Reported by Laura:
We thought we’d catch everyone up on what glass artist Erwin Timmers is doing. I got a chance to spend a few hours with him at the Washington Glass School a few weeks ago when I made a trip up there to collect a work by another WGS director, Michael Janis. Erwin looked fantastic and energized by all the work he’s been doing. It was my first visit to the studio, which is enormous.
A little background… Erwin Timmers is a co-founder of the Washington Glass Studio and Washington Glass School. Originally from Amsterdam, he moved to California and graduated from Santa Monica College for Design Arts and Architecture. In 1999 he moved to the Washington DC area. His approach to art is multifaceted, incorporating metalwork, innovative lighting and glass design. He teaches glass, lighting, sculpture, and metal work. Industrial salvage and recycling are recurring themes in his work, which he sees as crucial parts to the interaction with one’s surroundings.
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Currently, Erwin is part of a show at Visarts in Rockville, Maryland called Glass Evolving. It will be on view until Nov 16. These images are of new work included in that show. I saw these pieces on my visit, and they are luminous and beautiful. The glass he used in them was tempered glass, so he went through an extensive melting and re-melting process to be able to use it. Even more importantly to my narrative mind, the works have a lot to say. For this series titled "What We Leave Behind" (pictured), what he did was collect a group of objects – sunglasses, battery, portable music device, money / credit cards, and phones among others – from each decade, the 1960s to the 2000s. What we get is a visual historical journey through the items we use every day and how they have changed. These objects are set into the glass as if they were found in rock 1,000 years from now. They are part history, part social commentary, and part beautiful imagery. All the elements of important artwork, although Erwin continues to see himself as more of a craftsperson. Which brings up an interesting point about the line between art and craft and how thin it is getting. But I’ll leave that for another discussion.
detail of 2000s
Erwin recently had new work in a show, "The Art of Trash," at the Baltimore Public Works Museum. And he is just opened a new show in Norfolk at Mayer Fine Art Gallery.
Erwin is a very busy artist, and his work is getting better and better. Get a piece while it is still underpriced at one of these great locations, or visit the studio, or give Migration a call and we’ll help you get a great piece.
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