AMILTON D E S I G N G L A S S The artwork of Jeffrey Hamilton

I do occasionally take time out from my art practice, albeit rarely. Late April early May saw me travelling through Saigon, Da Nang and Nha Trang, with side trips out to Ba Na, Hoi An, Tay Ninh and Vung Tao. Here is a short photo essay of my holiday.

Sabbia Gallery of Paddington in Sydney kicked off 2018 with a resoundingly successful iteration of their annual Masters series, this one titled Sketch. Some of the participating artists responded enthusiastically to the theme, others more obliquely or perhaps not at all.

Certainly Matthew Curtis is on the former category with his "Neodymium and Grey Incline" shown above, with a cut-out photograph of him drawing on the floor with his dogs curled around him making what appears to be a shadow cast by the glass tower.

Giles Bettison on the other hand has chosen to show us in intricate detail the planning that went into the making of "Chroma 2018 #4" as a framed sketch, while Tom Rowney has sketched the form he has made for the exhibition.

Showing by far the largest piece in the exhibition, Jenni Kemarre Martiniello has drawn into and onto the glass and inscribed the names of fallen Indigenous soldiers into her "Gallipoli Pole, 2015"

As part of my 5x week exploration of stained glass in Europe, I was invited to teach a workshop for Peli Glass in Zoetemeer, a suburb of The Hague, looking at principals of design as they apply to stained glass and glass painting in particular. It was a small workshop, with only three students, but no less exhausting for that.

We began on the Friday evening with a slide show and a session examining basic design through additive composition, the results of which can be seen in the group photo above.

Saturday morning kicked off with a series of quick sketches in brush & ink and then charcoal (above) to loosen up and familiarise themselves with the still life, the subject of a longer study in graphite and/or charcoal.

The students were then set the task of converting this drawing into something that could be cut out of glass, all the while deciding what is to be painted and what defined by leadlines.

Once the glass had been selected and all cut, students then placed theglass assembly over the original long study and began to paint the trace line.

We were certainly lucky having a well-equipped workshop to work in. It
meant that several firings could be accomplished in a day as well as
overnight. This allowed for another exercise to run concurrently, something much more free and experimental.

There wasn't time of course to actually build the panels but I was certainly pleased with the results and each student went away with a head full of new ideas and techniques. And I continued on my journey, catching the train back to Amsterdam to see firstly the Rijksmusem, then Cobra and Jan van der Togt Galleries before catching a train to Paris for 12x days

Internationally renowned glass artist Clare Belfrage has a new solo show currently on display at Paddington's Sabbia Gallery. These works are a lovely iteration of the subtle and refined beauty for which Clare is known. These beautifully formed vessels are full of grace. The delicate almost-matte surfaces absorb light and contribute to their quiet but powerful presence.

Drawing Out Time opened on Wednesday 15th Nov, with an address delivered by Gabriella Bisetto, Head of the Glass Workshop at the South Australian School of Art, Art Architecture and Design , University of South Australia. An accomplished glass artist in her own right, Gabriella spoke eloquently about Clare's work and the accomplishments of the Australian contemporary glass community.

Closing December 9th, this is a delightful exhibition and well worth a visit.

GLAAS INC is staging a festival of glass events, GLAAS@Melbourne Polytechnic throughout the month of September, with talks by professional glass practitioners, a market, 'fringe' events and an exhibition. I'll have several pieces in the exhibition, the two shown below as well as a B&W drawing. The exhibition opens Friday 8th Sept, 5pm -7pm and launches the whole event.

On Saturday afternoon, 9th Sept. I will be performing a live glass and mixed-media sculpture to the accompaniment of live drumming (Melbourne Polytechnic has a course which includes drumming and circus performance among other things).

The two sculptures shown above are examples of the sort of work I will be creating for the Melbourne, although the new piece will stand at least 2metres tall and incorporate found object: large eucalypt branches collected form a nearby park I expect.

Within my stained glass studio in Hibernian House there is a 24sq metre self-contained space available for lease. The current tenant is moving out end of August.

With the annual increase of 5% built into my lease, the rent for this space will be $357/month from September. Ideally I'm looking for a fellow creative to share the space. The room is well-lit with high ceilings and would suit a variety of purposes. My next door neighbour is a noted performance artist and the other side is The Preachers' rehearsal studio.

UPDATE

August 30th: The room has been taken

When offered the opportunity of designing a widow featuring dolphins, I admit I hesitated. Could I achieve something fresh here? Is it even possible to avoid cliche with this subject matter? The clients had something quite specific in mind, an image of a window found on the internet, one which was quite well designed in fact. Well, I thoroughly enjoyed the process and I think I managed to make something worthwhile: you be the judge.

2.5 days with guest instructor Australian artist Jeff Hamilton
Friday evening-Saturday-Sunday: 20, 21, 22 October 2017
Zoetermeer, NL (near Den Haag).

This workshop will provide the opportunity to bring your work to new levels and tap into new creativity in stained glass design. Come with an open mind!

Workshop presented in English. Minimum 4, maximum 6 persons.

Instructor: Jeffrey Hamilton, Hamilton Design Glass, Surry Hills NSW, Australia
"Jeffrey Hamilton is an artist with more than 30 years experience. He is passionate about most forms of art and specifically painted glass. He graduated in 1974 with a diploma in Interior Design from Randwick College where attention to detail and fine craftsmanship was emphasized. In 1979 he began training as a glass painter, first concentrating on religious windows. Over the years he has been hugely involved with, and inspired by, the art scene in Sydney".

Workshop participants must have some experience in stained glass design / glass cutting, and stained glass painting.

Objectives:
- To consider design as it applies to stained glass
- To complete several challenging and practical exercises that will focus the mind and provide the opportunity to apply experimental ideas
- To facilitate comparative analysis amongst one's peers, and so lay the groundwork for unexpected insights
- To establish an appreciation of drawing as a core practice

During the workshop participants will be provided with: paints, mediums, glass, use of the kilns, food, drinks/coffee.

A workshop participant is entitled to a 10% discount on all paintbrushes, 5% discount on all sets, and 10% discount on all paints in stock purchased from PELI Glass. This is valid from time of payment until one month after the workshop.

Testimonials for Jeff Hamilton

"Wanted to let you know how impressed I am with your course. Will be referring you to the committee in my survey response... From you we received great tuition, well structured, very well prepared and very personable. As a bonus we were given insights into the technical aspects of stained glass and its history. This year's course (2014) was even better than 2013. Hope to enroll with you in 2015."
Terry Silk

"I was taught by Jeffrey Hamilton, some years ago, I can tell you he is the BEST PERSON to teach you leadlighting, painting on glass and foiling... Whilst there in his old studio in Lane Cove, I and my fellow participants learnt many things from Jeff. The more difficult the pattern the more accomplished you will become. I know he pushed me to the limits."
Paul Brunyee

"Thanks so much for teaching such a great class. It was so much fun and it was great to be able to produce a completed stained glass hanging. I can't wait to start my next project!"
Suzi Gleeson

Cost: € 395 ex VAT.
Interested? Check out our webshop for more details.
Request a non-binding offer today!

tel: +31 (0)79.361.8154 / www.peliglass.eu / fax: +31 (0)79.361.8493
PELI Webshop

In March I responded to an invitation to witness a performance by my friend AñA Wojak at Redfern's 107 Projects. Being photographer was incredibly intimate; I was with her all the way, feeling (almost) what she was feeling. Extraordinary, exhausting, it was an absolute honour

An accomplished saxophonist himself, Mark Elliott deploys great humour and wit to his flameworking of glass sculpture. Mark's latest forays have been making sculptures that sound, some of them with remarkable notes.

107 Projects in Redfern St Redfern are renowned for hosting quite left-field performances and exhibitions of multi-disciplinary artforms. Glass + Wind was one such event on Wednesday evening, 29th March, and continuing thru to April 9th 2017.