Studio Visit: Renee Radenberg

It all started with a ferry ride. I am a big fan of Renee Radenberg’s glass art and I wanted to learn more about her process and see her studio. As it turned out, my son was visiting from Florida with his bike at the time so we grabbed the ferry to visit Renee and bike on the boardwalk in  Rockaway Park.

Verrazzano Bridge

Renee’s studio is the entire lowest level of her home, rebuilt after being destroyed during storm Sandy. I’m sure it was impressive before but now it’s a showplace of her work, tools and supplies.

 

Renee in her studio

 

This assortment of glass welcomes visitors on entering the studio highlighting the color and unique quality of glass. What becomes immediately clear is that she has tools! I have never been in a studio space so decked out…but then I'm more likely to frequent drawing and painting studios with few requirements for tools.

 

 

I was immediately drawn into the work she had on her tables.Each piece goes through a number of steps in the process to completion: sawing, layering and distorting. If you are interested in working with glass, she does offer classes.

Glass has such unique qualities of color; think stained glass windows. Translucence is obviously an important characteristic but glass can also be opalescent with it's own appeal. As with any material it has its own language. That language certainly speaks to me.

This piece is made with glass frit (crushed glass) and then fired which forms a ‘Lacey’ look.

This piece is layering of glass with textured glass (fired so you can feel the glass but it is fused to the top layer of glass. We call it a Tac fuse) on the top layer. The materials used are glass powders, glass enamels, frit and small pieces of sheet glass.

More Tools

Did I say tools?

For sawing glass

Set up for photographing her work

We had a wonderful visit, saw some amazing art and had a nice bike ride and ferry ride home.

Be sure to check out her work at the BWAC Makers Market. There are many lovely pieces in a wide range of prices.

Renee's website 

Renee's Instagram  She does a great job including video of her work in progress

I look forward to more studios visits with BWAC members. Let me know if you are interested.

Kristin Reiber Harris

krharris46@gmail.com

Why I'm A Member of BWAC: Join Us

Kristin Reiber Harris:

I have been making animation, prints, drawings and teaching for over 40 years. I moved to NYC (Bay Ridge) three years ago. I came for family reasons but liked the idea of being in such a creative environment. As luck would have it, Alicia Degener (BWAC co-president) is a neighbor and I met her soon after I arrived. She was very generous to include me in a number of shows last year as a non-member. I am now officially a member and on the Board of Directors. 

I enthusiastically embrace my active participation in BWAC because it is inclusive, ambitious and truly invested in supporting the arts and its members. The space is an exciting venue. I have seen some incredible artwork and met (despite this crazines) many wonderful artists. The more the merrier, JOIN US!  KristinHarrisDesign.com

Brooke Lambert:

Although I live and work in Lowell, MA, I am always looking for new ways to expand my network and exhibit my art beyond the Boston area. I first discovered BWAC while searching for printmaking calls for art in New York. I applied for BWAC’s juried show Prints 2021 and was excited to get in. At the show opening and closing, co-presidents Susan and Alicia both encouraged me to join BWAC. I was so thrilled! Living in Massachusetts, BWAC membership involves  traveling 4-6 hours to participate in shows and my volunteer contributions are done remotely. I think it’s well worth it for this amazing opportunity to enter into the New York art scene and share my art with the impressive community of artists in this gallery and beyond. JOIN US!

BrookeLambertArtist.com

                                         

Alicia Degener:

I am a member to work with fellow artists to run one of the most inspiring exhibition spaces in NYC.

I have no less than 25,000 sq ft of civil war warehouse space overlooking the Statue of Liberty in Red Hook Brooklyn to dream up and curate shows with my fellow members. Providing artists with an amazing space to realize even their biggest ideas is very rewarding as well as the appreciation folks express when they interact with art in person. JOIN US!  www.etsy.com/shop/BrooklynLish

                                         

Susan Handwerker

Why I’m in BWAC? So many reasons! I’ve learned so much about making and displaying art, jurying, curating, publicizing shows, interacting with other artists and visitors, the extraordinary complexities of maintaining a gigantic gallery space and a volunteer organization simultaneously. But mostly, i just know it’s the best deal in town for artists, friends, visitors and collectors! It makes the New York art scene a little more friendly and encouraging for artists to engage with other artists, to access professional feedback and have a beautiful space to exhibit. Bwac allows our diverse community to give voice to new creative directions and push past boundaries with each other’s help. Artists helping artists. Really! JOIN US!

susanhandwerker.com

Check out the BWAC website for information about membership benefits.

BWAC Membership Application

Art in the City: Maya Lin's Ghost Forest at Madison Square Park

Art in the City is a new series that will be running on the BWAC Buzz from time to time. Do you have a suggestion for an exhibit worth seeing? Let me know.

Artistic genius takes a lot of time and hard work. Maya Lin is well versed in both.

I have a special fondness for trees. I recently completed an animated short CityTREES, part of my Anim8Nature series of short documentaries. So when a friend told me about Maya Lin’s Ghost Forest at Madison Square Park I had to go…immediately. I am a huge fan of Maya Lin’s work. I have visited the Viet Nam Memorial many times and engaged with various of her installations over the years.

Ghost Forest has a lot to unpack. It speaks on so many levels. I am still watching videos, perusing the Madison Square Park website and generally collecting information, but I wanted to put down my reaction the day of my first visit (a number of weeks ago).