Exhibitions
Read about our past exhibitions.
Current Exhibitions
Reflections & Illuminations: Stained Glass & Kiln Formed Art Glass by Kathy Blackmer
Kathy Blackmer
May 4 to July 29, 2008
Opening reception: May 2, 2008, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Reflections & Illuminations: Stained Glass & Kiln Formed Art Glass by Kathy Blackmer, is the title of a featured exhibition of glass art at The Westboro Gallery's Tatnuck Bookseller Satellite Gallery, which will be on display from May 4, 2008, through July 29, 2008. An opening reception for the show will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 2, at Tatnuck Bookseller, 18 Lyman St., Westboro.
“Creating and being able to teach art glass techniques are my passions,” Ms. Blackmer says. She began teaching copper foil stained glass methods in 1989 and added kiln formed glass techniques in 1995. She teaches at her studio, and other glass studios, both in Massachusetts and elsewhere.
Ms Blackmer's creations include mirrors, small windows and other decorative glass pieces, but she says, “Lamps are my absolute favorite! They are a creative challenge because they need to look good both lit and unlit. I use one-of-a-kind custom bases for my lamps so they are each unique in both the glass work and in the design of the base.”
Much of her design inspiration comes from the work of two of her favorite artists, Bradford Washburn and Georgia O'Keeffe, and from the landscapes and colors she enjoys on family trips to national parks, lakes, the mountains and the ocean. “I do my best design work while hiking!” she says. Floral motifs, organic forms and mission style geometrics and colors are all part of her design repertoire.
Ms. Blackmer says she began working in glass when, while looking for a fun diversion after five years of night school earning a degree in Business Technology while working full time, she took a Worcester Night Life class in stained glass techniques and a new career interest was born. After 13 years with the Norton Company in Worcester, she left to focus on her glasswork and her young children. She opened 'OurGlass Stained Glass Studio' out of her home in Boylston in 1989 and moved the studio to Grafton in 2004.
A member of The Westboro Gallery for two years, Ms. Blackmer currently serves on the gallery's board of directors as director of new membership. She is a member of the International Guild of Glass Artists (NE Chapter) and served on their board of directors for four years. Ms. Blackmer has exhibited in numerous fine arts and crafts shows including the Paradise City Arts Festival and the Festival of Crafts at Worcester Center for Crafts. Her studio, OurGlass Stained Glass Studio, is located on Rt. 140 in North Grafton, MA.