Glass Art Blog

Lino Tagliapietra "Masai" Installation

Next week I will be in La Jolla, California with Lino Tagliapietra and Jim Schantz, our Art Director.   No one really needs a reason to go  to a town as beautiful as La Jolla but we do have one. We will be installting a commission by Lino which is two years in the making. The commission is a very large “Masai” wall installation, similar to the one in the photo above this posting.  So far I’ve only seen this installation spread out on the floor of Lino’s office in Seattle. I’m very excited to see how it will look after it is actually installed in the beautiful home on the California coast.  The trip will not be all business. Being around Lino is always a treat. Not only is he a wonderful person to spend time with but we also always end up eating great food and drinking great wine, two of Lino’s favorite things in life after his family and glass!

Holsten Gallery Staff with Lino and Chihuly at SOFA-Chicago 2008

I ran across this image earlier today.  It’s a rare and special occasion for us to have two world-class artists and our entire sales team together in one place.  That occasion was our biggest show of the year, SOFA-Chicago, November, 2008.  From left to right are Mary Childs, Kenn Holsten, Lino Tagliapietra, Dale Chihuly, Stanley Wooley and Jim Schantz.  This year’s SOFA-Chicago will take place November 5-8.  We will also be showing both of these artists along with William Morris at SOFA-Santa Fe, June 11-14.  I hope to see many of you at one or both of these shows!

Holsten Galleries

Here is a recent photo of Holsten Galleries.  Collectors often comment that they are surprised (even “shocked”) to find a gallery like ours on a side street in a quiet New England village, next to the post office and behind a bank! Of course Stockbridge is not really your average New England village. It was the home of Norman Rockwell (recall all of those Main Street, USA type paintings). It is also the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (Tanglewood) and Berkshire Theater Festival. Some of you may be old enough to remember Arlo Guthrie’s song (and film) “Alice’s Restaurant” from those distant 1960’s. Yes, that was Stockbridge too and Officer Obie was still our real life cop on the beat when Holsten Galleries opened in 1978.  I hope that many of you will make your way to the beautiful Berkshires of Western Massachusetts this summer!

Lino Tagliapietra "Saba"

Just when I think that Lino Tagliapietra could not possibly outdo himself, I see a piece like “Saba!”  I should have learned a long time ago never to assume that Lino had reached some sort of a peak.  He himself has said many times that he is not interested in reaching the “height of my career.”   Why, one might ask of an artist well into his 70’s who started his career at age 11? According to Lino, the anwer is simple.  When one reaches the height or pinnacle of his or her creativity then there is nowher to go but downhill from there! Take a look at the other new Lino works on this site and you will probably agree with me that Lino is still stretching the boundaries of what is possible in blown glass.

Chihuly Crystal and Amber Sconce

Today my mind is on a major new art exhibtion in Santa Fe coming in June.  SOFA-West will take place June 11-14 at the new Santa Fe Convention Center.  SOFA is an acronym for Sculptural Objects/Functional Art.  It is the premier show in the world specializing in contemporary glass art, ceramics, wood, fiber and jewelry.  Holsten Galleries has been participating in SOFA-Chicago and SOFA-New York for many years.  I’m particularly excited about this new venue because my wife Christine and I have lived in Santa Fe part-time for over ten years.  Holsten Galleries will be presenting three one-person exhibitions of three legendary glass artists at SOFA-West:  Dale Chihuly, William Morris and Lino Tagliapietra. I hope to see many of you in Santa Fe!