Washington Glass School @ Duncan McClellan

[From the Lost Files of the banging Summer of 2013.]

The Washington Glass School is a self-supporting regional institution specializing in sculptural glass, mixed media and interdisciplinary approaches to glasswork. DMG brrought in Tim Tate, Sean Hennesey, Erwin Timmers, and Michael Janis and Allegra Marquart.  

Sean Hennesey, "The Mad Tea Party"

"Mad Tea Party", by Sean Hennesey, alludes to Alice in Wonderland, incorporating rows of ceramic cups at various angles, and it also has political connotations. Note the (glass) contents of the cups have been spilled and are suspended weightlessly above.

Tim Tate, "Memories of my Favorite Book"

Tim Tate, with whom I had the pleasure of speaking with, uses flask-like enclosures as an outer layer of his work. Inside that space, in specimen-like fashion can be found miniature TV screens displaying text from things like his favorite books, in the work shown above, or a small sculpture of a demon-like creature ascending a ladder in the work below, in which the glass is covered in text.

Tim Tate, "Sneaking into Heaven"

Erwin TImmer, "What we leave behind"

 Erwin Timmer's "What We Leave Behind", a beautifully backlit, steel-framed sculptural glass piece about things from the 1990's looks like a plotted-out archaeological dig, or are the iconic consumer items sinking into memory? In low light, this work, light emanating from it lighting up the room, would be an icon of its own.

Allegra Marquart, "Playing Flute to the Fishes"

Allegra Marquart was a printer before becoming a glass artist, and in "Playing Flute to the Fishes", the fusion of the two disciplines is clearly evident. A Pan-like figure plays his flute, the notes sinking into the waters, reaching the fish, who listen raptly. In the background, other creatures dance to his music.

Congratulations to all the artists and to Duncan McClellan and his crew for a great show and for being one of the shining lights in the arts in the Bay Area.

--- Luis