The artist offers more than techniques in his workshops. He
remembers what he most enjoyed from past classes he attended as
a young artist. The professional advice is what he liked the best.
All of his workshops include lectures on “How to Get Better Press
for Artists” and “Advice on Artist in Residence Programs” as well
as a review of his past works.
Life After The Simpsons
If you are not familiar with Cavalieri’s work, he may be best
know for his 2009 Simpsons series, based on the television show
by the same name. The series features a group of stained glass
works depicting the beloved Simpsons characters in unusual cir-
cumstances. Bart and Lisa are dying on the cross, Maggie is being
reincarnated, and a group of suspicious Krustys are smoking by a
dead Marge. Cavalieri truly enjoyed making those works, and he
is currently making larger and more detailed Simpsons panels for
his upcoming shows.
Cavalieri’s process for this work uses an extremely large silk
screen and enamels that are kiln fired onto stained glass. After fir-
ing, the glass is copper foiled and soldered. The final panels are
set into stainless steel frames with internal LED lights, basically a
wall-hung light box.
Joseph Cavalieri, Dakota Down Under (in pink), silk
screened and kiln fired enamels on glass with LED lights,
11‑3/4" x 15‑5/8", 2015.Brain Games
When Cavalieri teaches, the first homework he assigns students
is to write out their personal “Five-Year Plan,” a description of
where they would like their career to be in five years. In every
class, Cavalieri completes the assignment along with the students.
He looked at this assignment very differently, however, when a
noncancerous brain tumor the size of a fist was found in his skull
in September 2014.
“The days and months after I was first diagnosed, I questioned
my own five-year plan. I lived in a city with the best choices of
doctors and hospitals. The tumor was successfully removed, and
I was out of the hospital and recovering in under four days. Three
months later when I knew that everything was healing properly, I
was able to blog and post photos about the experience and rethink
my five-year plan.”
The plan before “Rocco,” the name he gave his tumor, was to
take smaller steps while submitting smaller art to galleries and shows
outside of New York that feature glass. Cavalieri knew smaller
works were easier to ship and thought that showing in “glass-centric
galleries” was best. After Rocco, however, he felt his art would sell
better outside of that glass world.http://www.GlassArtMagazine.com Glass Art TM • May/June 2016 • 55Joseph Cavalieri, Mother Earth from the artist's Simpsons
collection, hand painted and silk screened (kiln fired) enamels
on stained glass set into a nonrust, stainless steel frame with
LED lights, 30" x 44", 2015.