Education:
B.F.A., in Studio Art (foundry) at College of Charleston (2000).
Studied art/ mold making at Richmond College, The American International University of London (1996-1998).
Art Post-Grad Education:
Imagery: Surface and Depth, Jeremy Lepisto, Pittsburgh Glass Center, PA (2018).
Glass casting, Rick Beck, Penland School of Crafts, NC (2012).
Pate de Verre, Anna Boothe, Glassroots, NJ (2012).
Introduction to Neon, David Wilson, Whatiswhatisart, Boone, NC (2011).
Glass Casting, Daniel Clayman, Penland School of Crafts, NC (2011).
From Concept to Completion (hot glass casting), Jonas Sebura, Penland School of Crafts, NC (2009).
Silverworking and Setting Beads, Metal Dept., Penland School of Crafts, NC (2009).
Design Aesthetics: Challenging the Basics, Glassblowing II, Adam Holtzinger and Joe Cariati, Penland School of Crafts, NC (2009).
Intro to Furnace Working, Kiara Pelissier, Glassblowing I, Penland School of Crafts, NC (2009).
Classes in Graphic Arts: Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Trident Technical College, Charleston SC.
Plaster Moldmaking for Cast Glass, Daniel Clayman, Penland School of Crafts, NC (2004).
Experience:
Berengo Studios 1989
Murano, Venice, Italy
Mold making specialist/ Glass casting/ Project Consulting 2018-Present
The mission of Berengo Studio 1989 and it’s founder, Adriano Berengo, is to introduce internationally renowned contemporary artists to glass as a medium.
Melt Glass Foundry
Founder 2013 – Present
Accepting commissions for custom designs in glass, and metals. Creating handcrafted Southern culture-inspired glass products.
Austin Norvell Art
Founder 2000 – Present
Experimenting in numerous techniques to develop unique series of conceptual sculptures in glass.
Notable Works:
Pilchuck Glass School, Glass Casting Instructor, 2020, rescheduled to 2023 due to Covid.
Pittsburgh Glass Center, Glass Casting Instructor, 2020, canceled due to Covid.
South Carolina Palmetto Hands Traveling Show (2015).
South of Hell Productions, Metal and Glass Prop Design and Production, Season 1 (2014-2015).
Publication: The Makers, A photographic look at some of the Holy City’s master craftsmen, The Charleston City Paper (2012).
Series of Air, Flight, Aviation-inspired sculptures for The Boeing Store (2012-2016).
Fish Restaurant, Two installation sculptures, Charleston, SC (2011).
Best in Show, Charleston Artist Guild Signature Show.
Artist Statement
I am a custodian of stuff, preserving its heritage and safeguarding its legacy.
As such, I spend a lot of time wandering through flea markets, thrift stores and my personal storage units, looking at seemingly unimportant objects and wondering what past experiences these objects have endured. The stories these objects could tell. I wonder why people hold on to certain things. Is it nostalgia of the past or were they simply utilitarian?
This series of sculptures deals with nostalgia in objects. Each of the parts I used as models were found in a variety of places; each having its own inherent history. Through a lost-wax casting process, I transfer the seemingly insignificant objects into delicate crystal keepsakes. Each vintage truck, serving as a vessel, hopefully delivers a different thought on the subject of nostalgia in objects, through color, form and the contents of the truck.
Biography
Wm. Austin Norvell
Make/ Thinker/ Glassworker/ Artist
Archiver of Memorabilia
Collector of History
Transporter of Junk
Custodian of Stuff
Born in Charleston, SC, Wm. Austin Norvell worked in several media using mold making, before he was introduced to glass casting by Daniel Clayman at the Penland School of Crafts in 2004. This was one of two major experiences which define his life’s goal of creating meaningful glass.
Several years after his first experience at Penland, he hit a crossroads and decided to move in to a log cabin on the backside of Penland Mountain. He spent four years immersed in the craft community surrounding Penland School of Crafts, where he assisted and collaborated with other artists, took multiple workshops and experimented with a number of glass working techniques. After returning to Charleston, SC, he continued to experiment and push his boundaries with the material while deliberating and analyzing everything from the process to concept.
A random phone call from Murano, Italy in 2018 was the beginning of the second major influence. Within two weeks of receiving the initial call, Norvell was assisting Adriano Berengo and his casting team in creating cast glass work for renowned artists who typically don’t work with glass. Norvell sympathized with Adriano’s mission to create the finest casting studio in Europe along with his desire to bring the cast glass process into the forefront of materials used by the most influential fine artists. While he plans to continue the seasonal relationship with Berengo Studios 1989, Norvell has recently returned to his hometown of Charleston, SC, where he is currently creating his own conceptual artwork using primarily glass.
The years long experience at Penland developed his knowledge of most glass working techniques, while the time in Murano helped bring the conceptual influence into to his work.
Resume
Areas of Expertise:
Glass casting; Fusing; Mold blowing; Cold working; Model, tool, and props fabrication; Design, prototyping, and fabrication; Metals casting; Color theory; Welding; Carpentry; Small Engine Repair; Materials and product development.