Right on your doorstep

Too often we're all guilty of travelling for miles to out-of-the-way places in the hope of finding that bargain that nobody else could be bothered to travel that far to find. Not only is it bad for the environment, but it's also not always the best thing to do.
A visit to a retro store in Kingly Court, right in the heart of London, and another to 'Antiques on High' in Oxford, yielded some rather good surprises this weekend, one of which is shown here. Designed by Josef Hospodka for the Prachen glassworks in Czechoslovakia in 1969, it's got to be worth more than the £40 I paid. it may not be everyones cup of tea, but I love the combination between the organic, alien 'limpet' like forms and the mechanical, geometric form. The other piece was a rather lovely Chance Glass 'Fat Belly' decanter and set of six shot glasses, printed with the much-loved 'Swirl' pattern. These really are very rare things, being produced as samples in the early 1970s. I've only ever seen one before - and that was in David Encill's excellent book 'Chance Expressions'. I hardly paid nothing for it, so I guess even though I'm not guilty of travelling un-necessarily, I am guilty of getting over-excited when I see something rare!

Sam Herman - Then & Now Exhibition

Last month I had the pleasure of another meeting with Sam Herman, who is arguably the greatest name in British studio glass - and pretty darned important in the global studio glass movement too. Unfairly in my mind at least, few recognise his incredible vision, abilities and importance. Without him, studio glass techniques would not and could not have spread to the UK and beyond. Sam studied at the University of Wisconsin under Harvey Littleton who, with Dominick Labino, sowed the seeds of the movement in the early 1960s. In late 1966, Sam came to the UK on a scholarship and ended up taking over as Head of the Glass Department at the Royal College of Art. His predecessor, Michael Harris, had been bitten by the studio glass bug and left for Malta to found Mdina Glass in 1968 - the rest is history, so read my book. Sam went on to found the influential 'Glasshouse' in London, and work and teach in Australia. He also taught the first generation of Britain's studio glass artists. The event was a dedicated retrospective organised by my friend Adam Aaronson at his superb Zest Gallery in West London. Including new work by the hand of the master himself, a selection of 'vintage' pieces, dating as far back as the early days at the Royal College of Art. As ever, the conversation with Sam was both incredibly enlightening and enormous fun. For a review of the exhibition and my interview, see the next edition of Collect It! magazine.

Fat Lava Friends

It's funny who you meet in this industry, and how easy it is to make friends. Wandering around the now (sadly) defunct Alexandra Palace antiques and collectables fair in north London last year, I came across the most wonderful stall that contained all sorts of modern treasures as well as some rather lovely Fat Lava vases. My interest was caught.
Chatting to the Dutch owners, it soon became clear that they were keen and experts in their area - as well as being lovely people. We've kept in touch and now they tell me that they have launched a new website specialising in these amazing vases. Visit Fat-Lava.com - NOW!
We're all responsible for promoting this much ignored area, and bringing to it the attention it deserves. Dianne and Rene join the ranks of the forward-thinking, along with Petra & Patrick of Outernational, Forrest of Ginforsodditiques and, I am sure, many more to come. Come on, you know you have the room for just one more vase...or maybe two. Oh, go on then, what's another to make it three...

Mdina Magic

Yesterday, at the rather marvellous Woolley & Wallis salerooms in Wiltshire, a new world record was paid for a piece of Mdina at auction. Lot 169, the Mdina 'Crizzle Stone' shown below, fetched a staggering £950 - over £1,100 including buyer's premium. Whilst this isn't quite as much as the £1,564 paid for a large Mdina 'Fish' signed by Michael Harris on eBay.de in March (see below), it is important as it's the highest price paid for a piece of Mdina in a traditional auction room environment.
For those of you who haven't read my book, the Crizzle Stone represents the apotheosis of Harris' hallmark Fish design, and the highly complex, time-consuming techniques behind its creation. Furthermore, having researched and closely watched this area for over five years now, I am only aware of four other examples. Two of those are in a private collection related to the Harris family - primarily as they were only made towards the end of the four years that he ran Mdina Glass. Add to that the facts that Michael Harris was the only glassmaker with enough skill to make them, and the fact that they were very expensive at the time, meaning few were made and sold, and you have a considerable and desirable rarity.
As to the identity of the buyer, he or she has been revealed simply as a 'private European glass collector'. Whether it's the first piece in a new collection, or else the crowning glory of an existing collection, it arguably represents one of the best and rarest designs ever produced by Michael Harris. With thanks to Michael Jeffrey of Woolley & Wallis.

Fab Forms

Wandering around glass fairs, as is my want, reveals the diversity of the exciting world of contemporary glass. Whilst glassmaking is a costly and time-consuming activity, often making many pieces expensive, there can be a few affordable surprises. One of them is the work of recent glass graduate Sarah Cable. The piece below is typical of her work, which I think is fresh, innovative, colourful - and great fun. Based on memories of housewives leaning over garden fences exchanging a natter in a very Beryl Cook like manner, these striking vases are available in different sizes, colours and patterns. Each piece is individually hand blown in brightly coloured glass, before being cased all-over in dark glass, which is made opaque and iridescent by fuming it with chemicals. Areas in the desired pattern are then masked off, and the remaining areas sandblasted away by hand to reveal the underlying coloured glass. Finally, small, contrastingly coloured 'petals' are added to the neck of the vase, like an opening flower. This particular example is made all the more special as the glass is graduated from peach to yellow from the base upwards. At an affordable £40 for a visually impressive size, I'm sure you'll agree that it certainly beats derivative factory-made glass from the likes of Habitat and Ikea! However, I'm not sure about the nattering old ladies, as to me they look some form of pod-like plant or flower from an alien world - an effect that is accentuated when they're grouped together. Fantastic! If you'd like to know more, or buy one, contact Michelle Guzy on 01785 249 802, or visit her at one of the many glass fairs she stands at. Having spoken to Michelle only recently, there are some pretty whacky and creative new designs on the way - I think Ms Cable has a long way to go, so I'd snap one up before her fame (and prices) rise!

Fat Lava As Art?

Thanks to Els van Petersen for drawing my attention to a new contemporary art installation or exhibit (depending on your perspective) by Marieke van Diemen at the innovative Boijmans van Beuningen museum in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.The picture says it all - some 520 West German ceramic vases on display as part of a wider exhibition called 'Three Interventions'. I'll leave you to make up your own mind about what the artist is trying to say - click here to be transported to the relevant page on the website.