Organized by Hot Works, LLC, the Asheville Fine Arts Show, happening May 19 & 20 at the WNC Agricultural Center, is quickly becoming a top-rated national event eagerly anticipated by exhibiting artists and art lovers alike. One of the exhibitors looking forward to this year’s show is Asheville local Jewish glass artist David Goldhagen.
From his art glass studio on Lake Chatuge in the mountains of western North Carolina, Goldhagen creates a range of fine art glass pieces, ranging from massive hand-blown glass platters and unique sculptural forms to perfume bottles, candlesticks, menorahs and even tables. No matter the form, he employs a painterly approach that marries bold colors to brilliant, clear crystal in a clean, modern style.
Each piece starts as a pool of clear molten glass on the end of a five-foot blowpipe. To create his signature subtle-to-bold color palette, David incorporates bits of colored glass made from rare earth elements (such as dichroics, gold, silver and cobalt) together with mixtures of metallic oxides. Meticulously layered and manipulated on the surface, they create intricate patterns and movement within the sculpture. The design is then encased in another layer of crystal, with each piece being either mouth-blown or hand-sculpted. It is then allowed to slowly cool, after which it is hand polished and signed.
Among his sculptural glass works are asymmetrical biomorphic pods. These require unusual strength and adroit technique, with some exceeding 40 inches in diameter.
Goldhagen’s organic, fluid and energetic images are informed by his surroundings and connection with nature. On a platter, he captures the glory of the sun rising over the placid waters of a lake. From deep within a sculpture, a blooming iris emerges. Other pieces mirror the graceful turn of a dancer, the luminous curves of a seashell, the exaltation of the human spirit. Each viewer is thereby enabled to find his own connection to David’s pieces.
Goldhagen earned a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University. In additional advanced glass studies at Penland School of Crafts, he worked with Richard Ritter and Paul Stankard. At Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington, he studied with its founder and master glass artist, Dale Chihuly, as well as Ann Warf and Klas Moje. A member of the Southern Highlands Craft Guild, the Carolina Designer Craftsmen, and the Glass Art Society, David has gone on to mentor several accomplished fine glass artists.
David’s work may be found in the permanent collections of numerous prestigious corporations, museums and foundations, including Coca-Cola, AT&T, Merrill Lynch, The Cerebral Palsy Foundation, Walt Disney, The North Carolina Museum of History, NC State University, City of Winter Park Public Library, Asheville Art Museum, Tucson Museum of Art, Albany Museum of Art, Philips Arena, Atlanta. His works have been included in exhibitions at The American Craft Museum in New York, the Jewish Museum of Philadelphia, Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Art in Florida and, more locally, North Carolina’s Fayetteville Museum of Art. David’s work has been featured in numerous group and solo shows at galleries throughout the country.
Because of the high demand, David’s work is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, but you can survey his latest pieces including his new Shabbat Candlesticks and the Wedding Smash Cup (or commission your own) at the 2nd Annual Asheville Fine Art Show. It takes place indoors in the cozy Asheville suburb of Fletcher at the WNC Agricultural Center, 1301 Fanning Bridge Road, Fletcher, North Carolina 28732 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both days.
Since 2003, Hot Works LLC has established an outstanding national reputation for producing high-quality juried art shows, with four of its five shows ranked in the top 100 in the nation – a true testament to their efforts and successes. As Asheville is new in 2017, Hot Works is building to bring the Asheville Fine Art Show to a top 100 art show, too. Art Show Director Patty Narozny personally attends to every detail, ensuring that the art on display is personally made by the exhibiting artists and is of the highest quality, which allows patrons to buy with confidence that they are getting original, top-notch works of art.
