Posted 6 months ago
kwqd
(1189 items)
This blown glass bowl is 8.5" long x 6.5" wide x 3" high. It has a ground and polished pontil and has a commemorative inscription on the bottom that reads:
"University of Illinois
College of Engineering
James Cook
Leslie O'Brien"
Two of these recently popped up on E of the Bay from two geographically close sellers, one selling for very little and one selling for a fair amount. Guess which one I bought?
These are a mystery. Both appear to be in mint condition and signed the same way. I could not find out anything about the two people mentioned in the inscription and one of the sellers said they think it was made locally (Champaign, IL) but they picked it up at an auction in Deland or Bloomington, IL. Not found anything using those clues. Still investigating. I might give the College of Engineering a call and see if they know anything about these. Just a couple of odd bowls, for now.
Maybe Hastings College or Pilchuck Glass School knows more
https://www.hastings.edu/success-stories/from-two-to-twenty-nine-the-artist-the-elm-and-the-educator/
Leslie O'Brien's name I also come across in the New_Glass_Review. In parts 15 and 16. In part 15 even with an example of her work
https://www.cmog.org/sites/default/files/file-attachments/New_Glass_Review_15.pdf
https://www.cmog.org/sites/default/files/file-attachments/New_Glass_Review_16.pdf
I also came across that Leslie O'Brien is also known by the name Leslie Dills. She was enrolled at Pilchuck Glass School under that name. More about her can be found on this website:
https://radaris.com/p/Leslie/Dills/
More about James Cook on this website:
https://livelaughloveglass.wordpress.com/glass-blowing/6-week-glass-blowing-session/
Thanks for your efforts, mp.kunst! The example of Leslie L. O'Brien's work is in CMOG #14 and the O'Briens in #15 and #16 appear to be for Baker O'Brien, not for Leslie.
https://www.cmog.org/sites/default/files/file-attachments/New_Glass_Review_14.pdf
That "Jim" Cook and Leslie O'Brien appear next to each other in the article about Tom Kreagor relating to the Pilchuck School may be a big clue. Kreagor also has links to the U of I.
Both bowls are inscribed to the College of Engineering at U of I and James Cook and Tom Kreagor attended the College of Fine Arts there, a different discipline and school that is unrelated to the engineering school. Maybe relevant, maybe not.
The bowl may not be signed by either Cook or O'Brien and I find it odd that two artists might have signed the same object. The bowls may be somehow dedicated to those two and they might be different people than the artists mentioned above. Alternatively, perhaps the two collaborated on these bowls and they were perhaps gifts to the faculty of the College of Engineering? Hard to say. A further clue is that both bowls came from estate sales around the same time in close proximity to the U of I. Not sure if they were the same estate sale, but two different sellers ended up with the bowls.
Lots of work to do here.
BTW, U of I does not/did not have much of a glass program in its College of Fine Arts. Cook and Kreager both received degrees in sculpture at the U of I. My guess would be that if either sculpted in glass while at the U of I, they went to Illinois State University, about 40 miles away, which had, and still has, a very fine art glass program and studio. Probably why both ended up at Pilchuck.
Thanks for checking out my latest bowl, dav2no1, fortapache, BHIFOS, kivatinitz, Kevin, Vynil33rpm, Jenni and mp.kunst!
Thank you, rgrebov, vcal, mikelv85 and PhilDMorris!
Thank, Blammoammo!
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Thank you, LovelyPat!
Thanks, Truthisanarrow08!