The Glass Society of Ireland’s (GSOI) inaugural Graduate Award for excellence in the medium of glass has been awarded to Evan McKenna from Co Louth
The Glass Society of Ireland’s (GSOI) inaugural Graduate Award for excellence in the medium of glass has been awarded to Evan McKenna from Co Louth, a graduate of the National College of Art and Design (NCAD). A notable mention award was presented to Joanne O’Mahony of MTU Crawford College of Art and Design, acknowledging her considered curation of contrasting glass techniques.
Seven graduates who had studied glass at either MTU in Cork or NCAD in Dublin were considered. The adjudicators viewing their degree shows noted that ‘the body of graduate work across both campuses fully exploited the qualities of glass through a vast range of glassmaking techniques, which included painting, slumping, casting, tracing and firing, fusing, inclusions, pâte de verre, screenprinting, laser cutting, sandblasting and traditional leaded stained glass to create large- and small-scale works in both 2D and 3D’.
McKenna initially studied ceramics at NCAD and then discovered that glass was the medium he felt most connected to. He was drawn to the work of Harry Clarke, being inspired not only by the artist’s subject matter but also inspired by his innovative techniques in the areas of acid-etching and plating. McKenna had two panels on display in his degree show: a smaller one that references Clarke’s Baptism of St Patrick (coincidentally, an award-winning work made by Clarke in 1912 while a student at the forerunner of NCAD, the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art); and a larger, more iconographically complex panel, which features a self-portrait with penetrating eyes – recalling those of Harry Clarke – and stylistic references to contemporary popular culture such as The Simpsons and Japanese manga-style illustrations.
McKenna was eager that his pieces would not only demonstrate the range of his technical expertise acquired thus far, but also be personal and reflective, specifically referencing his experience of positive and negative masculine influences. As part of GSOI’s welcome initiative, stained-glass artist Alison Byrne will mentor McKenna over several sessions.
David Caron
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