Essence of Cloud is a whimsical tale of intrigue, fantasy and earth repair...
In 2020 I have been making elements for my friend Mark Eliott for his up and coming exhibition Essence of Cloud. Mark is a talented and skilled flame-worker (shaping and blowing glass at the torch) creating whimsical creatures and objects out of glass.
During his Masters at Sydney College of the Arts, Mark and film student Jack McGrath got together to create a short feature film called Dr Mermaid and the Abovemarine- a stop motion animation made from blown glass!
Check out the Essence of Cloud Go Fund Me campaign - which offers prints, the art book, handblown pieces, flame-working lessons and more to supporters.
Mark is a talented and skilled flame-worker (shaping and blowing glass at the torch) and I tend to specialise in cast glass. Despite our shared medium and love for narrative and story the technique, equipment and even the type of glass required in our disciplines are very different. We have had some long conversations via phone and zoom and some in person meetings before the ACT border restrictions.
In between commissions I have been translating Mark's gorgeous sketches to cast mountains and boats while Mark will flame-work all the creatures, trees and of course clouds! I just pulled some pieces out of a kiln days before Christmas..with the boat being made in January.
Mark was the winner of the 2019 Tom Malone prize with this amazing piece called Down at the Water Table
I can't wait to see the project come together with the story, artwork, animations, perfume bottles, art book and music - I do believe it will be magical!
Essence of Cloud is a whimsical tale of intrigue, fantasy and earth repair. I want everyone to have some ‘essence of cloud’ in their lives after the year we’ve had. But I need your support to complete the glass pieces for the exhibition and the novel. In return I am offering contributors gifts of glass clouds, books and workshops. I created items that would make beautiful presents as well as be a cloud memory of the work you have contributed to.
$50 – An A4 print of your choice from the exhibition,
$90 – small handblown and sandblasted hanging ornament in the shape of a cloud. Each is individually sculpted and no two are alike.
$100 – A copy of the book: Essence of Cloud.
$250 – Two-hour glass cloud-blowing session with Mark Eliott.
$300 – large sandblasted cloud ornament with hook and wire for suspension.
$400 – Cloud Essence pendant vial with essence, ground stopper, cord and funnel.
$500 – Bottle of original Cloud Essence, sandblasted, with ground stopper, label and refilling funnel in box.
$600 – Weekend glass cloud-blowing workshop with Mark Eliott.