More from Glass Coast Weekend Pop-Up Gallery

"What Fairy Tales Are Made Of" by Susan Taylor Glasgow

While it was Stephanie Trenchard's colorful creations that first caught my eye at the Glass Coast Weekend pop-up gallery, there was an astonishing assortment of talent on display. I found myself drawn to the figurative work. Perhaps it's easier to appreciate with a real world reference in mind. Whatever the reason, there was much to enjoy.

You might be surprised it wasn't this stunning work by Susan Taylor Glasgow that first caught my attention in her niche of the gallery. Instead, it was the bejeweled glass bra pictured below. Totally crazy and unique. Since I'm going to hit multiple artists in this post, I only have space to tell you that Susan was a dressmaker in her former life who now puts her skills to work stitching glass components together. I implore you to read her bio, which has one of the best first sentences I've ever read. It begins with a bit of family history: "Raising we girls by the Book of Conflicting Messages..."  Click here and here for more on Glasgow and her work. 

"Monet's Other Daughter" by Deanna Clayton

Even having watched a short video in which Deanna Clayton demonstrates creating a pate de verre glass sculpture, I don't begin to understand the process. It involves creating a wax form, carving, applying color and waiting to see how it all turns out. In the video, Clayton says one of the things she enjoys about her work is the element of chance. She never knows exactly what effect the firing will have on her creation. 

Clayton's embrace of the serendipity of what happens in the kiln is consistent with what drew her to glass in the first place -- the absence of rules. When she was in college, she realized she liked being able to experiment without anyone standing over her shoulder telling her the "right" way to create her art.  It gave her the freedom to try new approaches without fear. The results speak for themselves. For more on Clayton, click here. 

"Beanie Girl" by Vivian Wang

While not a new artist to me, I always enjoy seeing Vivian Wang's work. Wang is an American of Chinese descent and looks to history for her inspiration. And so she often creates child emperors and Samurai soldiers and women and children of the royal courts. Their clothing is incredibly detailed and adorned with semi-precious stones and crystals. The opulence of ancient court life is evident in these works, as is Wang's own history as a fashion designer. 

Then there are her figures wearing letterman jackets from her "City Kids: Children of the '50s" series. No matter how many times I've seen these sculptures, I am always surprised at this combination of new and old worlds. 

To see more of Wang's work, you can go to her website by clicking here. Better yet, head to the Imagine Museum in St. Pete, where several of her works are on display. 

"Dome #2" by Richard Jolley

Then there was Richard Jolley's "Dome #2." As the saying goes, he's kind of a big deal. His work can be found in 35 public collections including the Corning Museum of Glass, the Renwick Gallery and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Jolley's "Cycle of Life: Within the Power of Dreams and the Wonder of Infinity" is one of the largest figurative glass and steel sculptures in the world. It can be seen at the Knoxville Museum of Art. 

"Dome #2" is part of Jolley's garden-related work. The glass and steel work stands 40" tall, and the detail of the flowers is gorgeous. But of course it was the woman who caught my eye, naked as the day she was born. Both the hand on the hip and the tilt of her head tell me she's totally comfortable with herself. And I love the flip in her hair.  To see more of Jolley's work (much of which is quite colorful), click here. And for a short video in which Jolley talks about his "Cycle of Life," click here. 

"Aqua  Brassiere on Pillow" by Susan Taylor Glasgow

As you can see, there was a lot of great art on display at the pop-up gallery, and that was just one portion of the Glass Coast Weekend line-up. I said in my previous post that I hadn't registered for the event because I already see a lot of glass art. What a ridiculous statement. It's as if I had said, "Oh, I've been to a museum before and seen paintings. Why would I need to go to another one?" Artists are endlessly creative, no matter what their medium. I'm looking forward to participating in next year's Glass Coast Weekend. Perhaps you'll join me.