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Light and Bright Summer Colors and Light Refractions Shine in These Works by Travis Adams, Aya Oki and Jon Goldberg

By July 10, 2021News

Light and Bright

Summer colors and light refractions shine in these works by

Travis Adams, Aya Oki and Jon Goldberg.

Jon Goldberg’s interest in hot glass began in Old City, Philadelphia. He was fascinated by the variety and expressiveness of the glass art on display at a local gallery specializing in Studio Glass. The opportunity became available to take a course in hot glass at a local public-access studio. Jon took his first class in 1999 and was hooked.

As Jon continued to develop his skills, he took classes in many different glassblowing techniques at the Studio at Corning Museum of Glass, ranging from traditional Venetian glassworking to contemporary plasma-neon techniques. He has studied with many great contemporary glass artists, including Josh Simpson, Elio Quarisa, James Nowak, Mark Matthews and William Gudenrath.

Jon’s full-time job as a computer consultant enabled him to follow his muse, bringing East Falls Glassworks, a public-access glass blowing studio in Philadelphia, to reality. Jon continues to consult and operate East Falls Glassworks. He sets aside time for pursuing his glass art and for teaching both introductory and advanced skills to the next generation of glassblowers.

“Working in glass provides a counterbalance to the abstract thought needed for computer consulting. The physical dexterity and skill required for glassblowing are satifying and have no correlation to the world of computers. The problem-solving mindset specific to programming can be applied to creating glass art in series, helping to solve problems and find aesthetic truth as the series evolves.

Aya Oki is a Japanese artist based in San Bernardino, California.

Her focus is on the interaction between glass medium and the life brought to glass through blowing. She controls the materiality of glass and uses her personal process to illuminate it. She considers glass to be a very sensual material and actively seeks to model her vision of its sensibility.

She completed her undergraduate and master’s degree in glass at the Aichi University of Education, Japan. Aya was awarded the Grants for Overseas Study by Young Artists from the Pola Art Foundation and the Program of Overseas Study for Upcoming Artists from the Agency for Cultural Affairs in Japan for studying abroad as a researching artist. She then went to California State University, San Bernardino before completing her MFA at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Since then, she has been traveling the world as an artist and an educator. Recently, she completed the DMG School Project, Residency in St Petersburg, FLpage1image3793360

From the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Travis Adams has embarked on an incredible journey as an artist and glass maker. He was first introduced to the practice of visual art at an early age by the prolific artist and mentor Joe Burks II. Ever since, Adams has traveled extensively in the pursui
t of his passion and dedicated his life to the development of his language as an artist. Adams obtained his undergraduate degree from Centre College in Danville, KY. It was there that he was introduced to glass by renowned artist Stephen Rolfe Powell. He would later develop his glass skills as lead assistant to Powell for several years. He went on to receive a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture with a concentration in glass from Illinois State University, under the direction of glass artist John Miller. During his tenure at ISU, he traveled twice to China for expanded education and academic research. Currently, Adams’ work is inspired by firsthand connections with Gongshi, or Chinese Scholars Rocks, and the interface of topology and glass. He draws influence from artists such as Barbera Hepworth, Henry Moore, and Max Bill, and continuously explores formal ideas involving our connections to nature. This, he believes, is a theme worthy of life-long exploration.