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Johnathon Turner was born and raised in Northern California. He attended university at UC Santa Cruz and earned his Bachelor's degree in Earth Science. He later took three years of courses in glass at San Jose State with Mary White. This led to an apprenticeship and work in Santa Fe New Mexico with Flo Perkins. During this time he worked with Charles Miner, Peet Robinson, and Mark Stephenson. After gaining support to apply, he attended graduate school at the School for American Crafts, at RIT, the Rochester Institute of Technology. He was elected the student representative of the Directors of the Glass Art Society there. After being awarded his MFA in 1997, Mr. Turner won a Fulbright Scholarship to attend the Canberra School of Art in Australia for post graduate study. During this time in Australia, Mr. Turner attended the opening of the Venezia Aperto Vetro show in Venice, Italy in 1998 of which Canberra School of Art was the only school to be invited. He became a member of a team for Klaus Moje, and learned how to help turn Klaus Moje's fused glass flat panels into blown glass cylinders in a revolutionary glassmaking process known as the Roll Up.
In August of 1999, Mr. Turner's solo show at the Beaver Galleries in Australia was entitled "Unconformities" which dealt with the expression in glass of the meeting and juxtaposition of two different types of rock strata within the context of a vessel via this Roll Up process. After a three month residency at Gloria Hot Glass in Auckland New Zealand with Ruth Allen and a world traveling expedition, he returned to California in 2000. He eventually settled his operation in Santa Cruz in 2002. Here he began his glass skateboard decks with text and an engraved finsih. Mr. Turner has also published a book about the process of grinding glass, The Joy of Coldworking, published by Four Corners International Press.
The Roll Up - A Statement About the Process
The Roll Up technique involves a combination of kilnforming, hot working, and cold working the glass. It is a technique for blowing glass that does not require a furnace full of molten glass; all that is required to blow a Roll up is a glory hole and two kilns. The main consideration with the Roll up technique is the extreme delicacy of the blowing operation – it requires one to be in a constant, active dialogue with the piece of glass. The whole process enables one to produce precise and intricate design in the glass. These patterns are unachievable with furnace glass, from the depth of color and design to different patternings on the inside and the outside of the vessel.
Mark Abildgaard has an M.F.A. from the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii and received his B.A. at the University of San Francisco in San Francisco, California. He has served as an instructor in the process of Kiln Casting in numerous institutions across the country and has taught as a guest lecturer for the Smithsonian Associates Studio Arts Program in Washington DC as well as for the Glasmuseum in Ebeltoft, Denmark. His tribal visions have shown in exhibits such as the American Craft Museum in New York and the Bullseye Connection Gallery in Portland, OR. For a full list of his works and exhibits please visit his website by following the link below.
Sculptural Works Statement
The sculpture I create reflect the inner energy of life. The figurative images in my work give me the inspiration to create forms that are connected to the human experience. By using a figure as a starting point in my work I am able to explore the subtle nuances in each form that will ultimately define the final image. In making sculpture I seek to achieve a balance between line, volume, texture and color. Because I work in clay to create the original work I am able to focus on developing form and texture without the distraction of color. One of the challenges of using glass as a sculptural material is to find a way to work with color and light that will not detract from the original idea. The nature of glass allows adding an incredible power to the sculptural image by reacting with light. I create work that will be enhanced by this unique characteristic. I use simple forms to represent faces, bodies, heads. I am trying to find archetypical images which are not cultural specific. In working with these images I am seeking a way to combine ancient forms and my own life experiences. I strive for my work to represent this connection to the past.
A self-taught sculptor, Charley has worked with wood and stone for nearly fifty years. Born in Kansas in 1930, he lived in Iowa and South Dakota until 1943 when his family moved to San Jose. He attended San Jose State University, and then graduated from Stanford Medical School in 1955. Since retiring from a career in pediatric hematology-oncology at the University of California at Davis, he has lived in Monterey County. He works with local wood- including cypress, buckeye, cottonwood, and even old untreated power poles. He also uses a variety of stone, including soapstone, alabaster, limestone and granite. He now lives with his wife, Nancy, in Carmel Valley, California.
Artist's Statement- Sculpture In Wood and Stone
The simplicity and form of the works of Beniamino Bufano and Henry Moore have influenced my sculpture, as have the writings of Marija Gimbutas regarding ancient cultures. Animal forms and goddess figures are frequent subjects. The inspiration for many of my works begins with the shape of the stone or piece of wood used for the sculpture.
Candace Martin was born in Saratoga, California. She was raised between there and a family cattle ranch in Oregon. Her interest in art began in early childhood. She has painted and sculpted for as long as she can remember. Candace's career as an artist began at age thirteen, when she sold her first piece. Since then, she has had numerous commissions and her work has been exhibited in Los Angeles and throughout the Bay Area.
Artistically, Candace has explored a wide variety of mediums and materials. Painting has been her primary outlet, though she has explored both sculptural work and installation art. Her love of color naturally drew her to glass. Her fascination with glass found an outlet three years ago when she began assisting a local glass artist in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Working production introduced her to the idea of making art as a team. She also found that she had an apt patience for cold working.
Treg Silkwood was born and raised in the big sky country of Montana. Growing up he knew that he wanted to work with his hands. He studied pre-medicine at the University of Montana before deciding to
pursue a career in the arts. In 1996 he received his BFA from Alfred University graduating the Top Student of the Art and Design school. Treg spent the next five years working as a production glass blower recreating early American glass at the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village. At the Village, he deepened his appreciation for the history and the craft of working with glass. It was there that he discovered the value of using glass as a vehicle of expression. Treg has worked as a gaffer for the Hot Glass Road Show of the Corning Museum of Glass, a state of the art mobile glass blowing studio. He has demonstrated and taught glassblowing at numerous institutions and schools across the United States and abroad. In 2002, Treg met Candace Martin. The two immediately fell in love and soon after combined their talents to form Silkwood Glass, a custom, hand-crafted glass company. Treg and Candace bring complementary talents to their partnership, Treg's glassblowing skill and mastery of form are coupled by Candace's painterly sense of color and innovative designs. As each piece is formed from the molten glass, the couple shares a dynamic relationship. Throughout the creative process, their interaction seems choreographed in a whirl of constant motion and deliberation.
Artist Statement- The Draw of Glass
I am drawn to glass as a material for its properties of fragility and clarity, the way it captures and manipulates light, and its ability to metaphorically represent the line between the visible and invisible. - Treg Silkwood
When someone shows you who they are, believe them. - Candace Martin
Marsha Blaker-deSomma is a well known and very respected name in ceramics locally and nationally. She received her Masters Degree in both ceramics and glass, and has attended the world renowned Pilchuck Glass School as a scholarship student and as a staff member. She has mastered a multitude of techniques in both ceramics and glass. Although the mediums differ widely, her love of nature, texture and attention to detail run throughout. She has had major gallery and museum exhibitions across the United States and Europe, is included in numerous public and private collections, and has received many awards.
Treg Silkwood is an independent artist in the San Francisco Bay area, received his B.F.A. from Alfred University. He also studied at the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague and did graduate work at Illinois State University. Silkwood has taught glassblowing at a variety of institutions including San Jose State University and The Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village. His work has been part of major exhibitions in Chicago, Santa Cruz, Calif., and Prague.
Artist Statement on Natural Forms
As artists, Candace and I see ourselves as translators of not only our own experiences, but of the world around us. Sharing an enjoyment of the outdoors, we both find an affinity with the natural beauty that surrounds us. As makers, we continually find inspiration on our walks along the Californian coast. Our recent work explores our particular fascination with many of the different shell types and natural forms we have collected along our travels. Creating glass shells has become a process of exploration and discovery. We take great pleasure in figuring out how to sculpt new and innovative shell designs. Though our work references natural forms and color patterns, it is in no way an attempt to replicate actual shells. Instead, we respond to the elegant beauty and intricate complexity of shells, and in the making form a personal connection to the place we call home.
Elise Ordorica studied Art and Design at Alfred University. In her third year of study she was offered a semester abroad at the Edinburgh College of Art in Edinburgh, Scotland. She worked for Chappell Galleries in Boston and NY where she discovered her affinity for glass jewelry. After graduating from Alfred in 2000, and working at the Pilchuck Glass School, Elise Ordorica managed and directed the Chappell Gallery, Boston, while helping to oversee their New York Gallery. In 2002, Elise attended the Pilchuck Glass School and moved to Santa Cruz, California. She began working for Larry Selman at his gallery L.H. Selman Ltd. and learned various glass techniques for paperweights both modern and antique. She took metal-smithing classes at the Revere Academy in San Francisco to strengthen her small metals techniques. In 2005, Elise met Dorothy Lenehan protege to Narcissus Quagliata, and owner of Lenehan Glass, a small architectural glass firm in Oakland, California. Elise became the studio manager and lead fabricator for three years. Elise Ordorica lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains with her husband and two children, where she continues to create sculptural glass and metal jewelry, as well as larger forms in glass.
Cast Glass and Silver Jewelry Artist Statement
In my mind, an artist is one who responds to their surroundings, reflects on the circumstances encompassing them, and creates accordingly. I am inspired by nature; I chose my colors based on my impression of the seasons as they change around me. I am fascinated with multiple components and elements and am intrigued with how these are put together to make an object function. I feel that I am drawn to create art that is kinetic not only because we live in such a fast past environment, but because we are beings that are in constant motion. I strive to make my work so that it comfortably moves along with the wearer. I feel that in doing so, I am adding an additional aspect that is exciting to the viewer as well as the wearer. My necklaces are in design based on the idea of multiples; creating an item and producing this item with slight differences in order to create the whole. My goal with each composition is to create a sculptural wearable piece of art. I intend for the wearer to feel more beautiful and unique, as if the necklace or earrings are a crown of royalty.
Chris Tedesco has been a sculptor and glass artist for over 30 years. His work is represented internationally and he has shown at the LH Selman Gallery and the Traver Gallery in Seattle. Since establishing Tedescoglass in Santa Cruz, Chris has designed and produced architectual, sculptural and functional glass and glass lighting. Now he is introducing his newest product lines: Tedescoglass Bags, "The Collector's Handbag" and RoccaWare.
Tedescoglass Artist Statement
Tedesdcoglassbags combine fine craftsmanship with imagination to create uncommon versions of that common accessory, the lady’s handbag. These sculptures are hand-blown with vibrant colors and 23-carat gold leaf. Tedescoglassbags are available in seven design styles: Ventuno, Sedici, Otto, Cinque, Roma, Sacco and Veneto. RoccaWare combines functionality with the unique esthetic of Tedescoglass. Inspired by Neapolitan light, these jewel-like individually handcrafted pieces are currently available in two forms: pedestal plates and cylinder vases. In my work, glass is transformed into three dimensional paintings of light and color. Complicated techniques used in the making of these pieces fade away as the presence of the artwork makes itself felt. The intention of my work is to create an environment for the viewer- a place where one feels encouraged to ponder and reflect.
Nick Leonoff was born in 1978 in Santa Clara, California. In 1983 the Leonoff family moved to Carmel Valley, where Nick was raised and lived while attending Carmel High and graduating in 1997. He began apprenticing for renowned stained glass artist Alan Masaoka in 1998 while he attended Monterey Peninsula College and pursued a business degree. In 2000, Leonoff put glass to the side as he transferred to Pepperdine University to complete his Bachelors’ degree. He graduated in 2002 with honors and remained in the Los Angeles area to work. In 2004, Nick returned to the Monterey Peninsula and was taught to blow a glass bubble by Alan Masaoka and was hooked on learning how to blow glass. In 2005, he took his first course at the Bay Area Glass Institute, followed by a summer program at Red Deer College. In 2006, Nick studied Italian Cane and Murrini Patterning techniques at the Pittsburg Glass Center in Pennsylvania under Kait Rhoads. In 2007, Nick attended the acclaimed Pilchuck Glass School in Washington to study coldworking by Greg Dietrich. Nick continued his education in 2008 when he was awarded scholarships to attend the Corning Museum of Glass in New York as well as Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine. In 2009, Nick returned to The Studio at Corning to study under Davide Salvadore, a Murano Maestro, to refine his understanding of the muranese glass blowing techniques. Nick returned to Corning in 2010 to expand his portfolio by studying hot sculpting techniques taught by Martin Janecky. Nick has studied and worked with a variety of glass artists including: Alan Masaoka, Johnathon Schmuck, Kathy Barrett, Treg Silkwood, Tyler Rock, Kait Rhoads, Greg Dietrich, Paul DeSomma, Marsha Blaker, Anthony Schafermeyer, Claire Kelly, Jack Wax, Davide Salvadore, Martin Janecky, Ross Richmond, George Kennard, April Surgent and Jiri Harcuba. In 2011, Nick moved his studio to Brooklyn, NY to further pursue artistic endeavors.
Glass Blowing Artist Statement
Since the first gather of glass I took from the furnace I have been intrigued with the process of glass blowing, and the intensity of working with a molten medium that can quickly take form to a solid state. There is an urgency to create in that moment of time that requires both patience and spontaneity as the glass is heated, blown and sculpted into its final form. The luminescent qualities of glass appeal to me as it responds to light. I am drawn to the potential of a material that can vary from a translucent to an opaque medium in a brilliant range of colors and gradations. I strive to create forms with colors, shapes and proportions that are pleasing to the eye with an intricacy that invites the viewer to engage and contemplate the piece.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1940, Iris Litt graduated with a B.A. from Cornell University in 1961, and graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, in 1965. She took her internship and residency in pediatrics at the New York Hospital, and is board certified in pediatrics, with a subspecialty in adolescent medicine.Dr. Litt was a teaching fellow at Cornell Medical College from 1967 to 1968, then taught pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx from 1968 to 1970. She was director of the Juvenile Center Service of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Montefiore Hospital from 1968 to 1973, and became medical director for adolescents at Rikers Island Prison Health Services from 1974 to 1976. Since 1976 Dr. Litt was director of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Stanford University's Department of Pediatrics, where she served as a professor of pediatrics and director of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender.
Now retired, she is an emerita professor of Pediatrics. She served Stanford University for 35 years. In 1985 she first learned techniques of glass cutting during a sabbatical leave, but didn’t have an opportunity to apply this knowledge until recently. In 2008, she enrolled in a semester long fused glass class at the local community college and a three day class on kiln-cast glass with Mark Abildgaard. She has since taken a number of classes at the Bullseye Glass Resource Center in Portland, Oregon
Glass Jewelry as Wearable Art
From that moment 25 years ago, when I experienced the brilliant pink light cast by the north rose window of Chartres Cathedral, I’ve been captivated by the power of glass--to transform, to transmit, to reflect light. My more recent discovery of the techniques of glass fusing, has inspired me to create sweeping panoramas, to experiment with inclusion of glass and other fragments and mold glass into different shapes. By releasing glass from its physical constraints I experience the thrill of watching it interpret my ideas. Together we have created shapes ranging from mountains and cities to wearable art. My life has always been enriched by color, fashion, travel, science and people. Now I am finally able to combine them in my creations. To be thus freed to adorn the body, move in the world, interact with the sun and the elements, my glass jewelry becomes the people’s art.
Ellen Henrici was born in Pittsburgh, PA, studied painting and printmaking at Carnegie-Mellon University, graduating with honors in 1971. She moved to New York city and worked as an assistant art director. Since 1977 she has lived in Carmel California. Her work has been shown in Pittsburgh, New York, Baltimore and on the Monterey Peninsula.
Artist Statement- A Vision Through Color
I collaborate with vibrant watercolor visions of the cosmos--mandalas emerging from a celestial field--intention moving toward manifestation. As a Burning Man artist for many years, I have created extravagant and interactive sculptural pieces enjoyed by thousands of participants.
Sara Burns spent 20 years working in the home furnishings industry focusing on design, manufacturing and retailing worldwide. As a fashion forecaster she developed new directions in textiles that reflected upcoming color and pattern trends. From textiles she moved to the tabletop industry developing innovative dinnerware, glassware and flatware patterns. Here not only color and pattern were critical but also 3-dimensional shape. This broad design background prepared her to launch a career in the field of Jewelry Design.
Artist Statement -Jewelry as Exploration of Form
Because my jewelry has so much complexity, I tend to keep my shapes simple. Clean, linear forms enriched with a mosaic of metals, textures and stones are the defining factors of my work.