BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – The third annual fine art glass show, “A World Suspended in Color” returns to Canal Street Art Gallery, featuring members of the Vermont Glass Guild and the League of New Hampshire Craftsman, Sept. 18 to Nov. 14.
On Sept. 18, join the virtual gallery event during Bellows Falls Third Friday Gallery Night live on Facebook at 6 p.m. Local artists include Clare Adams, Lucy Burgamini, Robert Burch, Nicholas Kekic, Hans Schepker, and Chris Sherwin. Take part in celebrating with the artists and in sharing their process with the glass medium.
In the midst of the pandemic, Clare Adams of Cambridgeport felt compelled to reach back centuries to classic religious glass painting as well her own high school experiments in stained glass. This new series of stained glass work is also inspired by American quilts – especially the traditional styles and asymmetry in African American quilts.
Lucy Bergamini of Brattleboro is strongly influenced by forms in nature, the human body, cell structure, and DNA. She developed a line of glass beads using a similar process of pulling cane. The canes are cut into beads and then assembled with sterling silver or gold to create the jewelry.
Robert Burch is a master glass blower working in his Putney studio for over 40 years. “Most of my inspiration comes from my natural surroundings, and is further enhanced by the beauty of the glass in its molten state. I am fortunate to have found work that I love and that allows me to be creative,” says Burch.
Tsuga Studios in Rockingham turned an industrial mill space into a functional glass shop and showroom. Owner Nicholas Kekics is a third generation glass worker. He was recently awarded Best in Glass at the 86th Annual Craftsmen’s Fair.
Chris Sherwin established Sherwin Art Glass at 33 Bridge St., overlooking the Connecticut River in Bellows Falls. Sherwin’s furnace and equipment are powered by the hydroelectricity generated by the dam. Sherwin says, “It feels good to be green glassblowing in the Green Mountain state, especially due to my working in a medium that generally uses a lot of fossil fuels.”
Canal Street Art Gallery, 23 Canal St. in Bellows Falls, is open Wednesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, go to www.canalstreetartgallery.com, call Mike or Emmett at 802-289-0104, or email artinfo@canalstreetartgallery.com.