September 18 to November 22, 2020
View available works
Light on Glass presents the work of seventeen contemporary Canadian glass artists:
Marie-Hélène Beaulieu
Maryse Chartrand
Taygan Crapo
Marie Pierre Daigle
Sébastien Duchange
Montserrat Duran Muntadas
Susan Edgerley
Michèle Lapointe
Mel Munsen
Caroline Ouellette
Patrick Primeau
Julia Reimer
Tyler Rock
Donald Robertson
Shay Salehi
Cathy Strokowsky
Cheryl Wilson-Smith
This exhibition by La Guilde's gallery underlines the importance of the dialogue between light and the medium of glass, as well as the depth of technical knowledge possessed by glass artists. The light beams captured and emitted by glass intensify the colours and textures of the work, making it shine and shimmer. They make the work appear lightweight, profound, sometimes even solid and bring out its opacity. It creates shadows where darkness and light combine. In this exhibition, La Guilde features a selection of works that reflect a wide range of techniques and a beautiful variety of forms.
In order to carry out their research while taking into account all the possibilities of glass, the artists use a number of techniques:
Blowing: the artist blows into a blowpipe to make a mass of molten glass inflate.
Flameworking: heating the glass with a torch or very hot flame, the artist uses various tools to manipulate it and give it the desired shape.
Lost Wax Casting: around a wax model, the artist makes a refractory mold. The wax, then, flows out of the mold to form a cavity, where the glass is poured to create the work.
Glass paste / “pâte de verre”: the artist applies a fine powder (paste) - composed of finely ground glass, a binder and pigments - to the inner surface of a mould before firing it.
Cold Working: the artist shapes and finishes his work using cold glass techniques (e.g. cutting, engraving, polishing and sandblasting).
La Guilde is relaunching its 2020 programming with the exhibition Light on Glass. This display of works allows La Guilde to further its mandate of presenting and promoting established artists in dialogue with emerging artists. As part of this exhibition, La Guilde will be launching a new series of cultural activities on its social networks.
VIRTUAL CONTENT
A guided tour and presentation of the 17 glass artists in the exhibition, Light on Glass, by the Communications & Programming Coordinator, Genevieve Duval.
While installing her brand-new work entitled "Echo", glass artist Susan Edgerley took the time to tell us a little more about this turn in her practice and artistic approach.
Glass artist Cheryl Wilson-Smith, in partnership with the Arizona Glass Alliance, presented her work on November 4, 2020. For those who couldn't attend, here is the video from her virtual presentation :
The artist Maryse Chartrand welcomed us (virtually) in the intimacy of her studio for an activity as part of the exhibition. For those who couldn't attend, here is the video from her presentation and demonstration of cold-working glass (presentation in French only):
In partnership with the Arizona Glass Alliance, glass artist Donald Robertson presented his work on April 20, 2021. For those who couldn't attend, here is the video from his virtual presentation: