Samantha Stitz, of Hextasy Glass - featured exhibitor at the 2021 Festival Expo

Samantha Stitz (Sam) lives and works in sunny Brisbane, but has displayed her glass art at markets and exhibitions all over Australia. Her first contact with the amazing world of glass was in 2008, when her mother bought a fused dichroic pendant "I was mesmerized!", she says. "I'm fascinated by its different colours and by the different glass working techniques."

From fusing to lampwork to sculpting

Fusing pendants led her to lampworking (using an oxygen fuelled torch to melt glass) and she started making beads in 2010. From beads, Sam moved on creating glass sculptures, using primarily soft glass. " Soft glass can be a bit temperamental", she says, especially when you are working on large pieces. So I talk nicely to it! I design my sculptures as collections of individual components, to avoid changes in temperature stressing the glass as I assemble the components into the finished sculpture."

 

More recently, Sam has added enamelling copper to her repertoire of techniques. "This is lots of fun to do", she says, "especially in the summer months in Brisbane as it can get very hot and humid - not suitable for spending hours at the torch!"

 

Building community

Sam's new to MadeIt, but she's thrilled to be part of their community. "We all need to support the market for crafts that are handmade in Australia, especially in our currently uncertain world", she says, "There is just so much talent and inspiration out in the community. I'm happy when someone adopts one of my pieces, so I'm happy to support other artists when I'm looking for gifts and homewares."

 

Let's give Sam the final word: "Over the years, glass has brought me so much joy and taught me great patience, perseverance and humility. Not everything you try will work the first time, but practice and hard work will always get you where you want to be. I am largely self-taught, but in the past few years I have attended the amazing workshops by glass masters at the Festival of Glass; and I enjoy teaching and sharing what I do. I hope that you will enjoy my passion as much as I do."

Glass art mentorship to build community

The 2018 Festival of Glass includes the launch of the Festival’s Mentorship Programme for aspiring glass artists.

The Mentorship Programme is a fresh feature of the Festival of Glass and is aimed at local Year 11 Visual Arts students who are considering careers as glass artists.

There will be two recipients of a Mentorship each year. Each one will receive 5 two-hour sessions of personal tuition by their Mentor over six months. Mentors will be established, professional glass artists, who will be paid for their participation in the programme.

The Mentorship Programme will introduce recipients to a range of ideas, techniques and processes used in glass work. It will also assist recipients to:

·      exhibit and sell their work and to compete for Awards – starting with the Glass Art Awards at the 2019 Festival of Glass

·      build a professional resumé, starting by participating in the 2018 Festival of Glass and promoting the 2019 Mentorship programme at school assemblies

·      contribute to community connectedness and citizenship by building a network of shared interests and mutual respect with other recipients and with other artists.

 

A bigger picture?

"Welcome to Drysdale" mural

The Mentorship programme will help the Festival of Glass to promote a sense of community and cultural identity on the Bellarine Peninsula. It will increase glass art’s profile in the area, encourage local aspiring glass artists to embed their work in their community and encourage that community to celebrate its young people’s talents.

The Festival of Glass committee is also grateful to the individuals and organisations without whose support the Mentorship would not exist:

·      Mark Eliott

·      Peter Minson

·      Beaders Guild of Geelong Inc.

·      OPSM Waurn Ponds

·      The Rotary Club of Drysdale.

Each of these individuals and organisations supports the Mentorship Programme’s aim to share skills, broaden experiences and build community; and the Festival committee values their encouragement and support.

Featured Festival of Glass sponsor: Mark Eliott

"Essence of Cloud" Mark Eliott

The Festival of Glass committee is very grateful to Mark Eliott for his sponsorship of the Festival’s 2018 Mentorship Programme. In 2015, Mark was the Festival’s first Artist in Residence and in 2016 he returned and worked together with Peter Minson as our first joint Artists in Residence.

Mark is a contemporary artist working in glass, stop-motion animation and music. He teaches flame-work and has exhibited internationally and has a strong interest in environmental issues.

Mark’s work has a number of themes. One is mythology and story telling; another is  sculptural abstraction informed by, as he puts it, “the dance between improvisation and structure”. A third theme is representing organisms in glass – an interest he shares with the Festival’s 2018 Artist in Residence, Mauro Vianello. Mark also collaborates with Jack McGrath to create “Flame-ation” works that combine stop-motion photography of flame-worked glass with digital compositing.

Contacts:

E-mail: mark@markelliottglass.com

Web site: http://.www.markelliottglass.com

Featured Festival of Glass sponsor: Peter Minson

"Ship in a Bottle" Peter Minson

The Festival of Glass committee is very grateful to Peter Minson for his sponsorship of the Festival’s 2018 Mentorship Programme. In 2016, Peter joined Mark Eliott as the Festival’s first joint Artists in Residence.

Peter is the third generation of his family to work with glass and has done so for more than forty years. Initially, he managed the family business making scientific glassware; then he established his own creative glass business, which he combines with importing and retailing glass from Italy and equipment and tools direct from elsewhere.

Peter established a lampwork glass studio in Binalong, near Canberra, 20 years ago and has taught lampworking at the Canberra School of Art, RMIT University Melbourne and Sydney School of Art. He has exhibited extensively and his work is on display permanently in many glass art collections.

Contacts:

Tel. (02) 6227 4312    Mob. 0427 265 034

E-mail peter@minsonartglass.com.au

 

Thanks to the City of Greater Geelong and the Bendigo Bank, our Awards sponsors, our Treasure Hunt sponsors and other local ‘in kind’ supporters.

Get the latest Festival news

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Festival-of-Glass-189670377738114/

Web site: www.festivalofglass.net.au

Blog (you’re here!): http://festivalofglass.blogspot.com

Festival launch on High Tea menu

A High Tea at The Bungalow restaurant in Drysdale on Monday 8 January celebrated the official launch of the 2018 Festival of Glass.

The event began with a welcoming glass of bubbly while around forty five guests looked at a preview of “Glass Inspirations”, an exhibition by local glass artists that runs at The Bungalow until March.

The Bungalow’s Kerry Bell welcomed everyone to the High Tea, then Festival of Glass co-ordinator Doug Carson talked about the Festival - now in its eighth year.

Glenda MacNaughton with future glass artists?

The guests were fascinated when local artist Glenda MacNaughton demonstrated how to stretch, mould and blow glass into beads and globes and talked about Mauro Vianello, a glass master from Murano in Italy, who will be the 2018 Festival’s Artist in Residence.

Pirate Chief Diane Schofield

‘Pirate chief’ Diane Schofield introduced the Festival’s Treasure Hunt, which has over a hundred glass art prizes, involves thirty two local businesses and ends on Sunday 18 February with a draw at the Festival of Glass Expo at Drysdale’s Christian College.

 

Featured Festival sponsor - Bendigo Bank 

The Bendigo Bank prides itself on being community-orientated and its investment in the Festival of Glass is a good example!

The Bendigo Bank is part of the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank's network of brands, providing a wide range of banking products and services to more than 1.4 million retail customers through its 400 plus branches and agencies. It works with communities to contribute to their prosperity, because it believes that successful communities make successful businesses.

The Bendigo Bank has supported the Festival from its beginning in 2011, and is now a major sponsor. The Festival Committee is grateful for the Bank’s support and is always happy to acknowledge the Bank’s contribution to the Festival’s success. The Bendigo Bank's investment and support has been crucial to the growth and diversification of the Festival itself and - importantly - of its roots in the local community. Without the Bank’s involvement, we’d have a very different Festival of Glass.

 

Bellarine College of Glass a step closer

The Festival’s dream of a Bellarine College of Glass has come a step closer with the launch of a glass art Mentorship programme at the 2018 Festival of Glass.

The programme will focus on young aspiring glass artists and each year, the Festival of Glass committee will collaborate with local secondary schools to select three recipients of a Mentorship. Each recipient will receive 5 two-hour sessions of personal tuition by their Mentor over six months. Mentors will be established, professional glass artists, who will receive $500 each for their participation.

Mercedes Drummond is the Festival committee member running the programme. “The Mentorship programme will help the Festival to promote a sense of community and cultural identity on the Bellarine Peninsula.” she said. “It will encourage local aspiring glass artists to embed their work in their community and encourage the community to celebrate its young people’s talents.”

Building careers

Mentors will assist recipients to build careers as glass artists by introducing them to a range of glass working techniques, assisting them to sell their work and to compete for Awards – starting with the Glass Art Awards at the 2018 Festival of Glass. Mentors will help recipients to build a professional resume by participating in the 2018 Festival of Glass and they will encourage recipients to build a network of shared interests and mutual respect with other artists and students in the Mentorship programme.

“The establishment of the glass art Mentorship programme means that young people can receive personal tuition and guidance to explore whether they’d like to become a glass artist”, said Mercedes Drummond. “The programme may seem a long way from a Bellarine College of Glass, but as someone said once, ‘From little things, big things grow!’”

Festival hits newsstands and roads

In January and February, the 2017 Festival of Glass will lift its local profile considerably – keep your eyes on the local newsstands and roadsides, folks!

In early January, eye-catching adverts for the 2017 Festival’s Treasure Hunt appeared in four local papers: the Bellarine/Surf Coast Times, the Echo, the Indy and the Voice. Another wave of colourful adverts – this time for the Festival as a whole – will appear in those four papers and in the Springdale Messenger in early February, together with a full-page advert in What’s On in Geelong. Finally, an advert for the Festival will appear in the Geelong Advertiser on 17 February – just two days before the Festival Expo.

Each of the four local papers has covered the Festival in the past and we hope that they will want to cover the 2017 Festival. After all, a Festival of Glass is full of light, colour and sparkle - a press photographer’s dream!

Enjoy our roadside signs – but drive safely, of course!

On the road, bright and colourful roadside signs are promoting the Festival – look out for the Festival’s distinctive logo – as well as the Festival’s Treasure Hunt, which runs until 19 February.

On the Geelong-Portarlington Road, a five-foot sign at the entry to Leura Park Estate alerts visitors (and sharp-eyed drivers!) to “Twilight Flames” - an evening with Venetian glass master David Penso on Saturday 18 February.

“Twilight Flames” will be the second collaboration between the Festival and Leura Park Estate: as part of the 2016 Festival, we staged a glass Masterclass with Mark Eliot and Peter Minson. That show sold out well in advance and the venue did us proud; and “Twilight Flames” looks set for similar success. Thanks once again to Leura Park Estate for their support.

Featured Festival sponsor – City of Greater Geelong (iii)

www.geelongcity.vic.gov.au

The City of Greater Geelong (CoGG) has created three online tools with which to supports and promote arts and culture in the region. First, its Arts Atlas (http://artsatlasgeelong.com.au/), offers a guide to arts-related activities. It includes a weekly Arts Bulletin offering a guide to arts-related news, while its Events Calendar lists artistic and cultural events in the region. The Festival of Glass features regularly in the Events Calendar – we’re there now!

Second, the Geelong Arts & Culture Trails app displays CoGG’s growing collection of public and street art, creative spaces, art studios and galleries. Finally, the council’s Connecting Memory app brings together musicians, writers and film makers in stories that explore the significance of local places to local people.” Connecting Memory tells 50 stories as it takes you along the 80km trail from the top of the You Yangs to the mouth of the Barwon River.

Featured Festival sponsor – Rotary Club of Drysdale (ii)

admin@drysdalerotary.org.au                        www.drysdalerotary.org.au

P.O. Box 123, Drysdale 3222, Victoria

Meets: Mondays at 6:30 PM at Clifton Springs Golf Club, 92-94 Clearwater Drive, Clifton Springs, Victoria 3222.

Rotary is an international network that operates on three levels. The first level consists of the local clubs - like the Rotary Club of Drysdale – whose 1.2 million members want to exchange ideas, build relationships and take action. The next level is Rotary International, which coordinates global actions. Finally, the Rotary Foundation channels donations into projects by Rotarians and their partners, which include the United Nations and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

A major activity of the Rotary Club of Drysdale is its Easter Art Show. In its forty years, the Art Show has raised around $20,000 for local and international charities and community projects.

Rotary: Promoting excellence in the community

The Club’s commitment to promoting artistic excellence in the community has led it to sponsor the “Second Life” Glass Art Award at each year’s Festival of Glass. The Award is for the best piece of glass art that recycles glass and that reflects Rotary’s theme for the year.

"Light of Medusa"

In 2015, the theme was “Light Up the World” and the inaugural “Second Life” Award went to David Hobday for his piece, “Light of Medusa”. In 2016, Rotary’s theme was “Gift to the World” and the Award went once again to David Hobday. The theme for 2017 is “Serving Humanity”; guess who’s hoping for a hat trick!

Get the latest Festival news

On Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Festival-of-Glass-189670377738114/

On the web site: www.festivalofglass.net.au

On the blog (you’re here!): http://festivalofglass.blogspot.com

Volunteering at the Festival

Our “Friends of the Festival” online newsletter gives the latest Festival news specifically for our volunteers. To become a Friend of the Festival, please send an e-mail to festivalofglassdrysdale@gmail.com

Put “Festival Friends” in the subject bar and put your name and address in the body of the e-mail.

Mosaic marauder makes memorable mascot!

A mosaic pirate head has become the mascot of the 2017 Festival of Glass Treasure Hunt.

From marauder to mascot!

The head was created by Festival of Glass committee member Diane Schofield, who heads the team running the 2017 Treasure Hunt.

 “People don’t always associate glass with mosaics”, said Diane. “Perhaps this is because the little tiles (‘tesserae’) used to create mosaics can be of stone or marble, as well as glass. However, I created my pirate head using glass tiles exclusively.”

The Treasure Hunt was launched on 3 January and has attracted twenty eight business sponsors in Curlewis, Drysdale and Portarlington.

Mosaics will be among the many forms of glass art on display at the Festival of Glass Expo on 19 February at Christian College, Drysdale.

Featured Festival sponsor – Leura Park Estate (i)

1400 Portarlington Rd., Curlewis Vic. 3222               03 5253 3180

http://leuraparkestate.com.au/

Open: 10.30am – 5.00pm Sunday to Thursday and all public holidays; open daily in January. Live music on Sundays. Bookings recommended.

The 2017 Festival of Glass committee is very grateful to Leura Park Estate for supporting the Festival’s Treasure Hunt (2 January to 18 February) and “Twilight Flames” event (18 February).

Established in 1995, the 150 acre Leura Park Estate includes 40 acres planted with premium, cool climate varietal vines, from which grapes are predominantly hand-picked. In the hands of winemaker Darren Burke, they yield the Estate’s renowned Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay wines, as well as Sparkling Shiraz, Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay and Sparkling Blanc de Blanc.

Owners David and Lyndsay Sharpe have designed menus to complement their wines, including stone-based pizzas, seasonal grazing platters (ideal for groups), steak sandwiches and salt & pepper calamari served with a Greek salad. Also on offer is exclusively roasted coffee and an extensive range of teas.

Featured Festival sponsor – Drysdale Health Group (i)

27-29 High Street, Drysdale 3222      5251 2958

http://drysdalephysio.wixsite.com/dryhg1                 drysdalephysio@bigpond.com

The 2017 Festival of Glass committee is very grateful to the Drysdale Health Group for supporting the Festival’s Treasure Hunt (2 January to 18 February).

Under the banner, “Proactive, Preventative and Professional”, the Drysdale Health Group offers a wide range of health-related services from its premises in central Drysdale.

The Group’s Physiotherapists diagnose and treat disorders of the body’s muscles and skeleton, specialising in spinal, sports and rehabilitation physiotherapy; its Exercise Physiologists offer exercise and lifestyle programs to maintain health and deal with chronic illness; while its Pilates specialists strengthen and enhance the body’s ‘core’ muscles to enhance movement and relieve pain.

The Group offers a ‘head to toe’ service; its Podiatrists diagnose, treat and manage disorders of the feet and lower legs as well as conditions that affect the feet, such as diabetes, arthritis and circulatory problems; while its Psychologists assist patients to resolve their current concerns and create a more rewarding life.

A range of ‘complementary medicines’ are also on offer. These include Acupuncture (treats pain, digestive or circulatory problems, fatigue or insomnia, and reactions to stress or hormonal changes), Myotherapy (remedial, sport or relaxation massage to loosen tight muscles) and Naturopathy (dietary and lifestyle changes, herbal medicine, vitamin/mineral therapy and homeopathy).

Get the latest Festival news

On Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Festival-of-Glass-189670377738114/

On the web site: www.festivalofglass.net.au

On the blog (you’re here!): http://festivalofglass.blogspot.com

Volunteering at the Festival

Our “Friends of the Festival” online newsletter gives the latest Festival news specifically for our volunteers. To become a Friend of the Festival, please send an e-mail to festivalofglassdrysdale@gmail.com

Put “Festival Friends” in the subject bar and put your name and address in the body of the e-mail.

More Bellarine businesses back Treasure Hunt

More businesses on the Bellarine Peninsula are backing the 2017 Festival of Glass Treasure Hunt, which runs between 2 January and 18 February.

Curlewis's Chemist For Less is ready!

Twenty eight businesses in Curlewis, Drysdale and Portarlington are backing the 2017 Treasure Hunt - eight more than last year.

Treasure hunters can spot each participating business by a poster in its window or by an interactive map; if they find a glass 'Tiny Treasure' on the premises, the business will stamp their Treasure Hunt entry form.

Portarlington's Wish Pond is set!

Each entry form with ten stamps on it goes into the Treasure Hunt draw at the Festival of Glass Expo on Sunday 19 February.

The draw has over a hundred pieces of locally made glass art as prizes, so treasure hunters, businesses and artists can all be winners!

Business benefits
Being in the Treasure Hunt is good for a business, because while treasure hunters search the premises for its 'Tiny Treasure', they see everything else that the business has to offer.

Participating businesses recognise that the Treasure Hunt attracts inquisitive treasure hunters who  may not otherwise come onto their premises; and they are responding by displaying Treasure Hunt promotional material prominently.

Portarlington's Montana's is keen!

Each participating business is featured on the Festival web site and the Festival blog, exposing them to potential customers who may not otherwise.

Several participating businesses have been featured in previous posts on this blog, all feature on the web site and, of course, all the businesses appear on the Treasure Hunt entry form.

Featured Festival sponsor – Blue Pen (i)

0429 911 980              blupen@ncable.net.au

Blue Pen is the business name of graphic designer Lyn Ingles, who has been a significant supporter of the Festival of Glass since it started in 2011. Lyn has been the major creator of the Festival’s ‘face’ – a consistent, coherent series of images that integrate the Festival’s increasingly diverse activities.

Lyn created a logo for the first Festival of Glass in 2011 and that logo has been associated with every subsequent Festival. The logo’s distinctive typeface and colours have underpinned other logos that Lyn has created subsequently to identify and integrate elements of the Festival. These include the Expo, the Glass Art Awards and the Workshops, as well as Festival projects such as The Glass Trail, the Glass Reflections web site of local glass history and The Glass Mural in Drysdale’s town square.

Most recently, Lyn’s original logo has inspired the striking graphics that she has created for the Festival’s Treasure Hunt, which started in 2016.

Lyn’s creativity and imagination are evident in her work for the Festival of Glass and those qualities are available to any private or public organisation wishing to create a brand or a public ‘face’ - or to improve its existing one.

Get the latest Festival news

On Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Festival-of-Glass-189670377738114/

On the web site: www.festivalofglass.net.au

On the blog (you’re here!): http://festivalofglass.blogspot.com

Volunteering at the Festival

Our “Friends of the Festival” online newsletter gives the latest Festival news specifically for our volunteers. To become a Friend of the Festival, please send an e-mail to festivalofglassdrysdale@gmail.com

Put “Festival Friends” in the subject bar and put your name and address in the body of the e-mail.