CHO Public Notices

“Celebration of Glass” Exhibit Comes to an End at CHO

Monday, February 7

For the winter of 2010 CHO’s terminal was filled with bright colors and shimmering glass. Four local artisans working in different styles had their skills on display in the Gate 5 exhibit area. From stained glass to free style art, the exhibit demonstrated a variety of ways glass can be used as an expressive art form.

The first to display his talents was Chad Trent from Cosmo Glass Works in Roanoke, VA. Chad specializes in marbles, paperweights and jewelry. His skills with a torch have produced unbelievable works of art. He started off making beads out of soft glass, but was soon attracted to the ethereal and organic colors of borosilicate glass. Chad soon fell in love with making marbles, fascinated by the amount of detail that could be fit into a small orb of glass. Chad’s work can be seen at www.cosmoglassworks.com.

Next in the exhibit was Jo Perez from Charlottesville, VA.  Jo’s display of stained glass filled the largest window in gate 5 and her handmade glass lamp shades decorated the administration offices. She created a variety of stained glass projects using both lead came and copper foil techniques.  Lead cames have been used for more than ten centuries and can be found in the famous cathedrals of Europe.  They form a beautiful and consistent line throughout the work.  The copper foil technique was perfected by Louis Comfort Tiffany and can be seen in his lampwork.  It allows for very intricate and detailed work. More of Jo’s work can be seen at www.darkhollowglass.com.

The third artist to celebrate a very unique style of glass art was Diana Branscome of branscome glass. Diana takes bottles that had been on the way to the recycling center or landfill and transforms them into lightly functional home accents. Branscome Glass strives for a minimum impact in the course of producing recycled glass art.  The raw materials come from local restaurants, the website is 100% solar-powered, and packaging is recycled and reused. Her work can be seen at www.branscomeglass.com.

The final artist to join the exhibit was Vee Osvalds. Based at the Mcguffey Art Center in Charlottesville, VA, Vee has been working with stained glass since 1973. Although talented in a variety of glass styles, his CHO display concentrated on the Dalle de Verre Glass. It is a chunkier stained glass style. Using 1” thick dalle glass and epoxy resin, Vee Osvalds produced small autonomous panels that were hung in front of terminal windows and placed on stands in one of the exhibit cases. The glass is faceted (chipped) before being cast into the opaque resin. Thus when the direct light shines behind the panel, the glass creates a jewel like appearance. Learn more about Vee and his beautiful work at www.osvaldsstainedglass.com.

The exhibit was enjoyed by passengers and employees alike. Each of these artists were great examples of the high level of skill Central Virginia has to offer.