Matthew Stewart Glass

2010-12-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

These three objects have been finished since summer but I have not had a chance to shoot them until recently when they were returned from an exhibition in Beaverton Town Hall. The first four images are of a piece titled "late bounty" which has been silvered on the inside to turn the lenses into fun house mirrors. Optically this piece isn't as engaging as those with greater transparency, but the mirrored surface duplicates the painted exterior.

The next six photographs are of "harvest", and the last set are of a piece titled "early frost". These blown glass forms are painted and fired several times integrating the use of leaves and grasses in an expanding vocabulary of methods and techniques. Some of the detail shots begin to render the depth provided by the lenses on the inside of these forms, but I struggle to capture the details that are seen in person which are most severely activated by the movement of the viewer. These are fun.

Matthew David Stewart

2010-07-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some images of the most recent piece in this new body of blown glass orbs with leaf forms painted, printed and stained on the outside. I am so very happy making this work. I look forward to making more of these objects, to becoming more familiar with these processes, and exploring new ideas as well.

-Matthew David Stewart

2010-06-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

After doing some tests and artist studies with leaves I jumped into this piece with both feet. There is a layer of enamel leaves, some drawn pen outlines and some amber silver stain leaves. I am exceedingly happy with this piece and with each of the steps of each of the many processes needed to achieve this whole object. The most important goal in developing this body of work has been to minimize or eliminate negative thoughts and emotions from the time spent creating the work. Several of the previous prototypes were dismissed or steps abandoned due to their negative affect on my peace of mind. This piece was a pure joy to make from the initial blowing and hot glass manipulation to the final moments of signing the bottom. I love blowing glass and this work gives me good cause to slow down and spend more time investing myself in the object in a personal way. To harvest the organic material, the oak leaves, it is necessary that I climb a tree. It should go without saying that that is a great thing. If it wasn't for my gardening painter friend, Gina Bonner, I think I would still be floundering with the subject matter for the painting portion of this work so I am grateful to her for her input and direction. The organic nature of paint applications is freeing and allows me and the viewer to ignore the notion of mistaken smudges or accidental touches. This work is fun and profoundly simple yet I find that I see new and increasingly complex interactions each time I explore this golden orb. The lenses provide minification and distortion which I feel add necessary depth to the imagery.

-Matthew David Stewart

2009-10-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

Here is an image of a piece of glass that I was asked to paint by a friend of mine to be auctioned off as a fund raiser. The due date for this project jumped forward by several weeks and I was not able to apply as much imagery as I would have liked. The central glass sphere was blown by my friend, Andy Paiko, and has six hollow transparent balls made from color which I mixed several years ago at Penland School of Crafts. cold fused to its surface along with some transparent blue enamel which I fired on. I filled it with water to increase its optical intensity and capped it with a solid clear ball. The object weighs right at eighty pounds and is difficult to move. The space in which this photograph was shot had limited lighting options so unfortunately this flat image is the best one I was able to take of this project. The title of this piece is "valence memory"

-Matthew Stewart

2009-08-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

Here is an image of a two dimensional painting, approximately two by three feet, I recently finished of Fritz Dreisbach gathering honey from a giant pot surrounded by the amorphous, non-crystalline molecular structure of soda lime glass. Honey is one of the analogies that students seem to understand when describing the consistency of hot glass; its fluid nature. In addition to being one of the founding fathers of the American Art Glass Movement, Fritz is a great teacher and a real prince in and out of the glass blowing studio. He also does love honey. This tribute to him is the first glass painting that I have made and been satisfied with.

-Matthew Stewart

2009-06-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

These vessel forms are like those below in that they have lenses applied to the inside of them while they are hot, instead of grinding facets on the outside or adding hot bits to the outside. By adding the bits to the inside and shaping them appropriately I am able to achieve the optical effects I am looking for without compromising the exterior spherical form. On these two spheres I have painted designs on the outside with reusche fire on enamel paints. I continue to explore the imagery necessary for this work to really come to life. For me this work is comprised of processes which are each enjoyable and fun. I have reached the conclusion that if I am going to be a glass artist for the rest of my life that I should resist making work that I find to be stress inducing, if I can. For example I really enjoy making goblets, but at the end of the day I am exhausted from the stress of trying to make everything so thin and straight. When I am done painting I usually feel sort of recharged and looking forward to the next steps in the piece. These spheres take about two hours to make in the hot shop and I really enjoy the pace that this work imposes. I have much more to say on this new work, and will as I post more pictures.

-Matthew Stewart

2009-06-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

This is an image of a painting I did ofPaolo Veronese's "the annunciation". As you can see the Mary, on the right, is being told by the angel Gabriel, hovering left, that she will conceive and give birth to the son of God. The story of this particular painting is what has made it so intriguing to me. In the mid sixteenth century, Paolo Veronese painted this version of the Annunciation and in it he included a glass vase on the rail near Mary. This vase had not been made by any of the glass makers at the time or before, he sort of invented it. Fast forward to the early twentieth centrury and a young Italian artist, designer and glass maker named Vittorio Zecchin, saw the vase in the painting which still hangs in the Museum in Venice and started making them. The story differs depending on who you talk to about it. Some say that Zecchin only popularized the form, others say he brought to life the design of a man who had been dead for over three hundred years. The vase itself is a stunning blown glass form and a technically challenging exercise due mainly to its design's simplicity. I fired this piece many many times to achieve this many different colors. Some of the shading I am really pleased with, some of the other illusions are less convincing. I am very much enjoying the new [to me] discipline of glass painting.

-Matthew Stewart

2009-03-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

These images are of a mid process piece of the most recent generation of the new work I have been developing since the summer. At the advice of Raphael Schnepf I have started using an airbrush to apply the glass enamels to achieve a more even field. The lenses inside the form distort, minify, and repeat the pattern on the outside of itself. More layers of enamel will be applied to this blown glass form and more images will be added as they are available. These are the first images seen of this new work which show the entire piece; this is a reflection of my satisfaction with the whole of this particular object thus far.

- Matthew Stewart

2009-03-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

These are images of the Holy Water Font that I made in memory of my dad, David Ewing Stewart Jr, which was dedicated on March 3, 2009 in the chapel at Still Hopes Episcopal retirement community where he was the priest in Columbia South Carolina. He had wanted to find and install a font in the sanctuary and it therefore seemed an appropriate tribute. The font itself is a large opaline blown glass bowl resting inside the stained and finished, octagonal walnut base. Bishop Dorsey Henderson and Cannon George Chassey performed the dedication in an evening vespers service.

-Matthew Stewart

2008-12-28T12:17:00.000-08:00

These images are some details of some prototypes of the new body of blown glass sculpture I am working on. There is an evolution depicted here from the first marver cast tiles used in the roll up process which yielded too many fine bubbles, then the clear, cut rondels, and then the colored, cut rondels. Then I started working with rondels on the pipe and closing them down after the senses have been applied. I am still working on these forms and there is a lot of ground to be covered. But I am happy enough with these detail shots to post them. All of the distortion, be it magnification or minification, is from a series of lenses I place inside these closed forms before rolling them up. The surface is etched and enameled. I have been working on accompanying text which will appear on later posts, when the objects better reflect the intention and direction of this new work.

-Matthew Stewart

2008-07-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

Shown here are some images of the new sign at Firehouse Glass completed in June. The existing armature was a clock tower which was installed on the original building back in the 1930's. After a couple of decades of use the clock quit working. When we began the renovation it was a mess. Many of the glass panes were broken, there was no power to the unit, and all the sockets and wiring inside needed replacing. The red and amber blown glass flame elements are cold fused to the safety laminate panels using space age polymers. I have received a lot of positive feedback from neighbors regarding this project.

-Matthew Stewart

2008-06-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

The pink cups shown here are made from an erbium formulation that we recently melted at Firehouse Glass for the first half of Fritz Dreisbach's visit before the GAS conference. The opaline cups I plan to make more of and the swan stem goblets are tricky to make. There are so many parts to them and each is an opportunity to wreck the overall form. On the other hand, they are a terrific learning tool for a glass blower.

-Matthew Stewart

2008-05-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

These still images are of another flaming water feature. This particular installation consists of opaline white and other cool tone blown glass elements with propane bubbling up through the water contained in the large vessel. In ground lighting accents illuminate the perimeter glass forms while the main focus is drawn to the fire. The accompanying video describes the full sight and sound elements present with these pieces.

-Matthew Stewart

2008-03-29T19:17:00.001-07:00

These spring colored traditional forms are the fruits of my Friday night demonstrations at Firehouse Glass for the month of March. I find the ampolina, the veronese, the becca di oca, and these goblet forms including mezzo stampo, roman ring, and saturn ring cups exhilarating and challenging to make. Each of their many parts are opportunities to exhibit either the difficulty or ease with which these forms may be made.

-Matthew Stewart

2008-02-18T21:31:00.001-08:00

These photographs were taken in a sample garden designed by Linda Meyer and built by John Stone displayed at the annual Yard, Garden and Patio Show. This flaming water feature utilizes fifteen blown glass leaf forms which are lit from underneath the river rocks and a central red blown glass vessel form which is full of black tinted water churning with natural gas, igniting as it reaches the surface. Water and fire are an unlikely elemental coupling and the viewer is left standing curious and stimulated. I am very happy with this generation of this idea. We received a terrific amount of positive feedback and we plan to make more of them together in the future. one photo includes a trio of goblets resting in the foreground. Located at the bottom is a quick video of the feature in action.

- Matthew Stewart

2007-10-27T19:29:00.001-07:00

On Friday my crew and I installed this chandelier in the rotunda. Shown here are some pictures of me hanging the blown glass elements on the metal armature. Also there are some shots of the fixture all lit up and casting shadows on the walls and ceiling. The day of the installation went very smoothly, and I am pleased with how this turned out.

-Matthew Stewart

2007-10-09T21:32:00.001-07:00

Here are some shots I found from 2006 of a project I did for the French American School Auction. I brought colored Bulls Eye glass sheets, frit, stringer and powder into the classroom where students each made a little glass sandwich making tiles about 2 1/2 inches square. I then fused all their sandwich tiles together in a kiln and made a panel for doing an Aussie roll-up. I rolled the panel up on a collar and made a bowl with help from my friend Andy Paiko. I really enjoyed the enthusiasm the children had for this new medium and the imagery they utilized. They were all totally fearless. Pictured here are two shots of the roll-up panel (top and bottom), the finished bowl from a few angles, and the process involved in transforming a fused tiles into a blown glass form.

-Matthew Stewart

2007-09-17T14:53:00.001-07:00

Each Friday night from 6-10 I do a public demonstration at Firehouse Glass in Vancouver, Washington. These cane vessels are the result of my glass blowing demos for the month of August.

-Matthew Stewart

2007-09-14T12:09:00.001-07:00

Most of these are photos I took recently with my new camera and lights in my newly painted light studio. Although I am happy with the results of the new toys, there is still much to be learned about shooting glass. A couple of these are repeat pieces, but new shots for the blog. Included here are some examples of the etching work that Caroline Rowney and I make together, as well as an enameled bowl, photo etched work that I have done, and a pair of simple closed white vessel forms.

-Matthew Stewart

2007-08-30T23:56:00.001-07:00

Here are some images of a chandelier I just recently completed. These shots were taken at Forgewerks which is my friend Andy's metal studio. The backdrop in these pictures is more industrial than the chandelier's new home. This illuminated ceiling sculpture spans nearly nine feet and will be housed in a round room just fractions of an inch larger than the piece itself. It weighs about six hundred pounds and contains one hundred individual pieces of glass; some with murrini, some cane, some silvered, and colored in a multitude of cool tones. To date this is the largest project I have tackled. I am excited to install it and get better pictures than these I am posting now. I am very pleased with the way the blown glass lighting elements and metal came together.

-Matthew Stewart

2007-06-17T09:52:00.001-07:00

These images are taken of a project at the Crum, Virgil, & Beulah Historic Home. This great lighting fixture was originally from Reed College and matches the style and period of the home. From beneath the fixture the home owner could see the hot spot from the bulb and we started brainstorming ways to eliminate this while maintaining the integrity of the fixture. I proposed a blown glass reticello bubble to hang inside and they, along with their designer Sam Hull, loved the idea. I got to work pulling the cane and chopping it to length. Pictured are the bundles of cut cane ready to be used in the making of the reticello bubble. The process of reticello involves rolling up cane and twisting it in one direction. Then we roll up an equal number of canes and twist them in the opposite direction. Next one roll up is stuffed inside the other to create the cross pattern. If done properly, there should be a small bubble trapped where each of the cane troughs mate together as seen in the details images taken in my lighting studio. For this particular project I used a total of 60 canes, 30 for each roll up. These images do not adequately show off the multitude of crisp shadows created by the 10" xenon bulb on the glass of the fixture and on the ceiling, but I am showing them here nonetheless until I have better shots taken.

-Matthew Stewart

2007-02-07T09:14:00.000-08:00

Here are some blown glass objectss I have been working on and some collaborative pieces done with Caroline Rowney. For these pod shaped vessels I use layers of powdered glass for etching Caroline's design ideas. We are using natural forms as subject matter and have been working very well together. We see much room for growth in this new body of work and are busy generating imagery for future vessels. The small sculpted birds are done in the traditional Italian style as was taught to me by Elio Quarissa. The Murrine bowl is at every stage really fun to make. The circle has always turned me on and using it as a decorative element feels really good. I see these bowls as nests for fruit, water, or any other contents.

-Matthew Stewart

2006-08-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

Shown here is a selection of different works in glass. Some of these are commissions, some collaborations, some are experiments, some are lighting and still others are my contribution to other artists' work. These do not fit neatly into the categories listed below, but are none the less worthy of being shown to exhibit my eagerness to experiment with glass. Making these pieces initiates a process of thinking I greatly enjoy. And then on to the next thing.

-Matthew Stewart

2006-08-02T23:13:00.000-07:00

This Body of work is composed of pieces that fit together in sensual confrontation. The Modular Anatomical series aims to rearrange recognizable parts into an assembly of vague living form, and to explore the relationships between these forms. They are engaged in ritual, waiting to resume their interaction. When coupled, these forms create balance and tension. This energy is not unlike the bonds we share with others in the world in that they help to justify, set bounderies, and offer support for each other.

-Matthew Stewart

2006-08-02T22:53:00.000-07:00

Vessels are a test of skill. To work from drawings with specific dimensions and make forms that match the desired parameters is challenging and rewarding. The vessels shown here represent the foundation of glassblowing as a technical craft. I derive much satisfaction from imposing my intention of shape and dimension on these hot bubbles of glass.

-Matthew Stewart

2006-08-02T22:39:00.000-07:00

I enjoy blowing cups and traditional forms like the ampolina and the beca di occa. These fussy vessels require a high level of focus and attention to detail. They are challenging to make and are excellent learning tools. I enjoy the rigid symetry involved in the succesful completion of these forms.

-Matthew Stewart