Panache Glass at Art On The Block, AGA

Panache Glass textured bowls w/ gorgeous flower arrangements from The Artworks.

A auction night at the Art Gallery of Alberta.

We showed off beautiful panels of glass art from artists Manola, Ian Sheldon, and Tammy Henkel with metal sculptural stands by Rogelio Menz which held Manola's glass panel tulips. There was also a couple of more contemporary pieces -- a series of 3 floral panels that encouraged people to interact with by colouring in the flowers + 3 neon coloured tree inspired panels.

INTERACTIVE! colour in floral glass panels.

The graphic is printed on 34" x 6' 4" up-cycled glass panels which has been slightly textured to give it that extra something something.

5 panel glass artwork by Tammy Henkel. A beautifully lit backdrop to the entertainment going on in the main room where all the art was being auctioned off.

Ian Sheldon's piece is framed in the right side by one of the two main entrances to the main room.

Grey Turmoil by Ian Sheldon.

96" x 30"

Series of 3 glass panels, tulips by Manola.

Metal sculptural stands by Chilean artist Rogelio Menz.

Tree-inspired NEON glass panels

Introducing Panache collaborator/artist Ian Sheldon

Panache collaborator and artist Ian Sheldon

The artist. Photography by Darren Greenwood www.dgphotographics.com

Ian Sheldon is a celebrated artist and illustrator, with galleries in England, the United States and Canada, and dozens of books featuring his work. Very much a citizen of the world, Sheldon has lived in South Africa, Singapore and England. He makes his home in Canada where his reputation as a successful Western artist continues to grow. Drawing on inspirations from his place of birth on the edge of the prairies in Canada in 1971, and his time spent in Europe, his paintings are a celebration of his sense of place and spirituality.

While studying for his first degree (BA Hons) at Cambridge University, England, Sheldon began to paint the historical architecture of the city. Since 1994 galleries have exhibited this work, and in 1998, Cambridge Contemporary Art, the city’s leading commercial gallery, accepted his watercolours. He makes frequent trips to Britain and France to pursue his architectural passion.

September Field Colours 24x24

Autumn Square 24x24

Harvest Square 24x24

A self-taught artist, Sheldon believes that his true understanding of artistic self-expression will come best through his own experimentation. Sheldon holds degrees from Cambridge University and the University of Alberta. His studies in the natural sciences are reflected in some of his subject choices, but the learning experience has more importantly taught him about the significant influences in his life. In addition to thearchitectural watercolours, Sheldon has directed his interests to the Western Canadian wilderness. This has successfully combined his passion for the arts with his academic interest in the natural world, and his spiritual place within it. These striking landscapes have been well received in Canada and overseas, earning
him First Prize for Landscapes at the Alberta 2000 Winter Games Art Exposition and recognition on a national level in 2004 with the inclusion of his biography in the Canadian Who’s Who. As an extension of the philosophical basis for his landscapes, Sheldon has also turned to exploring people’s connections to the land through the rural architectural landscape. His atmospheric watercolours of decaying buildings have brought both television and magazine attention, and were acquired by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts in a juried acquisition of art.

Tall Grey Turmoil 96x30

Dark September Clouds - upcycled glass - 28" x 76"

Summer Sky - upcycled glass - 28" x 76"

Sheldon is also an accomplished writer and illustrator with many publications through Lone Pine Publishing. His nature guides for North America now grace bookshelves across the continent. One of his recent successes is Bugs of Alberta, a provincial non-fiction bestseller authored by John Acorn. Many more books featuring Sheldon’s life-like illustrations are slated for the press. Other ventures include a guide for Ecuador, a voluntary project aiming to increase conservation awareness in Ecuador.

Global News Edmonton at Panache!

Lorraine Mansbridge visits Panache on the early news.

Connect to Global TV Edmonton

Quesnell Bridge/Whitemud Freeway Art Proposal by Panache

We are really excited to share our ideas for this public art project with you. Let us know what you think.

PROPOSAL ONE

Panache proposes to install “upcycled” glass panels and tile inside the ring-shaped retaining walls along the Whitemud freeway. Upcycling will involve taking over 16,000 square feet of glass that would otherwise be trash and using it to create beautiful and tasteful public art. Subdued glass with muted colours that can blend with the forms of the walls, the slope of the hillside and still be appreciated by passing drivers is what we strive for. Panache is interested in presenting glass in colours reminiscent of the golden hues of the river valley during fall. We are thinking of two approaches: tiles would be made in 12”x12” format that form a ‘pixelated’ image; or, large panels 3 feet wide and varying in height will have flat colours in a similar palette range. The colours involved will be formulated to not be too variable as to be distracting for drivers.

Can you imagine!?

Here are some "mock-ups" made on Google SketchUp

Some examples of our pixelated art images

And thats just the first idea. Can you imagine a sculpture of a bee's hive made out of upcycled glass? We can, and we want to make a giant version to go inside the offramp circle at Fox Drive.

(images coming soon!)

Press Release - Upcycled Glass from Panache!

CENTURY PARK LOBBY

PANACHE UPCYCLED GLASS

Eva and Rose Marie with Eva's creation

Salamander crawling along the ground.

Detail: Deep Jungle

Installation 2

Eva celebrates success!

Upcycling saves environment and creates art with Panache

Panache Glass & Ceramics wanted to make a meaningful commitment to the environment by rethinking the steps they took in the manufacture of their art glass projects and installations.They quickly moved beyond the idea of using of recycled glass and landed upon the idea of Upcycling in order to reduce their carbon footprint. Panache sourced cast off glass from manufacturers and architectural salvage companies and put it into the hands of artist in order to create installations and functional art at the Panache studios. The response to the work has been tremendous and the company has committed to a target of having 80% of their projects done in this way by 2012.

In their environmental quest, Panache ruled out the use of recycled glass. They felt although worthy of consideration, the end product still left a significant carbon footprint ---- transportation to a recycling plant, crushing, re-manufacturing, shipping, etc. They began to realize that Upcycling, had a far smaller environmental impact and were determined to begin to use these glass cast offs as their canvas. Upcycling is a refining process, the act of making something into a more elegant form with greater artistic value and Panache has succeeded in doing just that.

Whether making functional art that can be used as door inserts, back splashes, table tops, shower walls or interior glass panels, the work defines interior space and changes the way people think about glass. The interplay with light, color and texture pulls in the viewer and succeeds in bridging architecture and fine art. Commissioned artists such as Ian Sheldon and Manola Borrajo-Giner along with Panache’s in-house artists are changing the way people think about glass.

Panache Glass & Ceramics is a manufacturer of custom art glass as well as handmade ceramic, metal and glass tile and since 1994 and has been on the leading edge of design of glass and ceramic tile for residential, commercial and hospitality industries.