawings.
Sasha said: “The people in Ray’s pictures have always intrigued me in the same way that the figures in church windows do. For me, the new collaborative panels make a link between my own practice and the work of the favourite stained glass artists that have inspired my career.”
‘The Cloud of Unknowing’ is open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm, Saturday 10am–3pm and Sunday 1pm-2.30pm.
Nick Mount has been blowing glass since a cowboy boot-wearing American introduced him to it in the mid-1970s. Looking back, it was a fortuitous time as only months earlier he had married his partner of now more than 45 years, Pauline. Together they went on to establish Victoria’s first hot glass studio, raise three relatively well-adjusted children, and develop an internationally renowned arts practice. Today, they enjoy the chaos of family events with seven grandchildren and Nick is celebrated as one of the most important and influential figures in contemporary Australian studio glass.
Based in Adelaide, South Australia, Nick works out of a home studio and the JamFactory’s open access hot shop. In the traditions of the studio glass movement, he is an advocate for communal training and production, and has a reputation for being a generous teacher and mentor. He also travels regularly, both exhibiting and demonstrating around the world.
Nick’s work is materials and process driven. His early exposure to the thriving studio glass scene on the West Coast of the United States, and the historic and cultural traditions of the Venetians remain an enduring influence. So, too, does his commitment to continually expanding his knowledge of the enigmatic qualities of glass and his belief in the power of working with his hands. More broadly, Nick draws on that which is most important to him: his family; the productive garden he and Pauline have spent 30 years cultivating; the glass community; and the people and places he visits.
Nick says, “While I have been able to continue with my work in the studio without much interruption, I have not had the same access to the furnaces and have had to reimagine my place as a maker.
“The work that has come from this period may seem like another small step in the continuing evolution of my ‘shoots’ and ‘fruits’ series but it has come from a very different period of time and a very different place.
“Some of these new pieces refer more directly to the shapes and colours of fruits that we know. Some of them are less recognisable. Maybe from the future or another place. Maybe from trees or plants that we don’t yet know that hold the promise of something new and exciting. Or frightening.”
The exhibition is on from 10 October to 4 November at the Sabbia Gallery, 609 Elizabeth Street, Redfern, Sydney NSW 2016 Australia. https://sabbiagallery.com
Feature image: Prunus in Repose, photographed by Pippy Mount.
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