i am a self-defined Nuyorican creative (that is a Puerto Rican who is from both the isles of Manhattan, NYC and the Caribbean). I share daily in the joy of education and live in a cute port town in New York, in a 'teensy-weensy' apartment with my two dogs and canary named Valentino. Check out my Etsy shop for purchasable pieces. Please do not reproduce imagery off of this site without explicit credit and no derivatives may be made of my original imagery- Thank You.
So it has been a pretty jam packed summer for and unfortunately blogging has taken a backseat on the priority list, but tomorrow begins the new school year for me and it is time to buckle down and get back in front of the computer. The last two weeks of the summer I was in Portland Oregon taking glass classes at Bullseye glass. This is my second time taking classes at Bullseye and it never ceases to please. So here is a sneak peek at some of the new glass and sketchbook work that I have been working on.
my desk in the Bullseye Glass Class on Silkscreening on Glass with Michael Endo and Louise Krampienstudent work from my Image transfer for Kiln Glass class with Carrie Iverson and Louise Krampien
Can you guess which of all of these student pieces is mine? if you're a follower you should have no trouble at all! :)
No that's not a recipe for anything, unless you want to call it a recipe of creative sparks being showcased at the Mia...
We're in February and I'm still reporting on all those creative flair ups that I saw in Miami back in January at that oh so sweet Art fair and though I have many more worthy artists in my picture file- I'm ready to wrap it up. But before I do, here are some of the last inspiring pieces I thought you would enjoy...
Remember- click on the pink links to learn/see more about the artists or their representing galleries!
Here are a few visual samples of my sculpture class and their up and coming work! Stained Glass is the simplest process to bring to beginning high school students because its cold connection. The next simplest would be warm glass which is fusing and slumping in a kiln.
I hope to bring warm glass to my school in the next few years. I'm afraid teaching any kind of hot glass is still too far in the future since it requires quite a few costly facilities. But this is a great start! In fact, stained glass is often called the gateway drug into working with glass as an art material.
Beginning star light fixture by JenBeginning of a glass soccer ball-inspired light fixture by MattBeginning Rocketship light fixture by RammyBeginning of a boat by Wally
Hey there folks! It's been in baby steps I'm sure, but slowly I've been updating my Glass Art portfolio. All the portfolio's are in need of clean-up, re-organization and re-clarification since I hurriedly posted something up two years ago when I first started my blog. I would love for folks to click on the portfolio and check it out!
I still have more to upload and rearrange. I have made a distinction between glass 'art' and glass 'sketches' as the first is more about pieces I feel are more resolved with clear intention and the latter is about products that emerge out of the process of learning and experimenting.
Wooly Willy magnet toy
Many of you have asked about the techniques. When illustrating, I work with ground glass called frit. It can be ground into different consistencies - coarse to powdery. Much like one would play with a 'Wooly Willy' magnet toy and push around the crushed magnets to draw Willy's hair or mustache, I push around the glass frit to illustrate. After each layer of glass has a frit drawing on it - it then gets fired, usually into one singular block of glass. Such is the case with the 'Alice' above. Often time there is great depth to these illustrations that is almost impossible to capture in a photograph head on. So please check out my glass art gallery!
While contemplating the word encasement, I explored some new glass powder work this summer.
Unintentionally, my concept was very similar to an assignment that I gave my students last year. The assignment (to paint a distorted self-portrait by basing the composition on a scanned/xeroxed facial print) was a blessing for some students who flourished with the 'chiaroscuro' demands of the project. However, the assignment proved to be challenging for others, who were left feeling disillusioned, which for me as an art educator is never ok.
quick sketch of idea as I saw it in my mindactual xerox of my facexerox of my face11"x 11" layered glass tile made with glass powders entitled ENCASED by marisol diaz
When working with glass powders, your initial drawing is very forgiving since the dry powders can simply be wiped (or blown) away until you fire it. However if you're working to create strong blacks it can be challenging since the material that you're working with is transparent and will also be reflective (it is glass) - thats why we use light tables during the process. Once the glass is fired your options become very limited since you can only add material and re-fire.
For this piece I combined both picture references of my face to create a new composition that included my hand. After the piece was fired I re-fired it with a layer of clear glass on top. The thickness and depth that created is difficult to see in the above shot. That clear glass layer also really helped 'encase' the piece. In addition, it made more sense why this piece was made out of glass as opposed to a drawing or a painting. I love sharing these explorations with you all!
The teaching assistant for Catharine Newell's glass class at the Studio in Corning, NY was glass artist Richard Parrish (who was off to teach his own glass class at Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle WA after ours). Richard had been Catharine's teaching assistant before and fortunately their working relationship was great one. As students we benefitted the most from this combo because each artist was so dramatically different yet very stimulated by the other's art.
What on Earth? by Richard Parrish 2007 Kiln-formed and coldworked glass panel
Richard has moved on from a career in Architecture and has roots in Montana. Although often subtle or invisible Richard's work is very much informed by the figurative. The above series of work (which really resonate with topographical earth views) are my favorite. However, Richard also does architectural commissions, glass tapestries, studio productions plates. He sells some of these art pieces on Artnet if you are interested in purchasing one. While we were in class together my class mates and I were privileged to see Richard make some TESTS for future work and now you can be just as lucky too!
Check out these dimensional glass powder and kiln-formed tile- tests, in which Richard is investigating surface textures, colors relationships, dimension and landscapes!
Ok so I fell off of the blogging bed and have struggled to get back up, and the clapper was of absolutely NO help!!! Luckily with a little rest and resuscitation under my belt I can now safely say that, I'm back! I have a gallery opening tonight that I will soon be posting about - but for now lets see the end of my glass class experience with instructor Catharine Newell at Corning NY.
The view of Corning from the pedestrian bridge on the way to classA dream kiln filled with my classwork...
Because of these hard economic times our class was incredibly small (we only had three students)! As any one who is familiar with education knows (super-small intimate classes such as this one can be a double-edged sword that cuts both ways, positive and negative. However, I ended up LOVING my classmates whose work and personalities couldn't have been more different than mine - Lynn Smith and Sue Hill. We were riding the same wave and trying to fully immerse ourselves in Catharine's high- concept manner of teaching powders. We also were charged with making a collaborative piece together. Each of our different styles lent greatly to this endeavor and we made one of the best pieces of the whole two weeks! We donated the completed piece to the Auction which raises funds for The Studio's scholarships.
Our student Collaboration piece in the kiln before its stacked and fused! We were also intrigued and deeply affected by the artwork created by our teaching assistant Richard Parrish whom I am looking forward to writing a post on next! One thing we all found we had in common was a deep penchant and appreciation for dessert. Sue's Notorious Dessert
Well, I'm fortunate enough to be at glass class at The Studio again this year, and being taught by one of my all time favorite glass artist Catharine Newell whose course is entitled, A Particulate Language. While I'm here (and until January 3, 2010) Corning Museum of Glass is showing an AWESOME exhibit entitled Favorites From the Contemporary Glass Collection where they feature some of their most popular contempory works.
While You Were Sleeping by Christina Bothwell at Corning Museum of Glass
Above is one of my personal favorites from this exhibit- a piece by Christina Bothwell that employs ceramics raku, in addition to glass.
Omagh by Clifford Rainey at Corning Museum of Glass
Another exhibit that is happening while I'm here (and will be up until January 3rd, 2010) is Voices of Contemporary Glass: The Heineman Collection, which showcases more than 230 important works by 84 international artists. And since we're discussing favorites I just had to show this museum piece to the left entitled Omagh that is made but cast and cut ground glass by British b. Northern Ireland artist Clifford Rainey in 2001. This piece really resonates with me and even the work that I do.
As for my class, we have had our first two days and working with Catharine and our TA Richard Parrish has been intriguing and provocative to say the least.
Compared to past glass classes that I have taken, this a relatively small session (in terms of attending students) which is a special treat when considering community, attention, space and depth of focus. I will be sure to keep you abreast of our progress!
For anyone who has followed my work you will know that I am very interested in working with powdered glass to combine my illustrative passions with those I have for the medium of glass. Catharine Newell has been an artist whose work in powders has been very inspirational. If you don't know anything about this medium or process I urge you to watch this Youtube video on her and the process!
While I was taking the class at The Studio @ the Corning Museum of glass I got to visit the museum collection frequently. One of my favorite pieces (and there were many) was this piece by artist Sylvia Levenson.
It's Raining Knives by Sylvia Levenson
On of our class assignments was to seek out a piece from the glass collection to respond to via our own art work. As I get adjusted to moving out of NYC and deeper into the jaws of suburbia, and as I watch the continuing politics of fear immobilize people, I was deeply drawn to this sculpture. The title card also spoke volumes about our human exchange with fear.
For me, Sylvia's sculpture invokes the innocence of youth. The colorful houses and even the astro-turf are reminiscent of cloistered safety. The fact that she makes use of glass only adds to tenuous, fragile and volatile potential of the situation.
In my own work I am very drawn to the melancholy of loss, especially innocence lost. I had been feverishly illustrating a series of young girls in my sketchbook and was considering carefully composing them in a paper-doll fashion of sheets of glass. In addition I am very interested in stained glass, and really wanted to consider cutting my sheet glass into forms before I illustrated on them with the vitreous paint (this technique is explained in past post). I was inspired by the element of repetition as well. That is how my art pieces entitled Lost Girls was born.
detail of Lost Girls by marisol diaz
Lost Girls by marisol diaz
So with little time (for class was in its last three days) I cut sheet glass, painted and fired as many girls from my sketchbook and bunnies as I could. The scale is much smaller and less colorful than Levenson's work but the inspiration is there...in my way. Lost Girls 2 detail by marisol diaz
Stumble It!
Monday, September 5, 2011 at 07:13PM 
my desk in the Bullseye Glass Class on Silkscreening on Glass with Michael Endo and Louise Krampien
student work from my Image transfer for Kiln Glass class with Carrie Iverson and Louise Krampien
;)
