About Us
Gail Jamieson
Artist and Designer
Artist and Designer
•Biographical Statement•
I have been involved in art and crafts since I was in grade school. It was my major in high school and college. I have taught art since graduating from college in 1961, first as an art resource teacher for Alhambra Elementary School District, and then in 1968, I joined the Art Faculty at Phoenix College. I have taught many different art courses such as, design, drawing, lost wax casting, sculpture, weaving, silkscreen printing, and most recently fused glass. From 1982 to 1987 I chaired the PC Art Department. In 1982 I was also introduced to microcomputers, which was like starting a second career. Since that time I have been involved in computer art and graphic design both in my own work but also in the development of courses and programs at the college. In 1986 I was awarded "Innovator of the Year" at Phoenix College for my work in the computer graphics area. I have lectured and demonstrated various forms of art and design both regionally and nationally. Before getting involved with computer art, I worked mainly as a designer, weaver and serigrapher. My weavings and prints have won numerous awards and have been exhibited throughout the United States and Mexico. I was juried into Arizona Designer Craftsmen in the late 60s and served as Jury Foreman in the 70s. I also served on the Phoenix Arts Commission and was chair of the Public Art Committee that is in charge of the Percent for Art program for the City of Phoenix. I have also received numerous other awards, such as, The National Art Education Association Award as the Pacific Region Higher Education Art Educator for 1990, the University of St. Francis Alumni Professional Achievement Award, 1991 and The Fine Arts Award for Community Alliance and Service in the Maricopa Community College District, 1991. In October of 1992, I took early retirement from Phoenix College but I continue to teach fused glass at the college. Glass fusing came into my art life in 2000. Since then I have taken many workshops to broaden my knowledge and expertise into this art form.
•Artist Statement•
Art has been a central focus in my life; I can’t imagine my life without it. I have known since I was in sixth grade that I wanted to do and teach art, and that has been my life’s work. I feel I am very fortunate to be able to do something that I so enjoy and love.
My work has gone through changes over the years but it has always focused on design. I have worked with many different mediums. I work both two and three-dimensionally.
Almost ten years ago I took a Glass Fusing class and found it to be a fun challenge both technically and design wise. I have since taken workshops in Cave Creek, AZ; Tucson, AZ; Eugene, OR; Las Vegas, NV: and San Miguel de Allende, Mex. In these various workshops I have learned many different contemporary and ancient glass techniques, such as, pate de verre, metal and/or bubble inclusions, iridized sandwiches, pattern bars, etching, sand blasting, glass carving, sand casting and many more. These techniques are used in my work to add variety and complexity to the final product.
One of the aspects of working with fused glass is that you can make both functional and non-functional pieces. In the functional area, I make pins, earrings, pendants, coasters, dishes (both large and small) soap and butter dishes, ikebana flower holders, key fobs, wine stoppers, letter openers, purse hangers, and the list goes on and on…
As an artist, I also feel the need to design and create works of art. Therefore, some of the glass, which I make, serves no other purpose than to be aesthetically pleasing. These are the non-functional pieces.
I use mainly COE 90 glass either translucent, opalescent, and iridized. For added color and interest in the piece, I sometimes include dichroic glass. This, of course, depends on the method used to produce the piece, as some techniques may not be enhanced by the use of dichroic glass. I strive to have each piece be unique; no two pieces are the same. Each piece is a work of art no matter what the size of it is. Because of the nature of the glass, color is one of the strongest components evident in my work.
I feel that as an artist/craftsman, my work is designed and crafted to be an aesthetic experience whether it is a functional or non-functional piece of glass.
My work has gone through changes over the years but it has always focused on design. I have worked with many different mediums. I work both two and three-dimensionally.
Almost ten years ago I took a Glass Fusing class and found it to be a fun challenge both technically and design wise. I have since taken workshops in Cave Creek, AZ; Tucson, AZ; Eugene, OR; Las Vegas, NV: and San Miguel de Allende, Mex. In these various workshops I have learned many different contemporary and ancient glass techniques, such as, pate de verre, metal and/or bubble inclusions, iridized sandwiches, pattern bars, etching, sand blasting, glass carving, sand casting and many more. These techniques are used in my work to add variety and complexity to the final product.
One of the aspects of working with fused glass is that you can make both functional and non-functional pieces. In the functional area, I make pins, earrings, pendants, coasters, dishes (both large and small) soap and butter dishes, ikebana flower holders, key fobs, wine stoppers, letter openers, purse hangers, and the list goes on and on…
As an artist, I also feel the need to design and create works of art. Therefore, some of the glass, which I make, serves no other purpose than to be aesthetically pleasing. These are the non-functional pieces.
I use mainly COE 90 glass either translucent, opalescent, and iridized. For added color and interest in the piece, I sometimes include dichroic glass. This, of course, depends on the method used to produce the piece, as some techniques may not be enhanced by the use of dichroic glass. I strive to have each piece be unique; no two pieces are the same. Each piece is a work of art no matter what the size of it is. Because of the nature of the glass, color is one of the strongest components evident in my work.
I feel that as an artist/craftsman, my work is designed and crafted to be an aesthetic experience whether it is a functional or non-functional piece of glass.
Bill Jamieson
Artist and Designer
•Biographical Statement•
Born, raised and educated in Phoenix, I have been involved with art and landscaping throughout my life. I have been employed as a teacher of art in the Valley for 40+ years at the elementary and college levels. Presently I am teaching the Lost Wax Jewelry class for Phoenix College.
My jewelry and sculpture has been exhibited at various galleries, appeared in numerous juried and invitational shows both regionally and nationally, and has received many awards. . I was juried into Arizona Designer Craftsmen in the late 60s for my jewelry and sculptural work.
In 1973, upon leaving my full time teaching position, I pursued landscape design. For the next 20 years, I owned Organic Landscaping, Inc., which specialized in desert and Japanese garden design. Since retiring from that business I have been designing and casting more jewelry along with teaching the lost wax class.
My jewelry and sculpture has been exhibited at various galleries, appeared in numerous juried and invitational shows both regionally and nationally, and has received many awards. . I was juried into Arizona Designer Craftsmen in the late 60s for my jewelry and sculptural work.
In 1973, upon leaving my full time teaching position, I pursued landscape design. For the next 20 years, I owned Organic Landscaping, Inc., which specialized in desert and Japanese garden design. Since retiring from that business I have been designing and casting more jewelry along with teaching the lost wax class.
•Artist Statement•
Although my undergraduate and graduate degrees were not in art, I took many hours of art classes. Early on in my teaching career, I had the opportunity to move from teaching a self-contained classroom to being an art teacher. Along with teaching art I continued to take art classes, mainly in the three-dimensional areas of sculpture and jewelry. In the late 60s, I took a lost wax jewelry class from Bob Winston, which changed my direction to focus on just lost wax jewelry, or as I see it, small sculptures. My work has always reflected my close association with nature. I have loved collecting plants, cacti, seedpods, rocks, seashells, etc. which have influenced my designs. In using them, I enjoy the challenge of working with their interplay and line, shape and texture and how they can develop into a new and exciting work of art.