Giovanni glass on TradeMe

Giovanni (Italian for John) was the name used by John Leggott and John Croucher for their Auckland partnership in glass between 1991 and 1995. Inspired by the glass of the Italian masters, they produced some remarkable and very distinctive pieces. I bought several at the time, but I have added second hand pieces from internet auction site TradeMe, including these two recent acquisitions. I suspect I paid less than the original price - NZ glass is generally not investment art - yet! At 46 and 47 cm tall, these are substantial pieces, in the truly glowing colours that the Johns made their hallmark. Nowadays, of course, they supply these colours to others, as the makers of Gaffer Glass, which they export from Auckland to glassies throughout New Zealand and world wide.

Mike Crawford's Amazing Glass Gourds

A quick trip to Auckland yesterday enabled me to catch the last day of Mike Crawford's show hue at Masterworks - see http://www.masterworksgallery.com/index.cfm?action=exhibitions&type=past&ex_id=96


I bought a gourd from Mike's first show at Masterworks last year - they are amazing. Mine is the red one in this Mastwerworks exhibition image.

This time, as well as whole gourds he has also produced some 'cut' and 'carved' ones, reflecting even more strongly the links between his art and the Māori decorative use of gourds (hue in Māori), which were also functional objects, of course. It'll be interesting to see where he takes this fascination with gourds next.

Lyn Campbell Keeps on Providing Pleasure

Sadly, Whangarei and Nelson glass artist Lyn Campbell died in 2005. She began her training at Northland Polytechnic under Keith Mahy in 1989, graduating in 1992. After working at Sunbeam for a couple of years, she set up her own studio in Nelson in 1995. She moved back to Whangarei in 1998, but illness kept her from working for quite a period. She was just beginning to recover and to work again, when she died on 7 May 2005. Her work is still to be found, increasingly rarely in galleries, and on TradeMe. The tall 'scent bottle' to the right was made in 2002, while the goblet at left was made in 1996. The beaker below, made in 1992, was from an early exhibition at the defunct 'Stanley St Gallery' in Auckland.

A new acquisition from Ben Sablerolle

A while since I last posted, but my acquisitions have continued. A recent purchase from TradeMe is this wonderful example of Ben Sablerolle's 'piano keyboard' roll-up platters. After completing his glass studies at Unicol Whanganui in 2001-02, Ben set up a studio in his backyard with colleague Kerry McDonnell, producing both slumped and roll-up glass. I haven't been able to buy a piece of Ben's before, so I was very pleased to add this piece, which was made in 2004.

“Who Was Who in New Zealand Glass”

I'm preparing a talk for the Mazda Artworks seminar series, held in conjunction with the 2007 exhibition and art events organised as a charity fundraiser by Ellerslie Sunrise Rotary club.

It's on Thursday 30 August at 2.30 pm in the Hilton Auckland, on Princes Wharf. I'll be describing the work of New Zealand’s first glass artists from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

You can see details at http://www.mazdaartworks.co.nz/artspeak_schedule.php

Emma Camden at Avid

On a visit to Wellington this week, I was pleased to be able to see the last few days of Emma Camden's exhibition ...something remaining... at Avid (see www.avidgallery.co.nz). Emma's major works are her explorations of architectural forms, and there are three magnificent examples in this show. But she also expresses aspects of her life and daily experiences through smaller glass pieces, of which I now have a couple. I was pleased to be able to acquire one of the "Charms" in this show, pieces based on the elements of a charm bracelet that belonged to Emma's mother.


This is the one I bought, 'Fading memory', in a pale yellow cast glass

Tony Kuepfer's Tall Bottles

Tall bottles with thin necks are a distinctive part of the glass art of Tony Kuepfer. My first purchase of a piece of NZ glass secondhand was a tall bottle labelled as being by Tony Kuepfer. I had never seen anything like it before. But then I began to see others, until I had quite a few – thirty at last count. Tony says he might have made about 250, so I haven’t quite cornered the market, yet. Because they are so distinctive, I can now spot them a mile away. Tony made these over much of the time he was at Inglewood, at least between 1979 and 1986.

When the 25 year old American glassblower arrived with his Kiwi wife in 1973, there was no tradition of studio hot glass in New Zealand. They went to Taranaki in March 1974 - some friends had mentioned the old church at Inglewood – and set up a studio, gallery and residence. Tony made his first hot glass in NZ in 1975.

At Inglewood, he taught others, laying the foundation for New Zealand's hot glass movement. His studio continued at Inglewood for nearly 15 years, and provided many New Zealanders with their first chance to buy studio glass and to see it being made. Tony was a true pioneer, who inspired, taught and stimulated many later glass artists, and who first began educating New Zealanders to buy glass as art. His influence continued through his teaching in Whanganui, and through his ongoing involvement in glass. Tony still makes glass occasionally. He plans to build a kiln and get started again soon. Maybe there’ll be more tall bottles.

I have been pleased to lend some of my Kuepfer tall bottles for exhibitions at Te Papa (2004-5), Objectspace (2006) and The New Dowse 2007. You may have seen them there.