Virginia has been a devoted citizen of the glass world since 1982, the year she first laid her hands on stained glass. She experimented with the medium for 12 years, before being inspired to study other aspects of glass making. Virginia's interest in hot glass was sparked while taking an engraving course at Sheridan College, Oakville On. She could not resist the lure of the glass blowing studio and immediately enrolled full time in the college's intensive, three year glass program. Since graduating, she has been rewarded numerous grants and scholarships.

Virginia's background in textiles has subliminally molded her work, which is noted for its sense of style and fluidity. Specializing in techniques that were mastered by the Venetians over 500 years ago and held as closely guarded secrets for centuries, she has developed her art to incorporate various types of simple and complex glass canes as the decorative medium on her forms. What follows are linear and threadlike patterns that dance and sway on complex, shimmering works, captivating the imagination and stimulating wonder in the viewer.

Virginia's glass has been exhibited widely in both juried and invitation only exhibitions within Canada and the United States and is represented in private and public collections throughout North America and abroad. Most notably, selections of her work are housed at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ontario, the Claridge Collection in Montreal, Quebec, Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. and Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England.

 

ARTIST STATEMENT


All my life I have worked with my hands. In my youth, I was absorbed with sewing, painting, drawing and playing piano and guitar. As an adult, I developed a passion for upholstering furniture and working with stained glass. When I finally discovered glass-blowing, I knew I had found the perfect medium. I find the constant challenge to create new and innovative works of art intensely satisfying.

As a child growing up in a rural setting, the surrounding natural elements awed and inspired my young imagination. Consequently, the colours, shapes and patterns of creation subtly inform my work. Harmony and integration are central to my art, and so pieces are designed to be interactive with nature, whether it's an iridescent vase enveloping a fragrant bouquet, a shimmering orb refracting sunlight or a drinking vessel overflowing with mature and fragrant wine. My main objective is to produce functional pieces of exquisite beauty that are molded by my experiences and inspired by my dreams.

 

I feel a magical connection to the entire process of blowing glass. My spirit is nourished and enthralled by the fiery glow of the furnace as it transforms silica sand into clear molten crystal at 2400/F. The substance itself, a kind of primordial, slow-moving liquid, capable of being formed and molded with the breath of life, inspires in me a wellspring of creative energy. To transfer such energy takes exact timing and balance, a fluidity and adaptability of movement not unlike that of molten glass itself; in a very real sense, the artist must become one with the glass. In the end, the glass cools, and what was a dynamic, creative process becomes, in essence, frozen in time; and nothing is more fulfilling than looking at a finished piece and being able to sense my energy suspended within.


 

Tony spent over twenty years in the custom contracting industry, building and designing one-off proposals using log fitting and timber framing techniques. He was involved in projects ranging from solariums to eco-friendly and efficient homes. During this time he cultivated an excellent sense of scale and balance, and developed an understanding for how the blending and complementing of individual components relate to the total picture of a given project. These are skills that Tony has successfully applied to his work as a glass blower.

He was introduced to glass in 1982 when his wife, Virginia, became interested in the medium. Since then, he has graciously assumed a role of positive reinforcement in support of her endeavors, helping and participating whenever possible. Tony has taken several courses in glassblowing, flame working and murrini making. However, he has benefited most from working closely with his wife and partner in the production of Venetian style filigrana cane and murrini.

 

ARTIST STATEMENT


 

My transition to the glass medium has been a long and steady learning curve. I am attracted by the complexities of the material itself and the vast array of colors available. Combining multiple colors in a fluid yet stable manner is a perpetual challenge that I find absorbing. A finished piece genuinely excites me, particularly when viewed and handled for the first time. Continually innovating new products, designs, and color applications in ways that identify Ginny and me to the world of collectors and enthusiasts is truly rewarding work. I find it comforting to think that the beauty we create will live on through the ages, long after we are both gone. I believe that glass has an almost eternal quality. In works of glass art we see a persistence of color, contour and clarity that, in relation to human life, is free from the effects of time. It is this sense of timelessness that really inspires me as a glass artist.