RESUME KARL HARRON GLASSMAKER
Working in a centuries-old continuum of metallurgy and craftmanship inherited from his Irish past, glass artist Karl Harron combines lead- and sulphur-bearing glasses with fine silver to create elegant kiln-formed vessels whose etched and light resonating surfaces have an elemental essence.
In sculpting his glass Harron moves from traditional vessels to exciting expressions of “form and material” conveying ideas and visual poetry, while still retaining vestiges of their original function.
“These vessels are both functional and enveloping. They embody the preservation of materials and the containment of things precious to us, symbolising fragments of history, reflecting the every day, and conversely the revered. They narrate a story, from where they came, and their reason for being”.
BIO KARL HARRON GLASSMAKER
Karl Harron, born in Belfast 1953 is a respected and successful master glassmaker now based in Northern Ireland.
With an emphasis on design-led, innovative work, his distinctive style is characterised by the subtle tones and complex mark making created by exploiting a third element within the body of his pieces, created at the interface between reactive glasses. Although emerging out of the same specific process, no two pieces are ever identical, each being created a new allowing for an organic growth of form.
Through engaging with the material in both its fluid and solid states he reveals delicate imagery not usually associated with glass and his aesthetic vision demonstrates a profound appreciation of processes and critical enquiry.
Harron is a contemporary maker who has established professional glass studios, authored accredited glass courses and continues to facilitate international master classes as part of his professional practice.
Specialities: Master Craftsman and Glassmaker. Master Class Facilitator. His work is held in Private, Corporate and Public Collections throughout the world.
CV KARL HARRON GLASSMAKER
Selected Exhibitions:
North Lands Creative Glass Lybster Scotland “Elemental”.
National Glass Centre Sunderland England UK “Showcase”.
The Scottish Gallery Edinburgh Scotland “The Irish Connection” & “Connections”.
The National College of Art and Design Dublin IRL. Glass Society of Ireland “Solas”.
Portfolio @ Solomon Fine Art in collaboration with The Doyle Collection Dublin IRL.
The National Crafts Gallery Kilkenny IRL. “Irish Design & Craft Portfolio: Critical Selection”
Centre Culturel Irlandais Paris FR. “Side by Side” Exhibition
The American Irish Historical Society NY USA. “dubh-dialogues in black” & “MATERIALpoetry”
Broadfield House Glass Museum Stourbridge UK. Anniversary Exhibition “Take Thirty”
Bullseye Glass Resource Centre Bay Area Emeryville CA USA
The Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) Dublin IRL. “Portfolio”
Bonhams with Dan Klein Associates London UK. “Contemporary Glass”
The Royal Ulster Academy of the Arts UK. “The 50thAnniversary Invitational Exhibition”
The Saatchi Galleries London UK. “COLLECT”
Traver Gallery Tacoma WA USA. “Engaging with Glass”
The Royal Dublin Society Dublin IRL. “The National Crafts and Design Awards”
Sculptural Objects Functional Art (SOFA) Chicago USA.
The National Museum of Ireland Dublin IRL. “21stCentury Irish Glass”
Hsinchu City Glass Museum Hsinchu City Taiwan RoC. “International Festival of Glass”
James Renwick Alliance DC USA. “An Evening of Learning” with Irish Glass Artist Karl Harron
The National Museums of Scotland Edinburgh UK. “A Passion for Glass”
Habatat Galleries Florida USA. “25th International Glass Invitational”
The National Craft Gallery Kilkenny IRL. Selected “Irish Crafts Portfolio” & “Piece”
The Smithsonian Institute Washington DC USA. “VESSELS”
The Hunt Museum Limerick IRL. “Side by Side” & Glass Society of Ireland “Solas”
The Naughton Gallery Queen’s University UK. “Revealing Objects” & “Body, Mind, Spirit”
Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery PA USA. “Synthesis 2”
The Ruskin Glass Centre Stourbridge UK. “The British Glass Biennale Exhibition”
Oliver Sears Gallery Dublin IRL. “Vase/Vessel/Void” & “dubh-dialogues in black”
The Ulster Museum UK. “Collecting Contemporary Crafts” & Royal Ulster Academy of Arts Annual Exhibition
Duncan McClellan Gallery St.Petersburg FL USA. “Distant Visions ll” & “Glass Movement”
The Kenny Gallery Dublin IRL. “The Art of Irish Glass”
Public, Private & Corporate Collections:
The Chrysler Museum of Art Permanent Collection Norfolk VA USA
Permanent Collection North Lands Creative Glass Scotland UK
The Collection of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland UK
The National Museums of Scotland Edinburugh UK
Giselle and Ben Huberman (Private Collection) Washington DC USA
The National Museum of Ireland Collection of Decorative Arts IRL
Dan Klein and Alan J Poole (Private Collection) London GB
Bullseye Glass Company Corporate Collection Portland OR USA
The Ulster Museum Permanent Collection Belfast UK
Jerry and Gwen Paulson (Private Collection) Washington DC USA
The Down County Museum The Mall Downpatrick UK
The Elizabeth Mead Collection (Private Collection) DC USA
The Embassies Collection Irish Consulate Belfast UK
The Lapuan Taidmuseo Museum of Art Finland
Laney K Oxman Collection (Private Collection) VA USA
Broadfield House Glass Museum Stourbridge UK
The Glassforum Studio Glass Collection Averoy Norway
The National Museum of Ireland Permanent Collection IRL
The Brian Clarke Collection (Private Collection) London UK
The Blue Dog Glass Studio Corporate Collection Melbourne AU