'Glass Half Full' Exhibition - Glass Artists (WA) Group Exhibition

Greg Ash. My work is influenced by the colours of the Western Australian landscape. The light in the landscape is something I aspired to imitate. The transparency in our waters like those of Ningaloo or Rottnest Island, the ever-changing colours of place like the Karijini Gorges or our spectacular and diverse wildflowers is what gets me up in the morning.

My style does vary with murrine being a special interest. Experimentation with other methods to explore their possibilities is an ongoing project.

Anne Clifton, Peter Bowles. Little Bowls of Plenty - Peter Bowles

Tricky just like Pete. These beautifully crafted vessels have already been filled but have the illusion of space and volume. No two the same

Wildflower Vases By Peter Bowles and Anne Clifton

Anne's design with Peter's form. Each one is accessioned and signed by both artists. Designed during Covid as a light-hearted moment in time.

Estelle Dean. Estelle continues to work with the nature of community, assimilation and integration. Using glass and Objects as a metaphor of the fragile nature of communities and the shifting struggle to belong. The exploration of the ideas of multiculturalism and a comfortable fit.

The ancient pâte de verre method of forming glass sculptures combined with the freeform approach developed over a few years both excites and challenges the viewer and the artist.

Silvana Ferrario. I developed a passion for glass over the years and have progressed from lead-lighting to fusing and casting.  Glass has an immense versatility and is one of the few mediums that can transmit as well as reflect glass.  I use a range of techniques that I have learnt and developed, often making use of the movement arising from the fluidity of the glass when it is hot.

My inspiration comes from my experiences, memories and surroundings.  This varies from the ocean inspired pieces reflecting my experiences as a subsea engineer and scuba diver, to pieces inspired by my rural setting in the hills, and work reflecting memories of when I was young.  With my scientific background, I also like to investigate the geometry present in both manmade and naturally occurring structures, and the opposition to the fluidity of the natural elements.

Vivienne Jagger. My glass work is inspired by the natural world; the colour of our Australian bush, the movement of water, and the constant changing of the sea and sky. And I love the unlimited possibilities of working in glass - to consider not only the idea, the colour and shape, but also the effect of light on and through the work.  To take a material so unyielding, and to soften, fuse and shape it to create something entirely new, is wonderfully rewarding.

Nada Kesic. My passion for art is a mirror of the evolving journey of myself as a painter, sculptor (bronze, clay, wood, glass), ceramicist, poet and now the glass artist I am today. My life experiences, joyous, tragic, unexpected and those touching on the essence and mystery of life form the inspiration and springboard for my creative expression. Glass has captured me with its chameleon-like nature from static form to molten liquid and at the end a constant surprise of melded colours, shifting shadows of translucence creating dynamic ethereal works of art. Kiln fused, slumped and cast glass using a kaleidoscope of colours and textures, glass frit and powders, sheet glass, billets and inclusions of metal. I want to explore and push the boundaries of what is and isn’t possible within the bounds dictated by the medium of glass.

Peter Kovacsy. My cast glass and timber sculptures are notable for their illuminated form and tactile nature. With a subtle minimalistic approach, I consider the making of art a craft which clear formal rules. My practice provides a useful set of allegorical tools for manoeuvring with a pseudo-minimalist approach in the world of sculpture. These meticulously planned works resound and resonate with images culled from the realm of imagination, deconstructed to the extent that meaning shifts and interpretations become multifaceted.

Marc Leib. I have been working with glass over the past 25 years. I am inspired by the relationship of the material itself and the concept of design cohesively coming together as one. I like creating movement in a solid rigid form using translucency to create movement and depth. I create smaller components and fuse them together to create the final larger piece.

Jo-Anne Maire. I am a scientist. For me, there can be no joy in creating art without the tension of potential failure. Every success is either built upon or cast aside, never repeated. Every failure is scrutinised, dissected, analysed until it is understood and neutralised. My body of work is therefore eclectic, mainly representative, always different. I am an artist.

Denise Pepper. I have made a detailed examination of the embroidery crafts celebrating craftsmanship and diligence in the making of lace and similar textiles.  This research has led to consistent body of work primarily using art glass and more recently a varied use of larger construction materials.  I want the viewer to have an emotional response to my work quite often a reflection through nostalgia in what they perceive.  Our consciousness of an object’s function perhaps conceals unique style and design and the impression it might have made on us.  I do not necessarily create a narrative in my work but would rather the viewer interpret and decipher for themselves.

Cindy Poole. My hands allow me to take things I see in my head and make them into glass based forms that allow others to see them too… I’ve always been drawn to glass because of its unique beauty and endless possibilities.

I have learnt to use glass as a vessel to transform my inner world into purposeful, beautiful objects that people can use, wear or gift. These can be meaningful shared or just celebrate the natural beauty of Australia and make a positive impact on our planet and enrich the lives of others.

Anne Sorensen. My glass work has often developed from the beauty I see within my own environment, as well as my own experiences in general. My glass career began as a lead lighter, and I was heavily influenced by glass history and the Arts and Crafts movement, producing glass panels and also glass for many projects, including furniture. Producing Tiffany style lamps was also a large part of my practice.

Myra Staffa. Myra Staffa works with both glass and paint as mediums of expression. Inspired by the natural world, landscape, architecture and culture, she likes to travel to and experience a site first hand to get a sense of a place. She photographs, makes notes on location and then processes these back in the studio. Current themes include the Australian landscape and human interaction with it.

Myra has exhibited around Australia. Her work appears in private and public collections including the Art Gallery of Western Australia. A graduate of Curtin University, she is currently a tutor at Tresillian Art Centre and formerly a part time lecturer at TAFE. Myra has had a long career in art education.

Jeff Turner I am an un-emerged West Australian glass artist.   I have been kiln-forming glass since 2007 which originally came about because I did some scientific glassblowing with pyrex glass.  Influences that guide my work include Jugendstil geometric designs and mathematical generation and production of designs in glass.  Because I was trained in chemistry, I have a keen interest in developing new glass techniques and methods. To realise my artistic expression I am currently developing ‘Glassbot’, computer-driven 2D glass printing technology using glass powder or paste, The featured panel as illustrated was produced by running out a continuous trace of glass powder onto sheet glass using Glassbot.

Jill Yelland

‘The vast Pilbara region is awe-inspiring, from its incredible size, of more than 500,000 Square kilometres, to its isolated and rugged beauty. It is also home to the heart of Western Australia’s iron ore mining industry’.
Ian Ashby, President, Iron Ore BHP Billiton 2010
My inspiration for this new series of glass works - ‘Contours’ explores both the natural and  deconstructed landscape, created by mining.These pieces, set against the back drop of the Hamersley Ranges in the Pilbara, represent the colours, forms and contours of the landscape and its exploration.

Artists

• Denise Pepper
• Greg Ash
• Peter Bowles & Anne Clifton (Glass Manifesto)
• Estelle Dean
• Silvana Ferrario
• Vivienne Jagger
• Nada Kesic
• Peter Kovacsy
• Marc Leib
• Jo-Anne Maire
• Cindy Poole
• Anne & Barry Sorensen
• Myra Staffa
• Jeff Turner
• Jill Yelland