Our August exhibition highlights fresh design in glass, ceramics, and mixed media from seven innovative artists. See work by Gary Bodker, Granite Calimpong, Joe Cariati, Giselle Hicks, Lynn Read, Amanda Stern, and Vetro Vero.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
GARY BODKER
A native to New Jersey, Gary Bodker graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2009. Five years later, Bodker founded his business, Gary Bodker Designs, out of Portland, Oregon. The artist creates from a foundation of traditional, hand-blown glass techniques, taking much of his inspiration from mid-century and classical art glass periods. Bodker’s work is clean, elegant, and timelessly modern with his use of color and the way in which his pieces diffuse light. In contrast, the time-honored lines of Bodker’s compositions are reminiscent of more traditional periods, creating a balanced duality in his work. The artist prides himself on precision craftsmanship and simplicity, making his pieces fluid and delicate — perfect for any decor. He continues to design and produce out of his Portland studio.
GRANITE CALIMPONG
As the son of a potter in Northern California, Granite’s hands were covered in clay long before discovering glass. He graduated with a degree in Interdisciplinary Computing in the Arts from the University of California, San Diego, where he was first introduced to glass. The draw to the material and process was immediate. Growing up in a household full of handmade objects fostered a lifelong connection to the subtleties of function and form through the scrutiny of everyday use. It continues to influence his practice as a glassmaker. His glass sculptures are minimalist and inventive, with strong features and playful shapes that are often reminiscent of ceramics. He also makes goblets and glasses, which are classical in inspiration, but modern, too, in their restraint.
Granite lives and works in Seattle, where he assists a variety of artists in the hot shop, including Nancy Callan, Benjamin Moore, Ethan Stern, John Kiley, Janusz Pozniak, and James Mongrain. He maintains his studio at the 5416 Artist Collective in the Ballard neighborhood.
JOE CARIATI
Award winning artist, craftsman and educator, Joe Cariati has dedicated over 20 years to the practice of glassblowing. He is a designer, maker and mentor. Joe’s work is an incomparable synthesis of calculated pragmatism and essential beauty. While Joe thrives off of repeatable process and predictable results, it is the fact that during any given piece, he can experience elation, frustration, defeat or discovery that drives his creative spirit. In 2003, Joe established his eponymous studio in Los Angeles, California where he continues to refine his craft and push his boundaries as a glassblower and a designer.
GISELLE HICKS
Originally from California, Giselle Hicks received a BFA from Syracuse University and MFA from NYSCC of Ceramics at Alfred Universtiy. She has participated in various artist-in-residence programs at Anderson Ranch Art Center, the Arts/Industry Program at the Kohler Company, The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, The Greenwich House Pottery and The Archie Bray Foundation. Hicks’ work has been exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The Belger Arts Center in Kansas City, The John Michael Kohler Art Center and Bellevue Arts Museum and the Southwest School of Art. Hicks works and lives in Colorado.
LYNN READ
Lynn’s early pursuit in watercolor paved the way to an interest in glass because of its transparency of color, optical intrigue, malleability and material versatility. His creative spirit and passion for glass has intensified since his first apprenticeship in a glassblowing studio. A diverse artistic background ranging from painting, sculpture, woodworking, and theatrical set-building continues to play an important role in Lynn’s inventive approach to glass working. He has earned a highly regarded reputation for distinctly creative work that employs a wealth of techniques.
AMANDA MCDONALD-STERN
Born in 1980 in Cincinnati, Ohio Amanda studied painting at SUNY Purchase and later went on to receive her BFA in sculpture from Jacksonville University. She has studied glass and sculpture at Pratt Fine Arts Center, Pilchuck Glass School, Corning Museum of Glass, Pittsburgh Glass Center and the University of Miami. Her career in fine arts and manufacturing has moved her to various locations across the United States and overseas which has lead to her immense interest in how we relate to our surrounding environments, to material objects and to one another. Amanda works with a variety of materials including Glass, Wood, Ceramics and Metal and she explores her interest in relationships through the assemblage of multiple parts, color and line. Amanda currently lives in Seattle, Washington.
VETRO VERO
Michael Schunke and Josie Gluck work together at their studio, Vetro Vero, to express excellence through creative innovation, contemporary design and meticulous craftsmanship.
Schunke and Gluck studied glassmaking with Pino Signoretto and Lino Tagliapietra. Schunke, a former Associate Professor of Toyama City Institute of Glass Art in Japan, has work in the collections of Toyama Museum of Glass and Glasmuseet Ebeltoft (Denmark). Gluck holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and will be a 2017 Craftsperson in Residence at Pilchuck Glass School. Together, their work has been featured in American Craft, Elle Decor, and they are often Visiting Artists at Corning Museum of Glass and Pilchuck Glass School.