Traver Gallery is pleased to present Formal Considerations, a solo exhibition featuring new works by Canadian glass artist Jay Macdonell. Expanding on his previous work, which elegantly explored phototropism, Macdonell introduces us to new forms that continue to push the boundaries of the medium.  Each piece in, Formal Considerations, uses light and the inherent qualities of glass to explore and comment on personal and spatial relationships. 

Jay Macdonell's elegant glass sculptures are a celebration of potential and growth, Inspired by the undulating forms of unplanted bulbs and the colorful flowers that later spring from them, this new work is full of energy, hopefulness and life. The fluidity, vibrancy and luminosity inherent in glass itself make it the perfect vehicle to convey a sense of evolution, change and excitement.

These colorful works represent an ongoing exploration of the artist's Formulations series, in which he joins three separate blown glass components while hot to create a single dynamic piece. Intrigued by the way color, line and form work together to inform our understanding of space, these sculptures are gestural and expressive, twisting and turning like the undulating forms of the bulbs and flowers that inspired them.

A native of British Columbia, Jay Macdonell is a classically trained glassblower.  Since he began working with glass in 1992, he has been very involved with both the BC Glass Arts Association and the Pilchuck Glass School, where he as worked as an instructor.  Jay's work has been exhibited extensively throughout the US, and Canada, and is included in many major collections.  This is Jay's third solo show at Traver Gallery. 

Traver Gallery is pleased to present Distance, a solo exhibition featuring new works by Seattle-based glass artist Boyd Sugiki. Inspired by vast urban landscapes and the abstractions that take shape when cityscapes are viewed from afar, Distance is an exploration of "the dialogue between architecture and vessel."

Sugiki's work combines innovative glass blowing techniques with exacting execution. Fueled by a fascination with architecture-both ancient and contemporary-Sugiki creates sculptural work inspired by the old and new structures that capture his attention as he travels the world. Distance is Sugiki's second solo exhibition with Traver Gallery.

In Distance, each piece is composed of multiple parts that fit together to make a whole. In some cases, three different blown glass elements are created individually and interlock with each other to form a single vessel. Balance, symmetry, proportion and color are crucial in their configurations.  The layering of multiple forms and color is akin to a skyline seen from a distance. Just as viewing a cityscape from afar enables single structures to take new shape as one blends into another, these collections of related pieces and their strong silhouettes create interesting negative space. The contours of one form interact with those of adjacent pieces, as in Layers, a grouping of seven monochromatic sculptures.  Shadows and reflections are also critical to these pieces. Says Sugiki, "I like to imagine this body of work as buildings and their groupings to be modern urban landscapes where one edifice casts a shadow on its neighbor."

Boyd Sugiki was first introduced to glass in 1986 at Punahou High School in Honolulu, HI, and studied under the guidance of Hugh Jenkins. He went on to receive a BFA from California College of Arts and Crafts and a MFA from Rhode Island School of Design. He has taught at Pilchuck Glass School, Penland School of Crafts, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and the Glass Furnace in Istabul, Turkey. Sugiki lives in Seattle, WA, with his wife, artist Lisa Zerkowitz, where together they own and operate Two Tone Studios.