Sharing Work and Knowledge
Lucia continues to explore, and while she pursues her own
work, she often collaborates with other Muranese and Venetian
masters including her childhood friend, Lucio Bubacco. Santini
is very grateful to Bubacco, since he often gives her credit for the
collaborative work they have done. This doesn’t happen often, as
great artists will “farm out” parts of their process to other artists.
When Bubacco was the featured artist of the Litvak gallery of Israel
at SOFA Chicago in 2008, for example, the book produced for the
exhibition included a thank-you to Santini for her work in painting
on the pieces that Bubacco featured in the exhibit. She is honored
to be recognized that way.
As Santini continues to grow and stretch, she passes on her
knowledge to students in Italy and abroad. She has taught in many
studios worldwide, including The Studio at The Corning Museum
of Glass in New York.
Gathering Inspiration
Santini finds great inspiration in the works of Vittorio Zecchin,
Bellini, and Titian and, of course, her father, her very first teacher.
He inspired her creative spirit, and even though he was self-taught,
Mario Santini instilled in her the love of art and history. He also
encouraged her to see the art in everything around them.
Venice, of course, is also a constant source of inspiration. She
sees not only the beauty but the painful things that “have beauty
in them as well.” She loves the work of Modigliani, Rodin, and
Tamara Lemika as well as Georgia O’Keefe, Jackson Pollack, and
the collection of Peggy Guggenhem.
Santini continues to fuel the narrative work found in many
museums and private collections, often thanks to her collaborative
work with Bubacco. She loves the history of Venice and paints
those stories into vignettes on Murano glass. She finds inspiration
in religion, despite the fact that she is not religious herself and, in
a study of contrasts, also finds the life of Casanova inspiration as
well. Just like Venice, Lucia moves forward in her artistic narrative,
with one foot firmly rooted in the past.
Sara Sally LaGrand, award winning artist and author, has been melting glass since
1996, during which time she has had the great fortune to study glass with many gifted
teachers both in America and Italy. She holds a BA in Glass Formation from Park Uni-
versity, Parkville, Missouri. Honors include awards from Art Westport, Kansas City,
Missouri; State of the Arts, Prairie Village, Kansas; Bead Museum of Washington, D.C.;
Bead & Button magazine; Images Art Gallery; and the Kansas City Artists Coalition.
LaGrand has taught flameworking all over the world including at Arrowmont School
of Arts and Crafts in Tennessee, Unikal Glas in Switzerland, Tuffnell Studio in Rudston,
England, and in many private studios all over the United States. She has also been a
presenter at the glass symposium at Sars-Poteries, France. Her work has been published
in many books and magazines including The Flow and Bead & Button and can be found
in public and private collections around the world.© Copyright 2016 by Glass Art.
All rights reserved.http://www.GlassArtMagazine.com Glass Art TM • May/June 2016 • 51Lucia Santini, Redolent Omen representing a hunting
scene, painted with polychrome enamels, 9-1/2" high,- Vessel blown by Pietro Zaniol.