2019 Festival - not one but three Artists in Residence!

In a Festival first, the 2019 Festival of Glass will feature not one but three international Artists in Residence.

Davide at work in Murano

Firstly, Murano glass master Davide Penso makes a welcome return to the Festival of Glass. Davide was our international Artist in Residence in 2016 and was a great hit with the general public who attended his demonstrations and with the people attending his three workshops.

Davide is internationally renowned as a master of flamework, but also as a jewellery designer and creator. He will demonstrate his skills as a flameworker at "Twilight Flames" and at the Festival Expo; and he will give personalised guidance to students at "The Jewellery Lab" - four days of intense experimentation and creativity.

The sub-title of this unique event is "From wondering to wearing", because at "The Jewellery Lab", students can turn their jewellery ideas into finished pieces and then show them off at a gala "Glitz and Glam" evening.

Karina and Cédric at work in Montreal

Our second and third Artists in Residence will be Cédric Ginart and Karina Guevin, from Montreal, Canada. Cedric is a scientific glass blower and glass artist, who has worked with scientists, artists, industrialists, designers and architects; Karina Guevin is a sculptor and a glass artist, renowned for her technical and aesthetic innovation.

Karina and Cédric will join Davide Penso at "Twilight Flames"; at "Torch and Talk" they will create their own flamboyant versions of extraordinary  Venetian glass goblets; and at their "More is Better" workshop, they'll show you how to do it!

Twilight Flames: The Range at Curlewis. 16 February at 6.30pm. Tickets: http://www.festivalofglass.net.au

The Jewellery Lab:  Zoo cafe, Drysdale High Street. 21 – 24 February.

Registration and information: http://www.festivalofglass.net.au

Torch and Talk:  Zoo cafe, Drysdale High Street

 More is Better:  Zoo cafe, Drysdale High Street. 13 – 15 February. 9.00am – 5.00pm.

A glass mural to brighten Drysdale's arcade

The Festival of Glass committee is creating a glass mural to brighten the shopping arcade in Drysdale High Street.

"Before"

The arcade was painted a deep brown, making it a dark and uninviting place to visit or even to walk through. The Festival committee felt that the arcade could be improved by repainting it in a lighter colour, then installing a glass mural to make it a unique site of interest.

Business owners in the arcade were enthusiastic about the proposal, as were the arcade’s owners, so painting started in July. Festival committee members were joined by DCSCA committee members and by some Festival Friends (were you there?!) and after two coats of paint, the arcade looks better and brighter already – even before the mural!

"After"

Passers-by made lots of very positive comments to the painting team, who explained that the project is a Festival of Glass initiative and promoted the Festival shamelessly!

The Festival committee is now considering possible designs for a series of murals to decorate the arcade walls. Each mosaic will be created on a board, which will then be fixed to the wall.

The arcade project is the second mosaic in Drysdale initiated by the Festival of Glass. In October 2016, we unveiled the ceramic and glass “Welcome to Drysdale” mural overlooking the town’s ‘village green’. The mural was created in collaboration with Wathaurong Glass, Bellarine Secondary College and the Rotary Club of Drysdale.

2019 Artist in Residence programme announced

Davide Penso, an internationally renowned glass master and jewellery designer from Murano, Venice will return as an Artist in Residence to the 2019 Festival of Glass.

Davide will teach and demonstrate glass sculpting and blowing, using traditional and modern Venetian techniques at Festival workshops and at a number of public events. He was the Festival’s Artist in Residence in 2017, when he received very good reviews from his workshops and a lot of applause from his demonstrations.

Experiments at the Jewellery Lab

A highlight of Davide’s time at the 2019 Festival of Glass will be a 4-day masterclass – Glass Jewellery Lab: from wondering to wearing. This will be a unique event and Davide and the Festival of Glass committee are looking forward to it with great excitement and high hopes.

As its name implies, the emphasis at the Jewellery Lab will be on experiments! (BYO white lab coat!) Participants can test, try and perfect fresh, new jewellery ideas under Davide’s individualised expert assistance and guidance.

Even seasoned workshop goers are unlikely to have attended an event like the Jewellery Lab. The learning will be intense as each day, people swap and share ideas with each other and with Davide. The excitement will mount as participants’ creativity starts to bear fruit.

What can you do at the Jewellery Lab?

As a participant in the Jewellery Lab, you can let your imagination run wild and turn the results into wearable pieces:

·      Experiment with an exciting menu of glass jewellery components and materials – from the familiar to the extraordinary!

·      Test a range of glass jewellery techniques, including bead making on mandrels, blown beads, cold working, embroidery, engraving, flame work, fusing, grinding, head pins, sculpting off-mandrel, slumping and stringing.

·      Create jewellery that’s perfect for you or for gifts – because you designed it and created it!

·      Learn how to enter public exhibitions, increase your success in competitions and turn your jewellery hobby into a business.

 

The climax of the four days will be the “Glitz and Glam” gala evening on Sunday 24 February 2019, where the products of four days of creativity will be arrayed, displayed and applauded. “Glitz and Glam” will be a unique evening of fashion, flamboyance and flounces, where Jewellery Lab participants will display their finished pieces, delighting the assembled friends, family and admiring onlookers!

Glass Jewellery Lab: from wondering to wearing. Thursday 21 February to Sunday 24 February at Cafe Zoo, Drysdale High Street.

More information about Davide Penso’s workshops at the 2019 Festival of Glass: www.festivalofglass.net.au

You can book workshop places directly from the web site using Eventbrite. Places at each workshop are limited and if you think that now is too early to book .... some places are booked already!

The Festival started its Artist in Residence programme four years ago in 2015, when Mark Eliott filled the bill. In 2016, Mark Eliott returned with Peter Minson, Davide Penso (Murano) came in 2017 and Mauro Vianello (Venice) was Artist in Residence in 2018.

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

Business meets glass art at Treasure Hunt Preview

At an exclusive Preview on December 13 (6.00 - 7.30pm), businesses on the Bellarine will meet local glass artists from whom they have commissioned pieces of glass art as prizes in the 2018 Treasure Hunt.

Water Garden Kelly Veenstra

The Treasure Hunt will run from 8 January to 18 February, as part of the 2018 Festival of Glass. At the Preview, the business people can learn how their glass art is created, while the artists can learn how their creativity is supporting the local economy.

Diane Schofield’s Treasure Hunt team has signed up thirty two businesses from Drysdale, Clifton Springs, Curlewis and Portarlington – up from the twenty eight businesses in last year’s event.

“Businesses in the 2017 Treasure Hunt spoke very positively about their experience”, said Diane Schofield, “and their comments convinced others to join this year’s event.”

During the Treasure Hunt, each participating business will display its commissioned piece; then all the pieces become prizes in the Treasure Hunt draw at the Festival of Glass Expo on Sunday 18 February at Drysdale’s Christian College.

“We’re very grateful to our major sponsors The Bungalow, Leura Park Estate and Parkers Steakhouse”, said Diane Schofield, “We also thank the remaining 29 businesses, especially Chris Walsh’s Pharmacy, Pier View Lolly Shop, Joshae Hair and Beauty, Miss Lillypilly and Surf Junction.”

Murano glass master attracts artists from across Australia

Glass artists from across Australia have come to the Bellarine Peninsula for two weeks to learn glass blowing and sculpting with master glass artist Davide Penso.

Glass master Davide Penso (R) demonstrates a technique

Davide is from Murano, Venice and he is Artist in Residence at the 2017 Festival of Glass. He is running three three-day classes: one for newcomers to glass art and two for experienced glass artists. The classes have attracted glass artists from all six states - Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania, as well as Victoria.

“Glass art classes have always been an integral part of the Festival of Glass”, said Festival convenor Doug Carson. “At the Festival Expo, people see a wide variety of glass art together with demonstrations of how to make it. Then, after the Expo, they can attend a class to make their own glass art. We were delighted that Davide accepted our invitation to the 2017 Festival of Glass, because Murano has been famous for centuries for its glass art.” 

Peter Minson at the 2016 Festival

“The Festival aims to increase local glass artists’ skills and to encourage newcomers to try glass art”, said Festival committee member Patrick Hughes. “We do that by bringing in renowned glass artists whom local artists may not otherwise see. Last year we brought in Mark Eliott from Sydney and Peter Minson from Canberra; this year we’ve brought Davide over from Murano. We also run classes by local glass artists, whose skills complement our visitors’.”

Mark Eliott at the 2016 Festival

Davide Penso’s classes run until 1 March and he returns to Murano on 2 March.

Glass Expo crowds defy storms

Crowds defied unexpected thunderstorms to enjoy the 2017 Festival of Glass Expo on Sunday 19 February at Drysdale’s Christian College.

The Expo showcased the glass art of fifty artists and businesses and encouraged visitors to become glass artists for a day. They could learn about mosaics with Montage Mosaics, create mosaic pavers with experts from Bunnings, or create leadlighting with RuMa Leadlighting. They could string beads with the Bead Society of Victoria, weave glass beads into patterns with Dax Bead Art and create glass jewellery and sculptures with Klassay Glass Art and bead maker Pauline Delaney.

“The weather doesn’t seem to bother glass lovers”, said Festival convenor Doug Carson. “Thousands of people attended each of the first six Festival Expos despite very hot weather. Nonetheless, we were delighted at the forecast twenty degrees for today, but even the forecasters didn’t foresee thunderstorms! Still, around five thousand people defied the weather, came to the Expo and enjoyed themselves.”

Two especially popular features of the Expo were the annual Glass Art Awards, which attracted over thirty entries and the draw for the 2017 Treasure Hunt. “Well over a hundred hopeful hunters entered the draw”, said Treasure Hunt organiser Diane Schofield. “It was a happy event, because almost all of them went away with a prize.” The 2017 Treasure Hunt was launched in early January, supported by twenty eight local businesses.

Murano comes to Drysdale

A special Expo attraction was the glass blowing demonstrations by glass master Davide Penso, from Murano, Venice, renowned for centuries for its glass art.

Davide Penso creating glass art

Davide is Artist in Residence at the 2017 Festival and he starred in the sell-out “Twilight Flames” at Leura Park Estate winery on February 18, where he blew and sculpted glass and talked about life on Murano.

The face behind the flame!

In the ten days after the Expo, Davide will run classes for beginning and experienced glass artists; and these will be followed by classes by local glass artists.