a dinner with three Chalet artists

[deborah]

Hi everyone,

Surfaced from winter hibernation long enough to get to Cornwall and go out to dinner with Maestro Gatto, Maestro Panizzon and Servante Guaranieri and their wives - amazing night! You couldn't find sweeter or more patient spouses re encouraging non-stop glass discussion!And amzingly enough, the artists didn't run screaming when they saw all the questions I had brought! They probably hadn't been fed all dayLOL

Anyways, I learned alot again- both new info and more correctionsLOL and will be posting new stuff as well as making corrections needed on the site and in updates re a future 2nd edition of the Chalet marks and labels reference guide.

Very exciting for me - will be working with the three gentlemen in the next few weeks on a new reference guide called "The Shapes & Colours of Chalet Glass". It will be of course be about the shapes and colours, bases, special techniques etc. Very much photo driven and will not only feature "iconic" pieces that we associate with Chalet but any and all of the rare pieces that I have found so far. Of course it will be professionally shot - I have a new photographer so can get back to things! The three artists will be writing a foreword, participating in a studio shot in Cornwall with some glass that they personally blew, they have given me permission to use some never seen before historical pics and pics of them from the exhibit. Plus a signed pic of the 3 of them together in the studio - it will be amazing to have shots of them at Chalet and now together. The three have remained very close so it is very special to have them do this together. All the pieces in the guide wil be signed, stickered or be able to be assigned their Chalet catalog number - no question of their provenance! I have quite a surprise re catalogs! This definitely will be "never before" as Maestro Gatto gave me a lovely and very generous gift that I have his permission to share in this new guide!

Another huge piece of news- Gianfranco Guaranieri has a limited edition, stickered piece that he is considering having me list for him on e-bay in my e-bay store. I will also be posting it here on the site and forum but want him too to have the e-bay exposure re e-bays traffic and the international numbers. I know the site and forum get alot of hits but it doesn't compete with e-bay - next year ehLOL! I can't give you more details as he isn't 100% sure. It will be so cool if he does as first piece ever that can be authenticated as being sold by a Chalet artist! I think it will create a stir! There will be a picture of him with the piece and a letter of authentication so collectors can be assured that this is a genuine auction. I am not sure if he has any pictures of it in his home, at the factory - if he does, I will be sure to get those too! I will give everyone here a heads up before I post on e-bay but it will not be a "Buy it Now" so no one will have unfair advantage.

Okay - some info that addresses previous posts:

Black - WAS done but only for the American market and the pieces are so unusual that you would state firmly that they are "NOT Chalet"! They had rough pontils so were not signed - only stickered. Based on that, the distribution channels and market, their atypical look and limited quantities - likely you will never see or if you do, the piece would not be identified or identifiable Chalet. BUT Maestro Gatto has two black vases that he did himself for Chalet at Chalet that will be featured in new guide. I have a picture of one of them from dinner but it is on my husband's cell phone and is too dreadful to post!I think we should all take this as a challenge and go "hunting" - it can totally be justified as research!

Cranberry and clear sommerso pieces- the cranberry used in the large freeform sommerso pieces WAS NOT just cranberry colour but the cranberry WITH GOLD that was used in the Canadiana Crnaberry line. So these pieces should be called "cranberry and crystal". I will be changing that category in the site "Shop" pages to reflect this. Those pieces were done by first getting the clear crystal shape and then by the artist making a hole in the piece and blowing the cranberry into the piece where he wanted it to be submerged in the crystal

This was also the technique that was used in those thin "modern" looking pieces. Very deliberate and controlled colour placement.There is a signed fluted bowl in the shop section (green pages) if you don't know what I mean - take a look.

I have alot more info but will be posting it in the relevant places on the site and will post a note under the "Not to be Missed" when I have finished the updates. I will also post there re new guide, if Gianfranco decides to sell his piece etc.

If you think of questions though in the meantime or if I haven't answered any still outstanding on the forum - please post and I will answer sooner if I have that info or start yet another list for the artists that they can answer when I see them for the photo shoot - should be in March. I just don't want to make this post any longerLOL

And as a last note- re the site uranium pieces - since I have a new photographer I will make sure that he shoots the uranium pieces in black light again BUT will make sure that this time I get the flourescing shots not the black white ones for the site re the "Shop Pages". This way they can be listed in 2 lights - it will be a different look from the rest of the "Shop" pages but as we debated in those early posts - much more what collectors expect and can rely on. Re new pieces with uranium - there will be an amazing "matched" set of uranium and magnesium ashtrays that are large and orange and another little icy blue one - they all light up like fireworks. These are new in addition to the ones that were in question when the site openned. You will have of course noted that I took those off until I could get them reshot.

Chalet's use of uranium and the black light display that we mounted was perhaps the thing that shocked the artists the most at the exhibit (and size of the big Christmas tree and the paperweightLOL) as they NEVER knew that depleted uranium was being used. Most of the time, the artists (exception being Sergio Pagnin and Luigi Tedesco) worked under a strict "need to know" only policy. They usually didn't know who the pieces were being made for, of course the colour recipes.... Gianfranco said at dinner that he had actually phoned all his glass blower counterparts in Murano of that era and talked to them about uranium. He and Maestro Panizzon were at Chalet from 1963 and up until the company closed so of course they were 2 of the artists working there while uranium was still available. Maestro Gatto was at Lorraine and Mosaic during that time (he joinned Chalet in 1968) and to his knowledge those 2 companies did not use uranium - in fact, he is certain re Mosaic not doing so.

Longest post ever - sorry!

Deborah

[langhaugh]

Deborah:

Don't worry about length of post when it's this fascinating. Great work--and fun, too, I'll bet.

David