Arts & Crafts Show Weekend

The 10th Annual Arts & Crafts Show weekend is now behind us. We set everything up on Friday in preparation to greet visitors to the show on Saturday and Sunday. Once again, our booth featured the "Lamp Cave", a 10' x 10' darkened room created in the booth to show off our lamps. Attendance was up for the show, and we had a great time greeting old friends and introducing our work to new people.

The show ended on Sunday at 4pm, and we packed up what was remaining in our booth, dismantled the Lamp Cave, and brought it all back to the studio. Monday was spent cleaning and restoring the showroom. It all felt a bit too familiar, having moved in and opened our new showroom in May!

16" Fish Shade

In preparation for our upcoming show this weekend, we have been working to make up a few new shades and bases. One of the shades we completed is a 16" Fish pattern, pictured to the left on a Century Studios' Pond Lily - Blown Glass & Bronze Base.

The Fish shade is one of the more unusual and rare Tiffany shade designs (only a few original examples are known to exist). The viewer of this lamp is treated to a tranquil pond scene where 5 fish peacefully co-mingle amongst floating vegetation. This underwater scene gives the viewer the impression that they are gazing down into a Koi pond.

Filigree plays an important design element in this shade. Fins and tails on the fish are accentuated by the filigree, giving the shade a distinctly Oriental feel. Filigree is used in a handful of Tiffany lamp designs including the Fish, Dragonfly and Poppy shades. Tiffany Studios also used filigrees extensively in desk sets.

This is our first piece to use a new glass called "Circa 1900", which was created by the Youghiogheny Opalescent Glass Company from Pennsylvania. This unique glass has been developed to replicate one of Tiffany Studios' finest types of art glass. The transparent ring mottle and surface hazing make this glass an indispensable addition to our library of reproduction art glass.

The Fish shade will be on display and available for purchase at our booth this coming weekend at the 10th Annual Arts and Crafts Show which is being held at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds.

Madame Charpentier Window

We have recently completed a large window commission that takes its inspiration from a painting by the French-Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The original 1878 painting of Madame Charpentier and her Children is currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Our stained glass window now resides blocks away from the museum in a private residence. At our client's request, we have made changes to the facial features and some of the details of the sitters. The window has been framed in a light box.

Impressionist images always pose a unique challenge to translate into stained glass windows. When artists create this type of painting, the paint is liberally applied to the canvas to convey color and light, not detail. Because of this, Bill must look at the painting and make up the hard lines which will outline the details. The challenge is to convey the same feeling as the painting in a image that is defined by solid black lines throughout.

As with many of the other stained glass windows of this type which we have created in the past, we use the technique called plating to give the piece richness and depth. In this technique, more than one layer of glass is put onto the window creating colors and textures that do not exist in a single layer of glass.

George and Marguerite Charpentier were enthusiastic patrons of Mssr. Renoir and included his work in exhibitions they organized. Renoir painted the family several times, and this image pictures Marguerite and her children in the Japanese drawing room of their mansion.

2009 Arts and Crafts Show

The 10th Annual Arts and Crafts show will be held Saturday, September 26th & Sunday, September 27th at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds. Held annually in the Progress Center Building, this exciting show features antique and reproduction arts and crafts era items for sale from more than 50 national dealers.

Hours:
Saturday, September 26th, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday, September 27th, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Admission is $7.00.
Free street and lot parking within the Fairgrounds

Century Studios will be participating and will be located in our usual booth space just to the right of the main entrance. We are working to create new lamps and will also have a nice selection of pottery and blown glass items on display. Hope to see you there!

Winged Moon Window

We've had a busy week finishing several projects at the studio. Among other things, we completed the Winged Moon window which now hangs above our studio front door. This piece features a jeweled moon and star border surrounding a beautiful woman in repose floating in a purple evening sky.

As we mentioned in an earlier blog entry, our inspiration for this image came from an old black and white photo of a tapestry designed by Dora Wheeler called The Winged Moon. Dora Wheeler was the daughter of Candace Wheeler, who founded the Associated Artists with Louis Tiffany. Candace Wheeler was instrumental in reviving and creating an American style of textile work, and her daughter designed many tapestries for the company.

We have a letter from Candace Wheeler on display at the studio dating from 1881. It's written on Louis C. Tiffany & Co. Associated Artists letterhead, and is a response to an inquiry concerning writing an article on needlework. An excerpt reads:

"...I am so interested & happy in the successful experiments we are making & in the fresh & delicate character of American design, that I delight in showing our work to any one who appreciates this form of art."

Mermaid Lamp & Pottery Opening

We recently completed a Mermaid/Nautilus lamp for a local client. This sculptural lamp features a bronze double-tailed mermaid riding the crest of a wave and holding a lit nautilus shell in her arms. Tiffany Studios used the nautilus shade on a few different bases, but this has always been the most coveted shade/base combination. Our client requested that we apply a polychromatic finish to the bronze base, toning the body of the mermaid without any green. This coloration makes for a striking lamp.

Using molds taken from an original Tiffany Studios example, the finely detailed cast bronze base is made at Century Studios. This is the only Tiffany base design which bears the signature of the artist who sculpted it.

In the photo to the right, Irwin is shown soldering the stained glass shell together. Because this piece curves into itself (like a real shell), the shade must be made in several pieces and soldered together in sections. The wooden shell form used to create the shade can be seen in the photo.

Turner & Scratch Pottery Opening

This past Friday we showcased 75 pieces of pottery by local artist Nick McArdell (pictured below) of Turner & Scratch Pottery with a special evening opening and artist reception. The studio was crowded with people eager to see the newest works by this talented local artist.

Century Studios has long featured works by Turner & Scratch in our showroom. Even though the opening night crowd took full advantage of having first access to Nick's newest works, there are still many exciting pieces on display in our showroom, with more new works to come soon. Stop by and see the pieces in person!

Juggling Cats

KABUKI JUGGLING CATS

The Kabuki Cat series of stoneware plates and platters by Turner & Scratch Pottery is inspired by the ukiyo-e (wood cut blockprints) of the famous Japanese artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797 - 1861). This new series will be introduced this week Friday (Aug 21) from 6pm to 9pm in our showroom. Everyone is welcome to stop by, meet artist Nick McArdell, see the new pieces and enjoy light refreshments.

Authorities of 19th Century Japan banned many of the most popular pleasures of the growing middle class. Included in the ban were ukiyo-e which depicted Kabuki actors and geisha, who both had long had been the darlings of ukiyo-e printmakers. It was during these years that Kuniyoshi produced a print series inspired by scenes from hit kabuki plays - though with a slight twist. Instead of depicting actors, which was banned, the scenes were performed by cats. Kuniyoshi himself loved cats and had many. In some of his more risque works, he adapted the pseudonym Gobyoke, or “Master of Five Cats”.