GLASS ACT'S FROM PAGE 69 • ro 114 040 0.01 • 0::=%': R icky Bernsie in Ricky Bernstein thinks of himself as more of a painter than a glass artist. That's because he creates cartoon-like wall reliefs depicting everyday life, usu- ally humorous on the surface with a deeper message intended as social satire. Of the 10 works that will be shown at the Charach/Epstein gallery, only one has a specifically Jewish theme, Lathes and Apple Sauce. It shows a man in a yarmulke lighting a menorah. "I think of that as a joyous piece, a celebration of Chanukah," says Bernstein, 46, whose studio is in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. 'All the other pieces are nondenominational. My reliefs are meant to be significant, and I think of glass as a vehicle for narrative scenes. Bernstein's most recent relief, Working Up a Sweat, measures 6 by 12 feet and shows a human-scale dog talking on a cell phone while riding an exercise bike and watching "I Love Lucy" on TV. Brain Dead captures a man holding two phones with a cord around his neck and carryout food on his desk. "My imagery seems to be getting more barbed," says Bernstein, who also will be showing his early work, vessels with imagery. "It's a tempered cynicism, and my intent is to remind people that we all share a common experience with similar goals, failures and successes. By jabbing a humor- ous and poignant finger at our many foibles, we might better realize some of the folly in our lives and discover what is truly important." Bernstein attributes his early interest in building works of art to spending time with his grandfather in a basement workshop. The subjects often refer back to youthful hours spent watching TV sit- coms. Bernstein earned bachelor and master's degrees at the University of Massachusetts, where he concentrated on glass and ceramics. A Fulbright Travel Grant took him to the Royal College of Art in London, and he went on to receive a master's in glass from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. 'All the way along, I knew I didn't want to be a production potter,' Bernstein says. "I dabbled in the abstract and found my way into narrative expression about my life and what I see around me. I average seven pieces a year. Bernstein thinks of glass as a canvas. He blows glass sheets of various colors, embellishes the surfaces with paint, cuts out shapes and forms a construction Top left: Ricky Bernstein: "The Cheater"; painted glass and aluminum construction; 1992. Above: Ricky Bernstein: "Brain Dead'; painted glass and aluminum construction; 1996 Top right: Jacob Fishman: "Lightwriters," neon glass. Above: Elizabeth Mears: "Join Hands in Celebration"; glass; 1998. RICKY BERNSTEIN on page 74 -...=n":”"i- -=1 .M..X;If4-1Egli a Elizabeth Ali ears 4/2 1999 facob Fishmf Although Virginia artist Elizabeth Mears has a line of Judaica, she is not Jewish. Her inspiration came in 1994, when she was preparing for a show at the Philadelphia Museum. "I was making things for Christmas and decided I would honor Chanukah as well," says Mears, who will show a menorah at Ariana Gallery in Royal Oak as part of Michigan Glass Month. Educated as a scientist and teacher, Mears shifted her attention to glass many years ago but hadn't considered herself a true artist until the past five years. She started out doing stained glass and then went into flameworking, which involves holding rods or tubes of glass in the flame of a bench torch to soften and then shape the material. "I don't have an art degree, but I spent time taking classes and think there's a spiritual quality and narrative to my work," says the artist, whose projects Jacob Fishman was a photographer before he became a glass artist. He thinks his interest in light simply transferred from taking pictures to infusing glass with neon. "The neon has toned down over the years," says Fishman, who will show one of his early pieces at the Alfred Berkowitz Gallery on the Dearborn cam- pus of the University of Michigan, where he periodically conducts workshops. The displayed glass is a collaborative effort with his wife, Petrie, a cerami- cist. Based on a wooden frame, it has ceramic plates with a neon arrow going through a heart. For the past 20 years, Fishman has been self-employed as an artist, engineer and educator. His studio and home base is called Lightwriters and is located in Illinois. "The main activity at Lightwriters is centered on the craft of glass, basically ELIZABETH MEARS on page 75 JACOB FISHMAN on page 75 72 Detroit Jewish News