Glass art has become more popular in the United States in recent years:
Increased demand: The demand for art glass has grown due to the desire for unique home decor and interior design. Consumers are looking for art glass that reflects their personal style and adds elegance and sophistication to their spaces.
Recognition as fine art: Glass art has transitioned from being seen as a craft to a fine art form. Some consider glass art to be a type of sculpture, while others appreciate it as a hybrid of various categories.
La Quinta Art Celebration ENCORE is proud of its collection of highly talented glass artists. Featured below are four of the gifted artists that will be participating from November 14-17th at La Quinta Civic Center Campus.
Latchezar Boyadjiev – A First Time Artist in La Quinta
Latchezar Boyadjiev was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he attended the Ceramics Department of the Academy of Applied Arts. In 1985 he was admitted to the prestigious Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia).
In 1986, just after graduating from the Academy, Latchezar Boyadjiev defected to the United States via Italy. After settling in California, Boyadjiev worked for more than ten years in the field of optical glass, using cold work techniques such as cutting, grinding, polishing and laminating to create his optical glass sculptures that he became initially known for. His drawing technique changed from pencil to charcoal, the glass technique from optical to cast glass. Today Latchezar will work on new designs which can sometimes take him hours or even weeks to complete.
Once a drawing is satisfactory, a clay model is made. The next step is the actual sculpture rendered in clay with perfectly smooth surfaces and details. Next follows a series of positive and negative molds, a time consuming and detail- oriented process that leads to the ultimate outcome of the glass sculpture.
Patty Roberts - from Washington
Patty Roberts is a Best of Show Winner and Artist Advisor for La Quinta Art Celebration. She works with the glass kiln casting technique of Pate de Verre. Literally translated from French, it means paste of glass.
The process starts by creating a model shaped from clay. After the design elements have been added a plaster material is poured over the original to make the mold. After the mold is dry, the clay is removed and three layers of glass paste are firmly packed into place. The paste is made from crushed glass mixed with a binding agent. The piece is then finished by firing the piece in a kiln. I work primarily with open-faced molds creating dimension with color placement and sculptural effects of metal inclusion.
Christopher Jeffries - from Laguna Beach, California
Christopher Jeffries - from Laguna Beach, California is a Best of Category and Artist Advisor for La Quinta Art Celebration. He creates hand-blown glasswork that focuses on wall installations. Jeffries Glass has the pleasure of working with residential and corporate clients. Christopher Jeffries is accredited for his glass blowing apprenticeships and experiences.
Jeffries has taught glass blowing at the well-known Corning Museum of Glass in New York. He was an apprentice for Dale Chihuly at the prestigious Boat House in Seattle, Washington. Jeffries also had an apprenticeship in the Czech Republic with master glass blower, Igor Muller. To this day, Jeffries Glass is showing his handcrafted, glass wall installations and works all throughout the United States.
Jeffries Glass directly caters to homeowners and corporations. Jeffries Glass is mindful of the wall installation’s designated location to create a custom experience for all to enjoy. To personalize, customers handpick the color palette, location, and glass series that speaks to them or suits the space most, with artist reassurance and input.
Nicholas Stetler from Wisconsin
A First Time Artist in La Quinta! began working with glass in 2000. While I started with stained glass, I also explored working with stone, concrete casting, and the possibilities of wood. Now in my studio I am thrilled to create new pieces of glass art. I Enjoy the creative process, seeing and ideal come to life. While my pieces have a similar shape, no two pieces have the same pattern which make each one unique.
Today, I sculpt glass within the kiln, always pushing and exploring the glass and letting it show me it’s true form. Following that, the glass is cold worked and polished to create the soothing shapes and organic lines that are indicative of my work. Then, I design and fabricate complementary pedestals to finish each piece. I find the exploration of the purity of shape and simplicity in form create surprisingly complex pieces that mimic the unpredictability