A highlight on some of our newest works, the artists behind them and the centuries of glass history in between.
Canadian artist Catherine Benoit is creating a series of magnificent work using her new process: an incredibly inventive multi-step operation involving both kiln cast glass and blown glass elements paired in harmony and heat. The gallery is host to several of her pieces, and she continues to produce more beautiful vessels as she perfects this new technique.
We were lucky enough to see Catherine at work in our own hot shop during her visit for the opening of our ‘Masters of the North’ show focused on glassblowers from Canada. Her hot shop demonstration was an absolute showstopper, check out the video here to see what happened!
Benoit’s Floral interpretations via this new method represent just one facet of the ever-changing face of glass art.
The experimentation required for creative progress such as this rests on a strong foundation of tradition.
Michael Hayes gives us exactly that. His dedication to traditional techniques is clear in the series below which displays a range of optical effects using a singular approach.
This style of patterning in glass, merletto, the Italian word for ‘lace’, was developed on the island of Murano, Italy in the fifteenth century. Merletto is just one of many traditional techniques mastered and kept secret for centuries in the Murano glassblowing guild.
Hayes’ explorations in hue, form and repetition within these traditional bounds balance beautifully with the reliable stability and feminine form of the vessel shape.
