Bedford Artist’s Work Graces Emerson Hospital’s Holiday Greeting

December 20, 2014

By Julie McCay Turner

Mary's-cardAn exhibit of kiln-formed art glass by Bedford artist Mary Johannessen shone in the Emerson Hospital Auxiliary’s Main Street Gallery for several weeks this fall. The glass ranged from individual art tiles and framed work, to installation pieces that were especially mounted for the show. Each piece seemed to be more colorful than the next.

Johannessen’s work caught the eye of Bonnie Kaplan Goldsmith, Emerson Hospital’s Senior Director for Marketing and Public Affairs, who suggested using one of the designs in an electronic greeting card for Emerson CEO Chris Schuster’s holiday message.

Inspired by her great grandmother’s quilts — among other influences — the exhibit’s bright colors and graphic clarity captured the attention of passersby and staff alike. Visitors snapped photographs to share with quilters not able to visit the show, and hospital staff loved the bright colors and designs. “[It] is stunning, and I am impressed by the number of people admiring the work every time I pass by,” remarked one hospital staffer via email.

Emerson is not the first hospital to show Johannessen’s work. It can be seen in permanent installations at Children’s Hospital in Boston and Peabody, and at the Whittier Street Health Care Center in Roxbury.

Editor’s Note: The Main Street Gallery is within Emerson Hospital, Bedford’s community hospital located on Old Road to Nine Acre Corner in Concord. All of the work in the gallery is for sale, and a portion of the income benefits Emerson Hospital Auxiliary and their annual gift to the hospital.

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Mary Johannessen, hanging her show at Emerson Hospital's Main Street Gallery - Image (c) JMcCT, 2014
Mary Johannessen, after hanging her show at Emerson Hospital’s Main Street Gallery – Image (c) JMcCT, 2014

An Artist’s Statement – Mary Johannessen

Vision: I could tell you that the natural world inspires me with its vastness and diversity, and it would be true, but it offers only a small clue as to why I do what I do. I could also tell you about my previous work as a graphic designer which might give you insight into the formal structure of my work. Telling you about my discovery and dive into kiln formed glass seven years ago might make me seem a bit impulsive, but doesn’t answer the question, “why?” Instead I’ll give you a brief overview of the process, introduce my visual touchstones, and share a bit of my thought processes.

Sharing: Working with glass transports me to a place where time passes unnoticed. My creations are my wordless prayers. External circumstances and resulting emotions, whether upbeat or challenging, become irrelevant. To share that feeling of transcendence with you is the reason why I do what I do. My goal is to create work that evokes a sense of peace in just being, and a feeling of inner joy, no matter what events are swirling around at the time. I want to create the visual equivalent of your favorite tune, the one that, when you are alone, gets you to dance or sing out loud. I want you to visually absorb the rhythm and patterns, relax and tap into your inner joyful place for a moment.

About the design: My visual influences include indigenous people’s mark-making, quilts, contemporary pattern design, and plant forms. I begin by creating cast glass powder shapes, stencil patterns on transparent and opalescent sheet glass, wiggly spaghetti shaped glass elements, and all sorts of uniquely striped sheets of glass. Arranging my invented symbols and designs, I experiment with the juxtaposition of elements, assemble them like a jigsaw puzzle and fire them, often multiple times for multiple layers.

The process
: Working in kiln formed glass is part science, part art. My version of kiln forming begins with large sheets of 3mm glass. One standard kiln forming technique is to use 3mm sheet of clear glass as a base, then top it with a second layer containing a single piece or multiple pieces of 3mm cut glass. Fire the 6mm assemblage to approximately 1500F and it becomes a solid piece of glass. The firing takes from 15 to 20 hours. By adjusting firing schedules the glass colors may shift and the flow of glass can be controlled. Fun fact- glass naturally wants to be 6mm thick and will flow or contract to that thickness when heated to 1450F or higher.

For more information, visit www.studio200glass.com

 

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