Looking at Glass with Mom My mom is inquisitive and a big supporter / admirer of the arts. We like to go look at art together and mom likes to ask me a lot of questions. While both of us were in Portland, OR over the winter break, I suggested a glass art outing (selfishly, I wanted to learn more about contemporary glass). We headed to Bullseye Gallery, which was showing two Australian glass artists; Mel George and Giles Bettison. Right off the bat, mom asked me how George created her wall mounted pieces. Besides knowing that they were kiln formed, I couldn’t tell her exactly. Each piece took the form of a group of Polaroids or a calendar. Given the recognizable format, we had a lot to discuss, even without knowing the exact process. We talked about what each piece represented, which we liked best and why. Mom liked “Portland Hue”, four glass Polaroids ranging from dark gray to light gray. She liked the simple and effective concept of Portland’s unfortunate weather pattern during the winter. Bettison’s work was far more visually intricate compared to George.Using murrine, Bettison constructed vessels and wall pieces with extremely vivid colors and pattern. After doing my research, I know that murrine is slices of cane, which is a group of different rods fused together. The cane is sliced to reveal the pattern created by the bundle of rods. Bettison’s work reminds me of quilt work; the murrine is the patches which are fused together instead of sewn. Once connected, the glass is formed into three dimensional objects or left as a two dimensional “picture”. With so many possible end results, I can imagine devoting years to learning this technique and never getting bored. Pittsburgh Glass Center teaches murrine and cane in some of the more advanced classes. There are quite a few hot shopsummer intensives this year that include these techniques. Upstairs there was a mish mash of work, ranging in artist and styles.Mom likes to ask me once we’ve seen everything, “Which one piece would you most like to own?” I decided on a piece by Michael Rogers,“A Faithful Likeness” (This piece from Jun Kaneko was a close second). The mixed media work featured a cast glass rabbit sitting inside an enormous blown glass bell etched with birds. The rabbit is holding fabric, thread and needle; which he has used to embroider a similar bird. In addition to my extreme fondness for rabbits, I was impressed with Rogers’ effective use of mixed media. Integrating multiple glass techniques with other materials (In this case fabric), he creates well-rounded scenery to tell his story. I was also fascinated that the rabbit had been compelled to mimic the birds on fabric. For the record, Mom didn’t quite agree with me, she said the birds scared her. This piece really resonated with me so I did a little searching for more of Rogers’ work. Turns out, Rogers and Richard Hirsch (both professors at RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences) did a dual residency and exhibition at PGC’s Hodge Gallery back in 2007/2008.Boy, do I ever wish I had been in Pittsburgh to see the show. Honestly, what could be more exciting than an amazing glass artist and an amazing ceramic artist teaming up? I can’t think of a single thing, can you?
