OPENING: Vibrant new work by Davide Salvadore debuts at Traver tonight

New, vividly colored work by Muranese glassblower Davide Salvadore is the focus of a new exhibition at Seattle's Traver Gallery. Titled simply "Davide Salvadore: New Work," the show that blazes new chromatic ground for this artist best known for his sculptural stringed-instrument objects, opens tonight, July 3 and will be on view through Sunday, August 3, 2014. Salvadore, born into a family of glass workers, has devoted his career to reinterpreting and modernizing the traditional techniques and aesthetics he uses in his work. He often instructs students on non-traditional murrini-making techniques and how to employ the tiny detailed pieces in compelling ways. In his own work, he draws inspiration from ancient musical instruments, African symbols and textiles, and the colors of the African landscape. While many of the shapes in this exhibition are not new, Salvadore has added a number of intense new colors to his palette, using less of his characteristic earth tones in favor of bright turquoise, yellows, and oranges. Sometimes these colors fill the entire piece, and sometimes the colors jump out from a background of neutral colored, yet equally intricate patterns.

Gallerist William Traver notes that, after representing Salvadore at the gallery for many years, he has noticed a significant difference between some of his previous work and the creations from the past year. In a phone interview with GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet, Traver stood in front of the freshly installed exhibit and described the murrine and the surface finishes, saying “the patterns are bolder and more assured, and cover more of the area of the pieces.” Inspired by African wood and bone carvings, the deeper cuts in the work establish a more dramatic texture than ever seen before. Overall, Traver says the pieces have “taken on a much more mature, significant feel about them.” 

Recently created vessels and blown and carved glass instruments from his "Arpa", "Chitamarra", and "Spingarpa" series will be on view, as well as his "Tiraboson" series, which is inspired less by real instruments and derived instead from the artist taking imaginative liberties.

Also opening at the Traver Gallery tonight is "Considering Design", a group exhibition featuring the work of Charlie Parriott, Dick Weiss, Erich Ginder, Granite Calimpong, and John Hogan. Each of these  Seattle-based artists use glass, though in different ways, from leaded glass, blown cups and sculpture, optical glass sculpture, and in lighting and architecture. This exhibition will also be on view through August 3.
 

IF YOU GO: