Fire & Light Soirée Art Auction Items

Thanks to everyone who made our Art Auction so successful! Each of the pieces below was sold to the highest bidder during an exciting live auction.

Nourot Studios

Carla Hall
Sunbrothers
Benjamin Carpenter
Zachary Rudolph
Joey Gottbrath

Union Street Glass

 

Rusty Howson
Billy Hiebert
Gabrielle Kuzsel


Rob Jenkins
Abigail Lopez


Jeremy Lutes


Randy Strong


Cynthia Handel


Fireprint Studios

 

Alexander Smith

 

Warren

 

A.M. Cassandre


Gregg Hessel


Jay Bridgland


Rob Nehring


Jeff Benroth


The Crucible
Norman Moore
Mary White




Patron Pavilion Art Lottery Items

Announcing the results of our Art Lottery drawing! Scroll down or click on the thumbnails below to see the lucky winners.

Tachina
Rudman-Young



Charles Gadeken



Arlene Mornick



Heath Ceramics



Janet Hiebert


Stephen Widmark


Jana Olson


Carol Swift


Oscar Ramirez


Sabrina Fadial


Laurie Marson
Tara Murray


Zachary Rudolph

 

The Crucible


Rodney Kessler
Samantha Plasencia


Stephen Stark
Vernon Theiss
Kristen Hoard


Alleghany Meadows
Matt Wolpe
Gary Wilson


 


Fire & Light Soirée Art Auction Items

Mantle Ovid in Red Satin

handblown art glass
$450

NOUROT STUDIO Michael Nourot and Ann Corcoran started making glass together in 1974. Over the years they have made all kinds of decorative and functional glass works – from paperweights and perfume bottles to large scale works. They have been glass makers to the Pope, Presidents and major corporations. A TV movie was made about them in 1996, “Alchemy in Light.” What defines the Nourot Studio expression is a commitment to quality material that is handled with technical expertise. Every piece is fully hand formed at the bench in the old world traditions.

www.nourot.com

 

Lidded Jar

forged and fabricated steel, found objects
$700

CARLA HALL uses steel to create furniture and sculpture. She has a diverse education including studies at Penland Craft School and the Evergreen State College, where she received her BFA in Metalwork. Her greatest influences come from Japanese folk art and architecture from the Arts and Crafts Era. She currently works as the Youth Studio Manager at The Crucible and runs Red Frog Metal Design.

www.redfrogmetaldesign.com

 

Longstem Rose

copper, glass, solar cells, electronics
$500

SUNBROTHERS Kevin Gauna started Sunbrothers Studio in 1995 with a desire to create solar powered art. A young, newly graduated engineer, he was fascinated by solar cell technology and inspired by the marvels of a simple backyard garden. His subject matter includes analogs of sunflowers, vining sweet peas, roses, tulips, giant carrots, lilies…this list goes on. He is a self-taught sculptor, and lists metalwork, glasswork, electronics design and solar engineering among the many skills that his artwork and engineering endeavors have led him to develop.

www.sunbrothers.com

 

Heart
(1 of 5 from the “Masters and Slaves” Series – Liver, Stomach, Uterus, Kidney)

formed bronze
$1,000

BENJAMIN CARPENTER grew up in New England building cardboard forts and various other contraptions with tools smuggled from his grandfather’s garage. Now he spends most of his time metalsmithing and pursuing his other creative interests. Earning a BFA from the Maine College of Art in Jewelry Making led Ben to explore the possibilities of larger scale metalwork and sculpture. He has gained experience working with artists and craftspeople on both coasts of the United States. He now lives in San Francisco where he exhibits his work nationally, runs Backbone Metals, teaches at The Crucible and is working towards his MFA.

www.backbonemetals.com

 

Brick Red with Orange Design

glass
$180

ZACHARY RUDOLPH Since 1997 Zachary has been developing his unique style of glass art. He interprets age old traditional form and technique, while creating modern works of art. Zachary is dedicated to uncovering the mysteries of glass, and his vessel designs continue to evolve. A Bay Area native, he has traveled extensively to mentor with some of the world’s most accomplished glass artists, including Dale Chihuly, Richard Royal, Paul Desomma and Michael Davis.

www.zachrudolphglass.com

 

Dreams of Visitation

mahogany
$500

JOEY GOTTBRATH received his BFA from Murray State University and MFA from Arizona State University. He has taught at Glendale Community College, Scottsdale Community College, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Arizona State University and workshops across the country. His work has been shown in dozens of solo and group shows nationwide, and he has been awarded several scholarships, awards and grants, most recently a $5,000 project grant from the Arizona Arts Commission. Joey is the Director of Studio Operations and heads the Wood Department at The Crucible.

 

Barca Urchin Accessory

hand blown glass
$770

UNION STREET GLASS Guy Corrie, designer, glassblower and master craftsperson, with the help of his wife and business partner Leanne, carved out their vision for a contemporary art glass studio, and in 1980 Union Street Glass was born. By fusing innovative design concepts with old world glassblowing techniques, Guy, Leanne and their studio continue to forge new interest in and appreciation for their unique art form. Through Guy’s commitment to creating fresh innovations and his obsession with hand blown glass, Union Street Glass has grown into a 10,000 square foot studio in Richmond. Guy’s award winning designs have been seen in many prestigious galleries and museums in the United States and abroad.

www.unionstreetglass.com

 

Spineless

stainless steel
$1,200

RUSTY HOWSON is a San Francisco native. He has always had a strong interest and natural talent in the arts, which contrasts with his scientific acumen, with which he earned a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of California, San Francisco. This balance of art and science is a central element in Rusty’s life. After taking a Welding class in 2003 at The Crucible, he was immediately captivated by the creative possibilities available in metalwork. His sculptures seek to capture the organic forms of nature with the permanence of metal. In addition to fine art pieces, Rusty also builds custom bicycle frames in titanium and steel.

 

Ball Stand

cast resin, glass ball, PVC pipe
$675

BILLY HIEBERT received his MFA in Sculpture in 1965 from the California College of the Arts. After a few years of sculpting with metal, carving marble and teaching sculpture and design, he was attracted to industrial processes involving molding and casting. This soon led to a full-time business that offered model making, molding and casting. Most of Billy’s current sculpture is expressed through molded plastic resin. He also teaches and heads the Moldmaking Department at The Crucible.

www.hieberts.com

 

Taste of Fire

fused and slumped glass
$550

GABRIELLE KUZSEL After working in clay for a number of years, Gabrielle discovered the bright hues and geometric possibilities of fused and slumped glass. Classes at The Crucible led her to explore form and color as a sophisticated sensory expression. Hard lines and defined boundaries are transformed by vibrancy and the interplay of opacity and translucency, surface texture and depth. Responding to a personal philosophy that art can make every day more extraordinary, Gabrielle designs tableware for serving, entertaining, displaying and enjoying.

 

Time on my Hands

kiln cast glass, old clocks, paint, wood
$1,200

ROB JENKINS has 16 years of experience with cast and blown glass. He has taught Kiln Cast Glass at The Crucible for the past two years. Rob currently works and teaches out of his own studio in Benicia. He received his BFA from Kent State University and his MFA in Glass Sculpture from Tulane University. He also attended the Pilchuck Glass School. Rob’s focus is on cast glass sculpture, mostly figurative, with other mixed media elements.

 

Black Pot

hand-built, hand-painted pottery
$140

ABIGAIL LOPEZ is among the potters of Mata Ortiz, a small village in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. The seductive geometry represents the most intriguing creative phenomena in Mexican folk art, which transformed the economic activity of an entire community in less than three decades. Pigments are made entirely from minerals and clays from the local hills, and the fine line work is applied with a brush consisting of ten to 20 strands of human hair.

 

Actias Luna

stainless steel, fiber optics, glass, electronics, wood
$850

JEREMY LUTES It wasn’t until Jeremy attended the Burning Man Festival in 1996 that he found his creative flame turned up to high. Even his lifelong passion for music suffered as he subsequently poured himself into the newly discovered possibilities of visual art. Realizing that exploring the creative realm was more fulfilling than earning a steady paycheck, Jeremy made a sharp left turn in 2001 when he devoted himself full-time to art. His artwork combines an enduring fascination with light and color, an appreciation of nature and electronic wizardry. Drawn to light in motion, simplicity of form and function, and the usually graceful, sometimes chaotic processes of the natural world, Jeremy’s work is an attempt to evoke in others similar feelings of wonder and awe.

www.uniquerish.com

 

The Gold Forever Flame

crystal, iridescent dichroic, ruby glass
$2,200

RANDY STRONG Winner of the 2005 Niche award for blown glass, Randy Strong, artist and designer in hot glass for 40 years, has worked throughout his career to produce innovative designs that continually influence the ever changing and growing community of studio glass artists. Randy is one of a handful of American glass artists to help revive the studio art glass movement. He first began working in glass in 1969 at the California College of the Arts, where he studied ceramics and was fortunate to have as his mentor the renowned ceramicist Peter Voulkos. Upon graduation Randy received the prestigious scholarship to the University of Art in Osaka, Japan. In 1970, he was with Dale Chihuly when he and the Haubergs selected the location for the now renowned Pilchuck Glass School. His work, ranging from his distinctive crystal and gold goblets to his imposing cast sculptures, has been acquired by collectors internationally and is a part of collections ranging from The Corning Museum in New York to the Louvre in Paris. In 1970, Randy established his own studio and gallery in Northern California, where he continues to create, design and teach.

www.rstrong.com

 

Poetic Object Series

cast bronze
$400

CYNTHIA HANDEL is a sculptor who has been teaching cast metal for the last twenty years. She was assistant professor at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where she developed a full casting program including iron casting. She has taught at Sonoma State University, San Jose State University and other colleges in the Bay Area. Her work combines cast elements with steel, wood and other materials such as silk and beeswax. Cynthia received her MFA from San Jose State University and now teaches at The Crucible. This piece was featured at the Oakland Museum.

 

Web Tangle Series

blown glass
$2,000

FIREPRINT STUDIO is a Bay Area Design Group founded by artists Alexander Abajian, Jerry Kung and Ivan Lee Mora. These three artists work together to create series of stunning glass sculpture and high-end glass products. FirePrint also designs and fabricates custom glass installation for public art spaces, nightclubs, restaurants and residences. They collectively handle the glass fabrication needs of some of this country’s most notable designers, including Herzog & de Meuron.

www.fireprintstudios.com

 

Kiba

polished and patinaed cast iron
$5,000

ALEXANDER SMITH was born in Berkeley to a family of teachers, machinists and craftsman. At an early age he realized he had the knack to form materials and quickly got his hands dirty in his family garage. Alex earned his BFA at the University of California at Santa Cruz. He has taught the tradition of bronze casting for the past eight years at The Crucible. For seven years he has been apprentice and project manager to world-renowned metal sculptor Fletcher Benton in his San Francisco studio. Alex’s cast and fabricated works, inspired by his travels and love of form and nature, can be found at the Sculpturesite Gallery in downtown San Francisco.

 

Commissioned Portrait

cold worked glass
$550

WARREN has been cold working and kiln casting glass for more than 20 years. His education includes four years of study at the California College of the Arts, one semester of study in the Czech Republic, and Kiln Casting with David Reekie and Glass Engraving with Jiri Harcuba, both at Pilchuck Glass School. Warren acquired cold working experience as Clifford Rainey’s assistant for nearly four years. He currently teaches glass engraving and other cold working techniques at The Crucible. For eight years Warren has offered cold working services at his own cold working studio, where he works full-time creating his own kiln cast and engraved art work.

www.rabbitdenstudios.com

 

LYS Chantily

french stone lithograph
$5,400

A.M. CASSANDRE was a Ukrainian-French painter, graphic artist, stage designer and typeface designer, whose poster designs greatly influenced advertising art in the first half of the 20th century. His Dubonnet posters were among the earliest designed specifically to be seen from fast-moving vehicles. In 1939 he abandoned poster art and henceforth devoted himself to designing stage sets and to painting. His productivity waned in the 1960s, but he designed the famous logo for Yves Saint Laurent and produced tempera paintings and occasional posters before his death in 1968.

 

Candlesticks

hammered copper
$900

GREGG HESSEL A Wisconsinite by birth, metal smith Gregg Hessel now works his magic on raw copper in San Rafael. Hessel Studios produces over 40 different hand-forged copper candlesticks, each with its own distinctive design, and each given a mythical or romantic name, like Callisto or Flirtation, which is etched on the underside of the base. The polished surface can be maintained, though some prefer to keep the surface un-polished so that, over time, it develops a rich, warm color reminiscent of a fine antique.

 

Untitled

flameworked borosilicate glass
$550

JAY BRIDGLAND was born in London, but moved to the United States in 1983. In addition to owning Bridgland Studios, Jay teaches and heads the Glass Flameworking Department at The Crucible. His drive for perfection of technique and development of style takes him on an annual trek to the mecca of Italian art glass, the Venetian island of Murano, to work with classical Italian glass maestros. Jay’s passion for painting met his passion for glass in 1993 when he started flameworking borosilicate glass. The fusion between his love of color and the need to create form drove him to expand the limits of glass flameworking over the past 14 years.

www.bridglandstudios.com

 

Pants Optional

mild steel
$325

ROB NEHRING received his BFA from the University of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in Inter-arts, which included theatre, dance and sculpture. After professionally dancing for 17 years and 18 years in the candy business, he dropped everything to take a class at The Crucible. Driven by the definition of sculpture as “something you back into when looking at a painting,” he strives to produce thought-provoking, yet whimsical work in three dimensions. An accomplished artist, Rob’s sculptures are part of private collections throughout the Bay Area. He also now serves as The Crucible’s Adult Program Director.

 

Tall Bottle Group

glass
$1,500

JEFF BENROTH formed his Jeff Benroth Studio in 2002 after nine years as a blower and production manager for other glass studios in the Bay Area. His thorough knowledge of the custom glass production environment and experience in reconciling clients’ ideas with the material have made the studio a valuable resource for the design community in the Bay Area and nationally. Jeff’s interests in architecture and industrial design have honed his eye for integrating glass into larger systems and designs. Jeff received his BFA in Glass from the California College of the Arts; he has also attended workshops at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and the Pilchuck Glass School.

www.benroth.com

 

Fire Odyssey Commemorative Trojan Shield

copper and mixed media
priceless

THE CRUCIBLE Own a piece of Crucible memorabilia. This Trojan shield was used in The Crucible’s Fire Ballet, The Fire Odyssey, an 11-act modernized interpretation of Homer’s epic poem, performed nightly at the 2007 Fire Arts Festival. The shield’s pattern was designed by Crucible Founder / Executive Director Michael Sturtz and copper hammered over an Oakland manhole cover.

 

Radiant Branch

single electrode neon, wood frame, glass
$1,000

NORMAN MOORE’S sculpture uses various materials in combination with light to establish a physical poetry. Currently he uses the fiber-optic qualities of acrylic and glass sheets, combined with neon and LED lights, to make drawings that seem to float in space. Norman received his BFA from Columbus College of Art & Design and MFA in Sculpture from Pratt Institute. He studied Neon Art at Urban Glass in Brooklyn and worked as an artist in New York for several years, developing his own brand of sculpture using kinetics, video and light. Norman has taught neon and illuminated sculpture at The Crucible since 2004, and is currently working on a light installation at the new Castro Valley library.

 

Nomadic Journey into the Night

recycled mirror
$1,800

MARY WHITE is a glass instructor and Co-Head of the Glass Casting and Fusing Area at The Crucible. She was the Head of the Glass Program at the School of Art and Design at San Jose State University 1985-2005. She holds an MFA in Glass and BFA in Ceramics from California College of the Arts. Her current investigations include images of dwellings and use of recycled materials.

 


Patron Pavilion Art Lottery Items

Il Vecchio

cold cast bronze
$575

TACHINA RUDMAN-YOUNG is an artist, performer and teacher, and has been working passionately in clay since 1993. She integrates her background in movement and art in both her work and teaching, using a whole-body approach to sculpting. Tachina is an exhibiting member of the Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California, and received two BA’s from San Francisco State University, in Ceramics and Dance. Tachina is also the creator of Open Your Heart Through Art©; she works with people of all ages and life-conditions, using creative self-expression as a means to connect with oneself and create a more fulfilling life.

www.openyourheartart.com

Winner: Josh Deitch of Mill Valley

Fire Flower

copper, fire
$300

CHARLES GADEKEN creates beautiful sculptures incorporating mixed metals and fire. His art is uniquely organic, using fire to enhance and complete the sculpture and engage his audience in a physical way. Charles is a founding member of the Flaming Lotus Girls and has helped the group create fiery art for the last seven years. His art has been displayed at Burning man, Robodock in Amsterdam and the Big Day Out Festival in Australia. He founded the Illumination Project, creating monumental kinetic sculptures for the opening of Treasure Island SF, The Santa Rosa Museum of Visual Art, Reno Art Town and Burning Man. For the last five years he has designed and built custom fire art for individual collections. Recently he created a series of large-scale fire pits for the National Park Service that are now on display on Ocean Beach in San Francisco.

www.burningart.com

Winner: Vivian Neou of Menlo Park

 

Stars and Planets

viking knit chain, swarsky crystals, fine silver
$250

ARLENE MORNICK A late starter, Arlene discovered her creativity in a beginner’s jewelry making class, but moved deeper to create the beads and stones herself. She now teaches metal clay classes at several locations in the Bay Area – including The Crucible – and at art shows throughout the country. Her work encompasses a partnership between fused glass and metal clay, and has been published in journals and magazines.

Winner: Melody Burns of Richmond

 

Shallow Serving Bowl

ceramic
$90

HEATH CERAMICS is one of the few remaining mid-century American potteries still in existence today. They have been making tableware and tile for over a half-century in their Sausalito factory. Their crew of 40 skilled craftsmen (many having been there for over 20 years) still makes every product on the premises, often utilizing the handcrafted techniques and design legacy developed by Founder Edith Heath throughout her life.

www.heathceramics.com

Winner: Sara Katz of Oakland

 

Butterfly.03

fused and slumped glass
$400

JANET HIEBERT has a BA in Art from California State at Hayward and has taught glass art over the past 25 years in various Bay Area art centers. Her love of natural subjects has permeated her painting, drawing, ceramics and glass. The last 25 years have been devoted to exploring the complex and exciting possibilities of stained and kiln fired glass. Graphic images are drawn on individual layers of glass with vitreous powders creating an illusion that is only complete when the layers are fused together in the kiln.

www.hieberts.com/janet

Winner: Beth Ann LaBourba of Santa Cruz

 

Trilobite Night Lights

epoxy resin, LEDs
$250

STEPHEN WIDMARK has been in love with light since he built a dye laser in high school. He discovered The Crucible while looking for a place to learn to make neon tubes, and went on to take classes in advanced neon, plasma sculpture, kiln-fired glass and MIG welding, eventually becoming a faculty member. Stephen has shown his illuminated art in several shows. His work tends toward the concrete and whimsical, in media that includes LEDs, EL Wire, neon, vacuum tubes, incandescent lights and lasers.

www.paleoneon.com

Winners: Heidi Hayes of Mira Loma, Sharon Hom of Redwood City & Josh Keppel of San Francisco

 

Chandelier

slumped glass, metal
$750

JANA OLSON is a designer and fabricator of lighting fixtures. She likes to think of lights as lit, functional sculptures. Jana has worked in the field of lighting since 1991, when she started the store Omega Too, which specialized in providing vintage-looking equipment to furnish old-fashioned houses. After selling the store at the end of 2007, she started a new studio, Panache Lighting, where she enjoys making wacky lights – as well as historical replicas – and repairing and restoring antique lights.

www.panachelighting.com

Winner: Gabrielle Kuzsel of Oakland

 

Scotland Thistle

stained glass, copper, mahogany
$500

CAROL SWIFT’S first experience with glass was a course in 1995. Since then, her desire to capture summer memories in glass has prompted Carol to explore the possibilities of copper foiling and lead work. Her fascination with the colors and textures of glass and their interaction with the sun has led to the creation of more glasswork, but it was Carol’s inclination to go beyond glass projects that led to her enrollment in woodworking classes at The Crucible. Scotland Thistle combines mediums to capture Carol’s memories of roaming the highlands and viewing the thistle throughout Scotland.

Winner: John Fry of Fremont

 

Small Pot

hand-built, hand-painted pottery
$40

OSCAR RAMIREZ is among the potters of Mata Ortiz, a small village in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. The seductive geometry represents the most intriguing creative phenomena in Mexican folk art, which transformed the economic activity of an entire community in less than three decades. Pigments are made entirely from minerals and clays from the local hills, and the fine line work is applied with a brush consisting of ten to 20 strands of human hair.

Winner: Cari Cheney of Berkeley

 

Purple Pod

steel
$750

SABRINA FADIAL’S inspiration comes from nature and from her personal life experience. She collects seed pods, corks and rusty bits, and experiments, working in multiples and series. Her approach to artmaking allows chance to play a vital role in the creative process. Sabrina has an MFA in Visual Art from Vermont College of Norwich University and a BFA in Textiles from Rhode Island School of Design. She has taught at colleges and universities and spoken at several conferences, and her work has won multiple awards and is included in exhibitions throughout the country.

www.sabrinafadial.com

Winner: Mary Kay Shean of San Francisco

 

Forgotten Moments

sterling silver
$400

LAURIE MARSON is a collector of shapes: in her sketchbook, on a bulletin board, in a pile of photos and in her memory. She starts with a shape, works with the form, changes its balance, gives it movement and gives it life. Laurie has studied at the School of Fine Arts at Syracuse University, California College of the Arts and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Her work has been exhibited throughout California, as well as in Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington DC and more.

www.futuresight.com/laurie

Winner: Adrienne Fradelizio of Fairfax

 

Pocket Lady in Flames

flameworked borosilicate glass
$200

TARA MURRAY As a glass flameworker, Tara creates sculpture and jewelry with a sense of narration and realism, reflecting and re-imagining the natural world, often with themes of the beach, the surf and sea creatures. Her glass sculpture is painterly, and often contains scenes in miniature. Tara is honored to be part of the traditional craft of glassblowing, and owes a great debt to artist and master glassblower Jay Bridgland, to whom she apprenticed for two years. Tara currently teaches glass flameworking at The Crucible.

www.taramurray.com

Winner: Benjamin Penn of Novato

 

Tall Tangerine with White Motif

glass
$180

ZACHARY RUDOLPH Since 1997 Zachary has been developing his unique style of glass art. He interprets age old traditional form and technique, while creating modern works of art. Zachary is dedicated to uncovering the mysteries of glass, and his vessel designs continue to evolve. A Bay Area native, he has traveled extensively to mentor with some of the world’s most accomplished glass artists, including Dale Chihuly, Richard Royal, Paul Desomma and Michael Davis.

www.zachrudolphglass.com

Winner: Robyn Linder of Orinda

 

Firebird Commemorative Bronze Apple Tree

bronze
priceless

THE CRUCIBLE Own a piece of Crucible memorabilia. This bronze tree was poured live on stage by Crucible performers during the Dance of Flaming Apples in The Crucible’s 2008 production of Stravinsky’s Firebird: “L’oiseau de feu.” This theatrical spectacle fused ballet, classical music and aerial performance with fire and industrial arts to create a compelling 1970’s retro-modern interpretation of Russian folklore.

Winner: Noah Hume of Oakland

 

Sardonyx Rift

fabricated sterling, carved sardonyx, carnelian
$480

RODNEY KESSLER has over 30 years of experience as a jewelry and metalsmithing artist. Over the past decade he has worked as an independent artist and teacher in the metal and jewelry community, created his own line of jewelry designs and operated galleries in Tacoma and Seattle. He spent several years working and teaching at the Pratt Fine Art Center in Seattle, where he also studied specialized goldsmithing, enameling, copper forming and metal fabrication. He now teaches and has a studio at The Crucible.

Winner: Sharab Ziegler of Fairfax

 

King of the Scrap Jungle

steel
$500

SAMANTHA PLASENCIA is 12 years old and going into the seventh grade at Montera Middle School in Oakland. She has been taking Youth classes at The Crucible for about a year, and has taken Glass Flameworking, Bike Maintenance, and ARC Welding, the class in which she made King of the Scrap Jungle. Samantha just took Intro to Neon and Super Sculpture at The Crucible’s Youth Summer Camp, and she plans to take all the Youth Classes available at The Crucible.

Winner: Kwai Lam of Felton

 

Necklace

lava rocks, coral, sterling silver
$135

STEPHEN STARK has been a professional metalsmith for over 15 years. He has a BFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from the California College of the Arts. He primarily works in silver, gold and bronze. His love of metal inspires him to employ a number of different techniques to create the texture, form and feel of each piece. In addition to holding positions at Inferno Artworks, he teaches jewelry making classes at The Crucible.

www.infernoartworks.com

Winner: Julie Huang of Oakland

 

Clouds 2

sterling silver
TBD

VERNON THEISS is a jeweler, metalsmith, educator and designer. His work is experimental, sculptural, technical, conceptual and detailed. He incorporates sterling silver and miscellaneous materials. Vernon received his MFA from Boston University-PIA Program and BFA from Washington University-St. Louis, and he exhibits internationally and nationally. For the past eight years, he has been a jewelry instructor at The Crucible.

Winner: Ansel Staton of Berkeley

 

Flamer

recycled steel
$400

KRISTEN HOARD’S journey with metal sculpture began in 1999 when she enrolled in her first class at The Crucible; she has been hooked ever since. Kristen regularly participates in art festivals throughout Northern California, and her work is often featured at local galleries. Recently inspired by her trips to Burning Man, Kristen has begun to explore sculptures that incorporate fire, flames and neon lighting. She has also completed several large corporate logo sculpture pieces in metal that can be seen in office lobbies around the Bay Area.

 

Pitcher

wheel thrown stoneware, glaze, reduction fired cone 10
$225

ALLEGHANY MEADOWS is a studio potter in Carbondale, Colorado. He received his MFA from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, and his BA from Pitzer College. He apprenticed with Takashi Nakazato in Karatsu, Japan; received a Watson Foundation Fellowship for field study of potters in Nepal; and was an artist-in-residence at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, CO. Alleghany has presented lectures and workshops at venues across the country, including Penland School of Crafts, Archie Bray Foundation, Alfred University, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Arrowmont School Utilitarian Clay and Anderson Ranch Arts Center. He has shown widely at galleries, and is the founder of Artstream Nomadic Gallery, co-founder of Harvey/Meadows Gallery and co-founder of Studio for Arts and Work.

www.art-stream.com

Winner: Susan Boyle of Oakland

 

Sub-Prime Loner

wood
$200

MATT WOLPE graduated from The Evergreen State College with an emphasis in Urban Studies, after which he moved to New York City to work for an architecture firm that specialized in housing for refugees made out of recycled shipping pallets. From there, Matt went on to work with a variety of nonprofits whose goal was to link design, community and education, including a Post-Katrina Design/Build project that provided experimental relief structures to refugees. Matt has interned at Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Vermont, and is currently a studio manager at The Crucible, as well as a teaching resident with San Francisco Public Schools teaching architecture to fifth graders.

Winner: Allen Hurtt of San Francisco

Flame 119 and Flame 98

photographic prints
$600

GARY WILSON came to photography late in life. He has worked as a photographer at the annual Bouquets to Art event at San Francisco’s de Young Museum; was one of three photographers featured in the book Bouquets to Art, Celebrating 25 Years; and has exhibited at the Felix Culpa Gallery and The Gallery @ Lavezzo Designs. Gary also works as a crane operator flying aerialists in performances at the annual Burning Man Art Festival and the Fire Arts Festival.

www.mindfullight.com

Winner: Will Goldberg of San Francisco