Gary Andolina

Gary Andolina

I earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree in 1992 from the University of Washington and am currently living in Seattle, WA. Between 2000-04 I lived in Detroit, Mi. and taught at The College For Creative Studies, a small private art and design college involved mostly with auto design. My classes included 3D Design, Cold Working Glass and Welding. After returning to Seattle I was an instructor at Everett Community College from 2007 through 2009. At EVCC I taught 3D Design, Ceramics and beginning Sculpture. My art involves many influences but I feel I have a distinctive style and direction. My work is influenced by Minimalism and the use of common materials is very important to me, as well as direct composition and clarity of form.

Many of the formal elements of Minimalism apply to my work, although Minimalism stressed the machined precision I feel the hand of the artist should not be hidden and craftsmanship is very important to me. The combination of sparse composition and little or no manipulation of materials allow me a direct working style, which clearly announces the materials being used. Rhythm, repetition, scale and measurement, as well as materials all become important in these simple forms. Details and arrangement of elements are also crucial. In my art, I search for a “Universal” appeal, which sometimes has a blend of past and present. I feel craftsmanship and attention to the construction of my work is essential.

My work evolves in an intuitive manner and each piece leads into the next therefore a relationship exists between most of my works. Many of my pieces show a dichotomy of materials such as strength and fragility, or natural and man-made materials. The combination of opposing materials such as steel and glass, or wood and steel allow me a vocabulary of opposites that meld together in interesting combinations. The mixing of materials allows the viewer to identify with the works, and have a closer relationship with the pieces. The viewer is important and is considered in the scale of my work, many of which are sized to the human body.

As an artist, I have had the opportunity to work in many areas of sculpture from casting glass at The Pilchuck School and Pratt Fine Arts both in Seattle to a summer spent at The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine.

At Pilchuck, I learned from some of the best glass casters in the world. The summer spent in Maine allowed me to spend time with 65 other talented artists in a working environment with many famous and inspiring guest artists. I also have been an Artist in Residence at Pratt Fine Arts in Seattle (1992), which allowed me to develop a series of cast glass pieces. In 1998 I received a GAP grant from Artist Trust in Seattle, then started to work on a set of steel molds for glass casting. I was awarded a residency at the Creative Glass Center of America in the summer of 2000. Designing a home product line and building custom art and furniture since then to the present day.

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