July 2011 at Vetri Glass - Seattle
Exhibition Dates: July 7th - 30th, 2011
Artist Reception: First Thursday, July 7th, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Vetri Glass – Seattle is pleased to introduce San Francisco artist, Demetra Theofanous in her first solo exhibition with the gallery. Through the delicate, glass nests, flowers, branches and leaves presented in "Story of Nature," Theofanous depicts the cycle of life: growth, discovery, change and renewal.
Inspired by the storytelling tradition of woven tapestry and quilt making, the artist sees herself as weaving with glass to connect the viewer with the story of the natural world. She brings glass to life, using its fluidity and fragility to express the beauty, vulnerability, peacefulness and decay found in nature's story.
Theofanous has personally developed many of the techniques she uses to create her intricate, lampworked glass sculptures and she has pioneered an approach for casting and attaching pate de verre components to the pieces. The artist also creates much of the subtle color in her work herself through a process of blending and mixing new colors, much like a painter would on a palette. In fact, she views the flameworking process as being very similar to painting. Her unique use of color and careful, yet gestural sculptures are a poetic exploration of her ideas, as well as her aesthetic vision.
Demetra Theofanous received her business degree from the Haas School of Business, at UC Berkeley. She first entered the medium of glass by creating lampworked beads as a hobby, before switching to lampworked glass sculpture. Demetra has received national recognition for her glass nest and flora sculptures. She has been an instructor at Bay Area Glass Institute in San Jose, as well as Public Glass in San Francisco and now operates a private flameworking studio in San Francisco, CA. She continues to develop her signature work, and experiment with the boundaries of glass, with her never-ending curiosity for this art form.
Contact: Susan Marabito / Director
susan@vetriglass.com
1404 First Avenue, Seattle WA, 98101
Phone: 206.667.9608 Facsimile: 206.621.9447
1821 E Dock St #101, Tacoma WA, 98402
Phone: 253.383.3692 Facsimile: 253.383.3687
Image details: Unfolding, flameworked glass with metal stand, 16.5" x 9" x 14.25", 2011
Photo: Dean Bensen
