Marquis

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First published in 1995, Wignall Museum/Gallery catalog; Breaking Tradition, The Fine Art of Glass.

Mr. Marquis has been working with glass since before the Beatles broke up. He studied at the University of California at Berkeley, where he received his B.A. and M.A. He worked for a year at the Venini factory in Italy. He is represented in many public collections worldwide, and has received numerous grants and awards, including three Fulbright Fellowships and four grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. He has traveled extensively, and conducted workshops around the world.

While versed in Italian techniques, Mr. Marquis does not follow any particular rules or styles. He used to teach at various places (including U.C.L.A., where he was head of the glass department), but he has become reclusive nowadays and he keeps his public appearances to a minimum. For the past 10 years, he has lived and worked on Whidbey Island in Washington State. He doesn't return phone calls nor answer letters and he does not need an apprentice.



Published in the conference brochure; The Glass Art Society Annual Conference: 33

So then in dog years, Richard Marquis has been working in glass for about 250 years. Suffering from versatility and a short little span of attention he has created a varied and weird body of work. He is represented in multitudinous public collections worldwide and has received more than his share of grants and honors. Eschewing publicity he has worked quietly and haphazardly the past 140 dog years at his studio on Whidbey Island.



Written for the 35th Annual Glass Art Society Conference brochure held in Australia in 2005 (but not published).

This year marks the 40th anniversary Dick has been working in glass. When blowing glass in Australia in the seventies he realized he could become the "Harvey Littleton" of Australia if he decided to stay. Instead he opted to be himself in America. Lucky for Australia. Imagine all the weird crap that might have been made down under.

Anyway, in the mean time, he's done this, done that, went there, seen that, and just kept working, even though he was born fabulously wealthy. The past couple decades he has been working haphazardly in his shop in Washington state creating work that when exhibited looks more like a group show than anything else. Still sufferiing from versatility, he just keeps expanding his vocabulary of skills, forms, and ideas.






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