What we saw at the IFG

Okay, okay, I know it was ages ago. But I have to blog about something, right?

And pictures of glass are always good, even if it’s not your own… apart from the samples, I really haven’t got much else to blog about anyway. I am trying to make sure I am in the studio every day, but as I have not got a specific project to be working on right now, I am just doing a bit of general making, and experimenting.

So, instead, I will back track a couple of weeks, (okay, five) and show you some of my favourite photographs from Stourbridge.  But, organised as ever, I didn’t photograph the labels, so whilst I can identify some artists, I am afraid some will go unnamed.  Perhaps some one would like to buy me the official Bienale 2010 catalogue, it would look very nice on my coffee table….

This piece was by one of my favourite glass artists, Keiko Mukaide – who does some wonderful work, often based on culture and family traditions.  There is a lot of depth and meaning in a lot of her work, and I have seen her use glass in a different way in a number of her pieces.  My son took the “artistic angle” photo on the right. I thought it was rather effective. Good lad.

Can’t recall who this was by, but technically astonishing. And someone said it looked like a Borg cube…. (if you don’t know, then you obviously are not a Trekkie.  Or should that be Trekker?)

A close up of one of Rachel Elliott’s allotment pieces.  Amazing detail, fabulous work from a brilliant glass artist, who is not only extremely talented, but is also very generous with her  knowledge.  Well done, Rachel!

One of my favourites at the last Bienale, James Lethbridge.  One of my favourite places in London is the Wellcome Trust (have you ever seen Bleigiessen?), and their art meets medicine gallery – there’s a James Lethbridge piece in there, a glass representation of the Aids Virus.  The Wellcome Gallery is worth a visit if you’re down in London.

Okay, lets get back to a bit of colour…. and an assortment of makers…

Finally, this was the most amazing effect.  Originally cast from books, this was like one of those optical illusions – is it sticking outwards, or sunken inwards?