When it comes to industry Functional Glass Art shows, I regard the American Glass Exposition (AGE) very highly! A great group of people looking to help facilitate the progression of the industry and ensure its survival!
Every year during AGE we see artists come up with new designs and concepts for their Art that blows the general public away once it surfaces. With the increasing use of social media like Instagram, artists are giving us sneak peeks and full views of their pieces before the show. This helps build their popularity and demand; a great strategy to help galleries gauge interests on pieces when they go down there to shop.
This year we have seen some fantastic sneak peeks, and we would like to highlight three of the ones we are most excited for thus far!
Ben Burton and Josh McDaniels
The body of work I am most excited to see if the collaborative efforts of Ben Burton and Josh McDaniels. Josh took a trip out to Colorado from Oregon to work with Ben on some VERY special birds. For those unfamiliar with Josh’s work, he is an incredible Millefiori artist who is a veteran of over 10 years in this glass game. Josh created some millefiori specifically for this project to give the birds an incredible realistic feel through his “feather” murine.
To say that the project was a success is an understatement; the two keystone pieces they created are absolutely jaw dropping. One peacock with a full half-life UV body for those looking to shine complete with Josh’s murine. Also created was a beautiful Phoenix featuring not only the feather murine, but also the Sublime tribute murine. They also created a few other pieces; we’ll let our daily video coverage of AGE get those for you though.
Alex Ubatuba
I have always been a huge fan of Alex’s work, for more than one reason. I find his approach to the glass art industry inspirational; the way in which he sticks to his guns about his concepts and themes should inspire anyone that has ever doubted their art. He creates what he wants to, and his collectors are smart to appreciate that!
We haven’t seen much in the way of sneak peeks, but he did surface a picture of a new set of collaborative pendants with Elbo; and I for one can’t wait to see them in person. Alex was able to use Elbo’s classic claw shape as a seamless canvas for his vision; everything was so well thought-out in the pendants execution. If these are any indicators of the body of work Alex is bringing to AGE, you should all be very excited to see what he throws down on January 26th!
Matt Eskuche
I know what EVERYONE is thinking, his work is great but how do I say his last name?! It is pronounced S-Cookie. No, I am not kidding. Now that we have gotten past that, let’s talk about some of the new work he’s bringing to AGE.
Matt is another artist whose artistic vision and product choice I highly respect, as he stays true to his style, while adapting and changing to an ever-progressing industry. There is a lot to be said about supporting an artist, who is true to his vision, while the majority of people are so enthralled with what others are buying and what is popular. His subject matter and the way in which it was adapted for functional was flawless, I personally can’t wait to see the new work.
He has created a new series of units, twelve of which will be available for the first time at AGE. His color choice and construction on these units is very reflective of a pastel world, everything is very visually comforting. I am really loving the compact design mixed with the added option of flower / concentrates accessories included with each piece. We are definitely seeing the re-surfacing of flower oriented pieces in 2015, so it’s great to see artists adapting at the first show this year.
To make sure you aren’t missing out any sneak peeks or updates from these artists, make sure you are following them all on Instagram.
@borohuster – Ben Burton
@mcmilleman – Josh McDaniels
@alexubatuba – Alex Ubatuba (2ba)
@matteskuche – Matt Eskuche
Also make sure you stay tuned with us as we begin to release information regarding our full coverage of the AGE event!
@masterlink.artconsulting on Instagram and Masterlink Art Consulting on Facebook!
