The Glass Makers Palette - Colour making book

[Michael Waysmith]

Renowned glass artist to create world-first book

Wednesday, 19 June 2013, 12:38 pm
Press Release: Creative New Zealand

CREATIVE NEW ZEALAND MEDIA RELEASE

Renowned glass artist to create world-first book with Creative New Zealand Craft/Object Fellowship

Garry Nash

Creative New Zealand is pleased to confirm veteran glass artist, Garry Nash, as the recipient of the 2013 Craft/Object Fellowship.

The Fellowship provides established and senior New Zealand practitioners, curators and writers the opportunity to commit to a period of investigation, experimentation or research in their practice.

Garry, who is the first glass artist to receive the $65,000 Craft/Object Fellowship, will use the grant to produce a ground-breaking book on creating coloured glasses.

The Glass Makers Palette (working title) will detail how a palette of compatible coloured glasses can be created within a studio situation, and will be the first of its kind in the world. The technical manual will consolidate three decades of Garry’s work and hundreds of experiments with different glasses and chemicals.

The decision to support Garry’s proposal was an easy one for the Arts Board, following a unanimous recommendation from the assessment panel.

“This Fellowship will allow Garry to complete a project that will cement his place in the canon of studio glass – a position that the Arts Board felt he well deserves,” says Creative New Zealand Chief Executive Stephen Wainwright.

For Auckland-based Garry, who has been recognised both nationally and overseas for his work, the key motivator behind the book is sharing knowledge.

“Information about making coloured glasses is currently scattered and hard to access,” says Garry.

“I have always wanted to write this book to help address such issues. I’m excited at this opportunity to share my lifetime of study and help ensure coloured glass art continues to move forward long after I’m gone.”

Creative New Zealand can also see the potential of Garry’s book to open up new avenues of investigation at studio and tertiary education level.

“The results of producing such a book could have a long-term impact on the glass movement in New Zealand, and also has the potential to bring significant international recognition,” says Stephen.

Garry began working with glass in 1978, and his work is sought by collectors worldwide. He currently operates Garry Nash Studio. He is an honorary life member and past President of the New Zealand Society of Artists in Glass. In 2001 Garry was made an Officer of The New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Glass Art. His work is held in countless collections; and notably, in the prestigious Smithsonian Museum (Washington D.C), where he is the only non-American to be represented.

Previous recipients of this Fellowship: Moyra Elliott (2009), Rangi Kipa (2006), Peter Lange (2005), and Malcolm Harrison (2004).

[Pete VanderLaan]

Garry had told me he was doing this and I think it should be a valuable addition to the scant information about making color that exists. I think it's great that a country has the vision to have a grant for this sort of thing as opposed to our current stances in the arts in this country by our dim witted political representatives.

[Rollin Karg]

I'll be looking forward to it. You only have to get one little tip to pay for the price of the book.

[Pete VanderLaan]

He'll probably tell you to not use fluorspar with an electric furnace.

[Michael Waysmith]

It certainly is a fantastic thing, in talking to Garry the other day, he said he'd already been granted $5,000 a few years ago to travel to the U.K. to gather up various information from the university libraries there, so the book is already underway and should be a magnificent piece of work when complete.

[Dave Bross]

I'll be looking forward to this one. Any clues on when it will be done?