AMILTOND E S I G N   G L A S SThe artwork of Jeffrey Hamilton

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.

After several months of intense work my new window illustrating Dorcas in a gesture of giving cloth to a pauper was installed into one of the last remaining openings at St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Nowra, southern NSW. The window fitted quite well and installation proceeded relatively smoothly, with only a slight adjustment in the height required onsite.

The subject matter of Dorcas was a request from the donors, in consultation with Rev Fred Monckton, Parish Priest, as best representing the generous and giving nature of John and Joan Coulthart whom the window is in memory of. There was also a requirement to portray the old Presbyterian Church of Numbaa, which stood on the Coulthart's property some 20kms to the East of Nowra. A lot of research went into the design of the window, as is often the case. It was over a year ago that I drove down to Nowra to meet with the four Coulthart sisters and visit the Numbaa property. The old corrugated iron shed with its cast iron pillars still stands but the weatherboard and shingle porch has long since gone and the windows to the shed have been sheeted over. The building was erected as a Church in 1885.

I wanted my figure of Dorcas to be beautiful and compassionate and decided to attempt a recreation of an angel by William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones', changing the colours a little, without the wings and giving her a headscarf instead of flowers. As was common for the studio, more than one window was created from this same design. My figure of the pauper is based on a frescoe showing St Cecilia by Renaissance painter Lorenzo Costa. It seemed particularly appropriate as St Cecilia is shown divesting herself of all her possessions.

On Wednesday 22nd Feb I attended the memorial service for Peter Travis, renown ceramist, visual artist, textile artist, educator and revolutionary designer, held at the main lecture theatre of the University of NSW School of Art & Design (formerly COFA) I was shocked actually when my neighbour Yiorgos Zafiriou dropped by to tell me of the event; I had not heard of Peter's passing in Nov 2016. The Sydney Morning Herald carried an obituary Dec 20th 2016 (lately I've been reading The Australian)

Peter Travis graciously opened my solo exhibition at Knot Gallery in 2002. The exhibition was my first for 10yrs and an umbrella event of the Sydney Gay Games. As Peter had some association with the members of Knot Gallery and was a well-known & respected figure in Sydney's gay community it seemed entirely appropriate, although I didn't really know him until that time.

We had actually met many years prior: Travis was a guest lecturer while I was a student at the National Art School. He was the first man I had seen who wore his hair in a pony tail! -being only 19 at the time it made quite an impression (though I realised much later of course that men's hair styling has gone through many fashions over many hundereds of years -but ponytails in Sydney in the early 70's were never seen).

The Memorial Service was well attended and included many VIP's of the craft arts industry. I had the opportunity later of chatting with Roger Leong, Senior Curator at Sydney's PowerHouse Museum, Grace Cochrane, a former Senior Curator at the Museum, and being introduced to Pamela Griffith, a print maker who's work I have admired for many years. The service itself was not a sad affair at all but a celebration of a gigantic talent. Travis has made a huge contribution to the arts scene of Australia and indeed was recognised internationally. His exploration of colour and movement through the construction of gigantic and decorative kites led to many commissions throughout the world, with some installations in hotel lobbies up to 10 stories high.

At home Travis was engaged as the chief colour co-ordinator for the entire colour palette of the new Parliament House in Canberra. Perhaps his most famous creation of all is the men's swimming costume known as Speedos. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2008 for his work as a designer, sculptor, ceramist, kite-maker and teacher.

Also amongst the guests at the Memorial Service were noted jewellery designer Helga Larsen and fibre artist Liz Williamson, Associate Professor at UNSW School of Art & Design.

In her address at the Memorial Service Grace Cochrane revealed that Peter's first studio was in the choir loft of a Church in Potts Point; he paid rent by playing the organ at services. Erudite and charming, a keen conversationalist and politically engaged, Peter Travis was a true Renaissance man. There is another interesting obituary you can read on the National Gallery of Australia's website

So its back in the saddle with lots of glass painting underway. Above is the central motif for the Balmain entryway, just finished after 6x firings, and below the first trace for the scrollwork in the arched portion of the Dorcas window to be installed into Nowra Presbyterian Church

The fanlight for the Balmain residence has just been built (above). Pictured below are close-ups of the two bird paintings. While the general approach of the design has been quite traditional, I've aimed to keep the painting fresh and forward-looking rather than imitating what can be seen as drab traditional work. Part of this decision-making was not giving the birds a matted background.

The past fortnight hasn't been completely all work and no play -its still January after all, but I'm afraid I won't be heading off to Canberra this week for the Ausglass Conference, nor dancing my feet off at Electric Gardens for the Australia Day celebrations on Saturday (as much as I would LOVE to).

There's still a lot of painting to go for the Dorcas window for Nowra Presbyterian and the donors have been extremely patient with me already... can't keep them waiting!

But I did get along to a couple of Sydney Festival events: SPECTRA at the Seymour Centre was spectacular, truly inspiring and captivating with a set by Tatsu Miyajima, Mongolian throat singing, and superb coreography. Fortunately I had spent a whole day at the AGNSW and then MCA in the week between Xmas/New year so I'd seen the Miyajima exhibition and was thrilled to see his work used in a live performance situation. Made it so much more meaningful for me. [More on Miyajima in my next blog]

And the other fascinating performance I caught as part of Sydney Festival was Long String Instrument at Sydney Town Hall. Contrasting completely with the hectic, even tortured though engaging cello work preceeding the main act, Ellen Fullman's performance was totally mesmerising and meditative

Having completed a rather exhaustive program of installations in the last few months of 2016 I am taking a break for two weeks, with the studio closed until Monday January 9th. We have already begun work on the new jobs however: shown above are the full-size charcoal cartoons for a private residence in Balmain and a memorial window for Nowra Presbyterian Church.

All of the glass for Nowra has been cut and waxed onto plates ready for painting. Most of the glass for the Balmain residence has also been cut and some of it already painted, with one small section built (below)

Thank you for visiting my website and reading my blog. I wish you peace and good cheer for the holiday season, wherever you might be in the world. See you with renewed energy later in 2017: HAPPY NEW YEAR!