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Ed
Pennebaker
Ed Pennebaker is a multi talented artist. Not only does he earn
a living creating beautiful glass work, his talents are evident
in most everything he does.
Pennebaker lives on a mountaintop; the grounds surrounding his
home and studio are immaculately groomed. Simple touches, such
as a garden gate woven from vines and branches and adorned with
whimsical bobbles, make visitors feel they have entered an enchanted
land. Everywhere you look, there are creative touches to enhance
the natural beauty of the land. Pennebaker's handbuilt home is
an expression of love. He lavished his attention on every detail,
from round glass panes inset into kitchen cupboards, to the branch
and vine railings leading to an upstairs sanctuary. Even the shingle
roof on his home displays a combination of colors laid out in
pleasing patterns to welcome the weary eye. Paintings, silk screen
images, and full-blown framed photographs liven the walls of home
and studio.
All
are Pennebaker originals. His artistic expressions are everywhere.
A seemingly simple and quiet man, Pennebaker is modest about his
accomplishments. In 1993, he was honored to be included in the
"White House Collection of American Crafts". His glass
work was part of a collection selected for exhibition at the White
House. The collection has since traveled to the Smithsonian Institution
and other museums nationwide. He was also named on of Early American
Homes magazine's "Best Traditional Craftsmen" for his
work with traditional tools and techniques of Early America. Pennebaker
has retained this honor for the past eleven years.
As a child, Pennebaker loved to draw. He expanded his skills to
include air brush designs and oil and paper creations. Photography
followed and his artistic talents knew no boundary.
Pennebaker earned a Masters Degree in Art at Emporia State University
in Kansas majoring in printmaking with an emphasis on silk screen
design. It wasn't until he was involved with an "Artist-in-the-Schools"
program that Pennebaker learned glass work. "I began making
glass with the high school art instructor in Liberal, Kansas in
1980", Pennebaker said. "It began as a past time since
he only ran the furnace during winter weekends. But it got me
interested and I chanced upon a job in Ohio at a historic village
that I visited while on a motorcycle trip in 1983." The historical
influence from Ohio is evident in his work. Some of the designs
are derived from American glass of the early 1800's. Items like
flasks, bottles, candlesticks, ornaments and vases show a very
traditional style.
"My work has improved over the years," Pennebaker said.
"I offer some pieces with more sophisticated designs and
add a few new pieces each year."
STATEMENT:
At a time when many designers/artists leave the crafting of their
designs to apprentices, fellow craftsmen, or even a factory style
setting, it is rare for the designer to continue as the maker.
For me working directly with the glass is a time of zen, a period
when I can concentrate on one thing only, the glass, a time to
leave the rest of the world behind.
I see my work belonging to a contemporary line of the "decorative
arts" that developed from the arts and crafts movement where
craftsmanship is of the utmost importance. Striving for the "perfect
object" is the goal of the craftsman/designer and working
directly with the materials at hand provides the greatest satisfaction
for me.
The most important aspects of glassmaking are light, color and
form. I want my work to take advantage of the luminous quality
of light. Light coming through the glass reveals texture and pattern
and casts colors and shadows so the glass work interacts with
its environment and becomes a pure visual feast. The jewel like
colors of glass, the individual forms of the pieces and the light
from within work as a group and function as a chorus like a choir
of voices. The fluidity of glass is expressed in the curvalinear
forms. And the voluptuousness of glass is expressed in the globular
melon shapes that are ready to burst with ripeness
email
- lightmeup@sculpteliers.com
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