Artist of the Month
November 2015
Michael Schunke
Michael Schunke is an American contemporary glass artist and designer. His work is dedicated to the pursuit of form and the practice of making. With a strong sense of design focused on the relationship between line and volume, Schunke creates expressive silhouettes and containers of personal meaning. Michael is represented by Duncan McClellan Gallery, St. Petersburg, Florida. His exhibit, The Space Between, opens at the gallery November 14 and runs through December 7.
Click on each photo to the right for a full picture.
Thistle, 2015; Crucible Series; 8 x 8 x 14 inches
Copper Blue/Topaz Fade Leaf, 2015; Leaf Series; 8 x 8 x 30 inches
Cherry/Lapis Tangle, 2015; Open Sculpture Series; 8 x 8 16.5 inches
Grey Leaf, 2015; Leaf Series; 14 x 10 x 27 inches
Skinned, 2015; Crucible Series; 10 x 10 x 25 inches
Red Leaf, 2015; Leaf Series; 12 x 10 x 31 inches
Grey/White Spool, 2015; Open Sculpture Series; 8 x 8 x 17 inches
Hyacinth/Gold Scribble, 2015; Open Sculpture Series; 8 x 8 x 16 inches
Cerulean/Olive Fade Leaf, 2015; Leaf Series; 10 x 8 x 30.5 inches
Rabble, 2014; Crucible Series; 11 x 11 x 24 inches
Overcast, 2014; Crucible Series; 9 x 9 x 28.5 inches
Michael Schunke
Artist Statement:
Since his early introduction to glassmaking, Schunke has dedicated his life to the pursuit of form and the practice of making. His early influence of drawing and mark-making is visible in his approach to engraving and incorporating fine lines in his distinctive glasswork.
"As a teenager, I began to develop a studio practice rooted in glassmaking. I am dedicated to excellence in craftsmanship and look to historical Venetian references as benchmarks of craft. While embracing traditional techniques, it is my intention to sustain my practice and intuition in the present. Through physical repetition and personal inquiry, I find the forms and patterns that possess quiet, traditional beauty simultaneously with my intuition and contemporary details, which I call grit."
About Michael Schunke
A talented draftsman and artist from a young age, Michael Schunke was drawn to glassblowing as a student at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, where he earned a bachelor of fine art degree in glass. Demonstrating a natural affinity with the challenging material, Schunke additionally studied Venetian techniques at the Rhode Island School of Design.
Schunke founded his first glass studio, Nine Iron Studios, in 1998. He was a professor of glass at the Toyama Institute of Glass Art in Japan, and continues to teach glassmaking around the world. He has been an artist-in-residence at the Creative Glass Center of America, the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA. His work is widely exhibited and is in museum collections worldwide. He currently co-operates Vetro Vero glassblowing and design studio with partner Josie Gluck. They live in Chester County, PA.
Click here for the artist's resume.
Acknowledgment of Gallery:
We are grateful to Duncan McClellan Gallery, St. Petersburg, Florida for providing the Artist of the Month.
The Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to further the development and appreciation of art made from glass.
The Alliance informs collectors, critics and curators by encouraging and supporting museum exhibitions, university glass departments and specialized teaching programs, regional collector groups, visits to private collections, and public seminars.
