August 9-
September 13 1999:
California
glassblowers Pizzichillo and Gordon create large scale vases
with a keen eye to color, pattern and form. Iowa artist Sheryl
Ellinwood exhibits her glass house sculptures not usually seen
at the Gallery.
Two
different approaches to working hot glass are explored in an
exhibit by glassblowers Bruce Pizzichillo, Dari Gordon and Sheryl
Ellinwood at Iowa Artisans Gallery in Iowa City. Entitled New
Works in Glass, the exhibit runs August 10 - September 13
and is free and open to the public.
California artists Bruce Pizzichillo and Dari Gordon have maintained
a joint glassblowing studio for nearly 20 years. Both artists
focus on clearly defined vessel forms, with a strong emphasis
on color and pattern. Both artists use light to their advantage,
playing transparency against opacity. Despite these common concerns,
both artists have their own vision regarding design, making
each artist's work individually recognizable. Gordon and Pizzichillo
employ multiple techniques, most notably Venetian glassblowing
processes such as encasing shards and threads in glass, updated
to serve the artists' own needs and visions. Dari Gordon is
a graduate of Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, while Bruce
Pizzichillo is received his MFA from California School of Arts
and Crafts.
"I
consider myself a sculptor who happens to blow glass," comments
Sheryl Ellinwood, who focuses on glass sculpture in this exhibit.
Known in Iowa primarily for her colorful functional glass, Ellinwood
has exhibited her glass sculpture throughout the country. As
a sculptor, Ellinwood usually explores the house form, which
she sees as a metaphor for personal exploration. The house form
is universal and cuts across cultural boundaries and, for Ellinwood,
does not represent domestic issues. These are not feminist or
political pieces but rather ones that explore a universally
spiritual side of life. A resident of Pella, Iowa, Ellinwood
received her MFA in both sculpture and glass from Southern Illinois
University in Carbondale. She has exhibited widely and won awards
such as the Glass Art Society's Award for Excellence.
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