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NOW is the title of a show of new kilnformed glasswork by six artists who teach for the
Bullseye Glass Company's Resource Center. The exhibition is the first local exposure for
some of the artists, who, collectively, have taught and shown kilnformed glass both in the
US and abroad.
As part of their training, the artists—Bonnie Celeste, Christy Corbett, Tom Jacobs, Nathan Sandberg, Erik Whittemore, and Ted Sawyer—have worked with internationally known and
emerging artists from around the world (some of them with training in glass, others
without) to develop new methods, materials, equipment, and approaches in order to
broaden the technical and aesthetic territory of kiln-glass. NOW showcases their current
glasswork in its wide range of forms, from abstract panels and sculpture to contemporary
vessels and cast figures.
This is not glass as usual. Most of the work does not make its material identity the focus of
its message, as is so often the case in the field of glass, and in fact some of it does not at
first appear to be glass, even though it would not be possible with other media. Instead, the
work immediately communicates ideas about identity, consciousness, and time with a
tremendous sensitivity to formal and compositional concerns, while employing a grammar
and vocabulary in glass that is less often spoken.
The young artists exhibiting in NOW represent a unique sector of the creative class in
Portland. They make up a large portion of the research team that develops processes and
educational materials for a company that uses archaic manufacturing methods to produce
what is recognized the world's leading art glass. While most of them have academic
backgrounds in fine art, they have received the vast majority of their glass education, and
in some cases their fine art education, on the job, since most university systems do not yet
immerse students in the kind of glassworking technology practiced at Bullseye or expose
them to the best practitioners of these methods in the world at the same frequency or with
the same intensity that Bullseye does.
detail of Every Once in a While 1 |
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BONNIE CELESTE
"Consider a place where decisions stand still. Where you have the chance to move around them, the done and the undone, look them over, and try them on. Paths and channels of moments lead from one course to another. Visit in waking moments and draw the maps before they dissolve."
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detail of Dwarf Pine #2 |
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CHRISTY CORBETT
"I work primarily with the vessel form for a variety of reasons. I believe that its traditional form and function does not preclude it from further exploration. I find comfort in the familiar and evocative nature of the form. The intriguing relationship between the interior and exterior allows for design and concept that is sometimes unattainable in two dimensions. The choice to walk a fine line between transparency and opacity, or both, makes glass a natural medium for this type of work. Using the kilnforming process to bring these pieces to light invites a longer and more contemplative working pace than some other glassworking methods. Each piece is also invested with multiple firings to allow for both additive and subtractive design work. Some of my pieces are commemorative, highlighting specific moments in history or my own personal experience. Other pieces I make purely for aesthetic exploration. My techniques involve mixing powders to create new colors and exploit the chemically reactive nature of the various glasses, or working with lampwork design elements to contrast with the granular nature of the powder and the rigidity of cut sheet glass."
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detail of Residue III |
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TOM JACOBS
"In my present work, I interpret the remnants of decaying systems using inorganic materials: concrete, steel and, in this case, glass. This juxtaposition echoes my emotional response to the human interface with our built environment, and the temporal nature of that relationship."
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detail of Big L |
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NATHAN SANDBERG
"I am often reminded that I do not pay close enough attention. I habitually take the obvious for granted, as I look past it to get a better view of something more relevant. My work is the result of consciously paying close attention to my surroundings. The individual pieces are always objects pulled from generic locations or experiences. However, it is not my intention to simply re-create them. Instead I am quietly appreciating and celebrating these noticings."
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detail of Gathering |
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ERIK WHITTEMORE
"Planes drone lazily overhead as the smell of fresh-cut grass creeps into my bedroom window.
The ebb and flow of cars only stop for a Saturday or Sun. as if the Moon quit its orbit.
We meet briefly, while I collect my catalogs and you your catalogs, from my yard.
At night, your open blinds and lit rooms call my eyes to your couch, your dinner table, bedroom.
I remotely tune my station to the rhythms of your flickering TV.
Our only difference is that you face this way and I that."
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detail of The Other Body |
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TED SAWYER
"While I'm mostly known for my abstract work (the most recent of which I'll be showing at the Bullseye Gallery from August through September of 2007) I have always had another, perhaps less subtle, body. With this body, I express my wonder at how we live."
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