August 2017

ERUPTION (AT THE HOT GLASS SHOW)

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2017

 

I am very pleased to announce that juror Nancy Weisser,  invited my stained glass/ceramic piece, ERUPTION, into the Allegany Arts Council’s HOT GLASS EXHIBITION & COMPETITION. ERUPTION will be on view at their Saville Gallery, 9 N. Centre St, Cumberland, MD from August 12th until September 2nd 2017. Cumberland MD is a delightful town and the Show reception on Saturday, August 19th was a lot of fun.  In addition to juror Nancy Weisser, I had the chance to meet and talk with a number of very talented “hot glass” artists from around the country. After seeing the show I was even happier to be a part of it.

HARBINGER

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2017

HARBINGER, the third individual piece in the Hooded Figure series, like WATCHER OF THE NIGHT and PROPHET, was titled after completion. To me there is an ambiguity to the piece, an awareness that something is going to happen, but an uncertainty of what that will be. A harbinger may presage good or ill, hence the title. Hand built and raku fired paper clay. 7 ½” x 4” x 3

 

PROPHET

© JOHN FANSMITH 2017

PROPHET, like WATCHER OF THE NIGHT and HARBINGER, is part of my summer flirtation with Hooded Figures. The title to PROPHET was not planned but rather my first reaction to the completed piece – the facial expression and “body language” expressing my mental image of what a Prophet would, or should, look like. Hand built and raku fired paper clay. 6 ½” x 2” x 2”.

GREEN MAN: SUMMER

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2017

GREEN MAN: SUMMER is the fourth and last piece in the “Seasonal Green Man” series. It was the last because, of the four seasons, Summer is the most difficult one for me to visualize and express. I clearly “see” the colors and tones of Autumn, Winter, and Spring, but Summer is different and more of a challenge for me because I think I see it as a transition from Spring to Autumn rather than as having its own definition. Matted and framed to 18” x 14”

 

GREEN MAN: SPRING

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2017

GREEN MAN: SPRING, like the others in the “Seasonal Green Man” series is a collage created with pieces of hand inked and hand pulled hard plate monotype prints designed specifically to reflect the new growth colors of Spring. Again, while the primary and secondary contours remain essentially the same, the seasons have changed. Matted and framed to 18” x 14”