Marquis’ Personal Archive Units were inspired by Ken Price’s
Happy Curios show at LA County Museum of Art. “I got used to
seeing my work with the clutter of my collections. Then I’d go to a
gallery, and it would be displayed on a pedestal in dramatic lighting.
It wasn’t the same.” To ease the dichotomy, Marquis built small
cabinets and shelving units on which he placed both his glasswork
and pieces from his collections, recreating that cluttered, busy look
he prefers.
When he wasn’t collaborating with Statom on large-scale instal-
lations or traveling to New Zealand to teach and exhibit, Marquis
was on Whidbey, setting up his photography studio, building a 1934
Ford street rod, and developing new works in glass, such as his
Shard Rockets, included in Poetry of the Physical at the American
Craft Museum, New York.
In 1988, Marquis began collaborating with Dante Marioni in the
creation of his Teapot Goblets. Marquis made the cane and teapots,
and Marioni would gaff and assemble them. “I’ve known Dante
since he was 7. I had to wait a little bit before I asked him to help
me. We were both interested in the things that Carlo Scarpa did in
Italy. Dante’s world collided with my world, which collided with
traditional Italian cup making.”
Richard Marquis, Granulare Duck with English Setter, blown
glass, granulare technique, found object, 7" x 13-1/2" x 7-1/2",- Collection of Dick Weiss.
Richard Marquis, Teapot Goblet #02-2, glass,
zanfirico technique, 13‑1/2" x 4‑1/4" x 3‑1/8", 2002.
Collection of The Corning Museum of Glass.10 • Glass Art TM • May/June 2016 http://www.GlassArtMagazine.com