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.