National glass collection

After a late start we ended our less than entirely successful search for a breakfast with lunch in the Wagga Wagga art gallery (pumpkin soup, which I found pleasant, surprisingly for me because I really don't like pumpkin, and ... would you believe after yesterday ... a melted cheese open sandwich!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). We then spent a couple of enjoyable hours in the gallery's studio art glass collection, which has been designated the nation's collection.

It was an interesting visit. The works were more modest than I had anticipated; smallish, careful pieces that may say more about the curator than the state of studio art glass in contemporary Australia.

There was a blown-glass work of three pieces (not unlike the blue piece here but in red) by one of Spike's tutors (Andrew Lavery) in the permanent collection. Given what Spike has told me about his deconstructionist tendencies, the work was rather more Modernist than I would have expected. I quite liked it.

There was a gorgeous cast-glass work, an expressionist head, by George Aslanis (not unlike the face shown here) with whom Spike (and her mum!) have just completed a two-week intensive course in glass-casting. The head was part of a temporary exhibition of work collected over the last thirty years by an enthusiast, Joyce Kerfoot. The collection may now or soon belong to the nation.

There were some likeable pieces in the collection: George's head, a monolith coloured like a Miro print, a very lovely vase by Ben Eddols and Kathy Eliot, an even lovelier cast form by her alone.