Page 20 - April 2016

beneaTh The layers
‘TIS ArTS CenTer dIveS InTo The depThS oF new ArT
FROM LEFT: The multi-media paintings of Annette Olson and the glass art of Cindi Shaffer hang side by side in “BE Dazzled.”
STory By
clair anna rose
This April in the Mezzanine Gallery, at the ‘Tis Arts Center in Prescott, two artists with two very different types of creations will show side by side in “BE Dazzled.”
Cindi Shaffer and Annette Olson met while volunteering on the Visual Arts Committee
for the PCA Gallery at Prescott Center for the Arts. Later the two were re-acquainted when they both enrolled in a Yavapai College print making class. The two enjoy working on projects together, and feel their work compliments one another’s.
In 2000, Ms. shaffer and her husband Joe (an artist in his own right) moved to Prescott from Houston, Texas. Prescott seemed like a good “jumping off point” for the two to explore the southwest together, enjoy changes in the seasons, new views and the outdoors. Ms. shaffer works in glass, and when the two collaborate on sculptural projects Mr. shaffer contributes the aspects of the piece made from steel, wood and stone.
In the mid-1990s Ms. shaffer first began working with glass. she learned by attending master classes with accomplished glass artists. she relates working in glass to making quilts — her first path in creativity was needlework, quilting and crochet, under the instruction of her mother.
“I have always been fascinated by glass, which is a pieced medium too, if you think about it that way,” Ms. shaffer says. “I started with stained glass in 1995, on the side, while I was still working full time. when we moved to Prescott in 2000, I took a fused glass class and fell in love with kiln-formed glass. while I have taken many art classes over time in different mediums, and believe any artwork adds to your skills, I always return to glass as my first love. It is a wonderful mixture of science and art.”
The glasswork of Ms. shaffer marries her love of fused glass with her skills in photography and printmaking. In between the many layers composing a piece the artist will imbed her own drawn designs or photography. In order to apply printmaking techniques to her glass art, necessary adjustments and modifications have to be made.
“The four main types of printmaking I use are screen printing, solar plate printing, sepia decals and gel plate printing,” Ms. shaffer explains. “As a student at Yavapai College, I studied in the print shop and would go back to my studio and apply the techniques using glass enamels as ink. I have also printed with a press using glass enamel ink on ceramic fiber paper, and then encased the paper into glass — this process is still experimental at the moment.”
while with traditional printing techniques the fabric or paper being printed upon would be run through a press, with glass this isn’t a possibility, and the artist uses screen-printing instead. “The solar plates I use are different than what most print makers use since I need a flexible surface that will contour to the surface of the art glass,”she describes. “The sepia decals are iron oxide. I have a laser printer, which has iron oxide in the toner, so I can print my images onto decal paper, transfer them to glass, and all of the ink burns out except the iron oxide in the toner. The gel plates are soft, once again to conform to the surface of the glass, and I can paint with glass enamel onto the surface of the gel plate and then print it onto the glass. I do this on several layers of glass so the image has depth.”
The firing process involves many steps and many firings, but for the artist the whole process is a joy. Though there are many parts melded together to create a finished piece, Ms. shaffer hopes her process and techniques will make the many layers flow together so viewers see it holistically.
The translucent quality of the glass is something the artist describes as “a portal” allowing the viewer to see through the many layers of the piece and examine its depths at the same time. Because of its nature to change depending on light, shadows and angles, the pieces seem to be moving, shifting, and as the artist expresses, “dancing.”
“There are many things to start the process rolling — photography, nature, Japanese art, the beauty of glass,” she shares. “I will fire my photographic images into the glass using print making techniques. I also specialize in using glass powders to make one-of-a-kind design work
on clear glass and fire it. Then the collage begins.”
The pieces in the upcoming show will represent nature and photography. “I’m including
silver and gold leaf, and mica in many pieces, which are also organic materials, and inspired the show’s name, ‘Be Dazzled,’” Ms. shaffer states.
Among recent inspirations for the artist’s designs are glossy-feathered tricksters. “Ravens, the beautiful birds hovering over water or the forest, and their shadows crossing the road as I drive into town,” she says. “The forest is always an inspiration, the pine needles, the waving trees, and the silence of snow.”
The whole spectrum of Ms. shaffer’s work — collaborative sculptures made with Mr. shaffer, fused glass art, prints on glass, and enameled jewelry will be displayed in “Be Dazzled.”
Hailing from wisconsin, the land of beer, cows and bratwurst — Ms. Olson came to northern Arizona first by way of Tucson after she retired, and now lives in Prescott Valley.
Though the artist didn’t find encouragement to pursue the arts as a child, Ms. Olson’s grandmother taught her how to sew, planting those first seeds of creativity. “I immediately loved working with textured fabrics and altering purchased patterns,” she says.
In the 1990s she began studying painting and drawing. “All of my adult life, I have enjoyed creating art and taking classes and workshops as a way of keeping my work fresh. since moving to Arizona, I have incorporated the colors and vistas of the southwest in much of my work. I began painting using traditional watercolor methods and then discovered using collage and mediums to add texture. Gradually, I moved from realistic, traditional watercolor to a looser, freer style,” she recollects.
During one class in particular, Ms. Olson was introduced to an acrylic gel medium used as an adhesive to incorporate collage paper onto her paintings. “The added texture hooked me and I began to use more acrylic products,” she recalls. “Later classes introduced me to using metallic leaf under acrylic glazes, and this has added a new dimension to my work.”
Beginning with an idea, Ms. Olson layers her work using a wide range of mediums to add depth — fabric, calligraphy, silver, copper or gold leaf add shine and sparkle to her art. “As the piece nears completion, I often add more textural interest with collage papers, string, yarn, twigs or other found objects,” she tells me.
Recently Ms. Olson’s interest in genealogy and family history has surfaced in her art. “some of my recent work may bring questions and memories forward for viewers,” she muses. “Currently, I am continuing to work with silhouetted figures, leaning more toward female forms. The silhouette figures in my current series are part of the genealogy theme I have been exploring this year while working on family history. I am stunned by the courage and strength people draw on when uprooting and resettling their lives. The current refugee crisis brings these experiences to the forefront again.”
Memories from travels with her husband also inspire Ms. Olson’s work. “I enjoy creating from the memory of a ruin, mesa or cliff we have seen in our travels. My husband and I have visited many ruins, reservations and parks to learn the history of the southwest,” she says. “One of our favorites is Canyon de Chelly which we will visit again this April.”
Ms. Olson hopes viewers are drawn in to take a close look at her work, and when they leave perhaps take a few questions with them. “The colors I use often suggest my feeling about the subject, rather than a realistic representation,” she reflects.
“Be Dazzled”will be on display in the Mezzanine Gallery at the‘Tis Arts Center, 105 s. Cortez in Prescott, April 15 through May 14. A reception for the artists will be held Friday, April 22, 5-8PM. TisArtGallery.com, AstralGlassStudio.com
| Clair Anna rose likes to bedazzle and be bedazzled. clair@thenoise.us
20 • APRIL 2016 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us