Focus: David Patchen @ Duncan McClellan Glass

Duncan McClellan Glass is launching its DMG School Project, a 501(c)(3) entity to educate the public in various disciplines, such as blowing, fusing and pate de verre. This outreach program will be disseminated via DMG classes, workshops, glass residencies and scholarships.

Duncan kindly gave Art Taco an exclusive tour through the under-construction facility, a large steel building adjacent to the DMG property on its South side. It is spacious, and all the room is needed to house large kilns, sandblasters and other machines necessary to do glass-blowing, fusing and pate de verre. Plus, an apartment for an artist in residence, all while providing high ceilings and big roll-down doors for ventilation.This is a major investment for DMG, one that will help bring the art of glass to the community and bring out future glass artists.

Duncan also displayed his new Mobile Glass Lab and sandblast unit, outfitted to go on location to teach students in groups of 20 in four hr. sessions. He told me small kilns will be added to the lab so students can learn to make small fused glassworks.                  
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Duncan and his sandblaster in the Mobile Glass Lab

DMG Mobile Glass Lab, side view.

 I love what Duncan is doing with all this, expanding the arts glass community and raising the bar towards a better future.

David Patchen, "Foglio"

On the left is David Patchen's "Foglio" The colors, forms and transparencies in this work and others by Patcchen are made with multi-layered cane and murrine, which is made from colored rods and patterned cross-setions of glass. Patchen has said he considers these forms three-dimensional canvases Not clear in this photo is that one can see  right through the large colored spots to the inside of the piece.. It is a spectacular, dynamic and complex piece.












Also seen at DMG was this work on the left by Massimiliano Schiavone, made of blown glass, filligrana cane, and diamond-carved. Beautiful as it is, it holds a secret. With permission, I put a small camera looking into it, and the orgiastic forms and colors on the right revealed themselves.

Last, as I was leaving DMG, the sun was low in the sky, a shaft of light coming in, turning this work into pure luminosity.

Congratulations to all the artists, Duncan McClellan and his able crew for a very good show, and for their community-building.

--- Luis