June 2019
Holsten Galleries newsletter
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Greetings. I hope that you and your families are enjoying the summer. I’m delighted to share with you some beautiful glass sculptures from some of my favorite artists. As always, I am happy to receive any comments or questions that you might have. |
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"The boldness was so new to me. On the one hand, it was a shock—the lack of a cultural base, the absence of traditions. But on the other hand it was exhilarating—very inspiring for my own work . . . the lack of restraint in the process, the exciting results." – Lino Tagliapietra
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Angel Tear & Fenice Lino Tagliapietra was honored this month at Pilchuck School in Stanwood, Washington, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his first time teaching there. In 1979 Lino Tagliapietra first traveled to Pilchuck at the invitation of Benjamin Moore. Through his generosity in sharing age old Venetian techniques, Lino Tagliapietra offered a foundation of skills to the enthusiastic but mostly self-taught Americans. Lino Tagliapietra was amazed by the casual way in which they approached glassblowing but at the same time he found their freedom to experiment inspiring. Not only did Lino Tagliapietra have a profound effect on the American glass art scene, but he was also hugely impacted by the opportunity to be more creative and experimental in his own work. I have chosen two beautiful works by the maestro to feature here. The first piece is from Lino Tagliapietra’s well known Angel Tear series. The intricate patterns of tiny murini are masterful. The color palette of vibrant orange, green and yellow give this painterly piece a wonderful exuberance. The second featured Lino Tagliapietra Talgliapietra piece, a Fenice, has a playful and elegant form. The colors are quietly dramatic and the surface cutting lends the piece a subtle soft quality. |
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Misty Eye & Stellar Dream Once again, I have decided to feature two outstanding works by North Carolina glass artist Jon Kuhn. Misty Eye is a recent piece from Jon’s signature cube series. It has all of the optical excitement that is typical of Kuhn’s work, but at the same time the soft blue palette gives this piece an understated elegance. The second Jon Kuhn work that I have chosen to feature here is an earlier work. Stellar Dream was created in 1992 and is one of the artist’s favorite pieces ever. So much so, in fact, that Jon shared with me that until very recently it has been part of his own personal collection. |
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Velveteen Droplet Velveteen Droplet is one of Nancy Callan’s latest creations, so new, in fact, that I just received this image today. I love the subtle palette of pale lavender and white. The extra large murini are quite interesting–it is is almost as if one could look through one end of them and see all the way through to the other. The form is also super graceful. |
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MPLPGV #4 This morning in my conversation with Massachusetts glass artist Sidney Hutter, we were both trying to decide which image of this beautiful glass sculpture to feature in this newsletter. Being unable to make that decision, we decided to show them both. Because of the techniques which Hutter has developed, adding color pigments to the laminates between each layer of clear glass, his pieces change radically depending upon the beholder’s point of view. If this piece were viewed straight on, one would see almost no color at all. Viewed from the top, it would seem to be solid color. One thing for certain is that the sculptural purity of this form is very engaging, no matter what angle it is viewed from. |
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Thank you for taking time to enjoy these outstanding glass art works. I look forward to staying in touch. Kenn Holsten |
