Studio Vetri d’Arte creates stained glass windows and panels, mosaics for floors, walls and lamps, mirrors, frames and fireplaces

Solidi platonici, ottaedri stellati, icosaedri stellati, mirror box Fabbrica del vapore, Milano makers, dal 12 al 18 aprile 2016
Dentro e Fuori dai detenuti della casa di reclusione Bollate, a cura di Donatella Zaccaria - dal 12 al 17 aprile 2016. Le Rosse, Milano
Museo della Scienza e della Tecnica - PINKSIE THE WHALE - maggio 2015 Milano
Ceramica versus Vetro - Il Laboratorio - Fuori Salone - 2014 - Milano
Fuori Salone 014 MIMA Fabbrica del Vapore - 2014 - Milano
Il Circo Spazio 28 - 2014 - San Bernardino CH
Villa Bagatti Valsecchi - 2013 - Varedo
Hotel Enterprise - 2009 - Milano
Libreria delle donne - Natale - 2008 - Milano
Artigiano in Fiera - Spazio Regione Lombardia - 2007 - Milano
Haiku parole segni da indossare – vetro oro - 2005 - Milano
Tessere Musive - 2004 - Pantelleria
Specchi Fuori Salone Galleria Gonda - 2000 - Milano
'79 '99 20 - anni con il Vetro - Spazio Alesini - 1999 - Varese
CartaVetro Clara Rota Donatella Zaccaria Studio Vetri d’Arte - 1998 - Milano
CartaVetro Clara Rota Donatella Zaccaria Studio Vetri d’Arte - 1997 - Milano
Sei Personaggi tra Arte e Artigianato - Galleria SLOBS - 1996 - Milano
Fuori Salone ‘95 - Spazio DILMOS - 1995 - Milano
1° Fiera del Vetro Sud America - Sau Paulo - 1994 - Brasile
Piccoli mobili a Mosaico - Galleria Aleph - 1984 - Milano
Lepre di Marzo - 1982 - Milano
Omaggio a Venezia - Spazio Salvati - 1980 - Venezia

Materials, techniques and experience

The Vetri d’Arte studio is capable of diverse modes of production by utilizing all forms of artistic glassmaking techniques: I create works utilizing classical leaded glass technique, the refined Tiffany technique, paintings in fired grisaille, fused glass and collage. My long creative experience allows me to propose various esthetic styles, bringing to life innovative works spawned by my technical and artistic expertise. Every project I create is “one of a kind”, considered and executed with skill, with attention given to the design, the choice of materials and the wishes of the client. The select materials with which I create my works of art are still conceived via age-old techniques: blown glass, colored, opalescent and iridescent glass, glass gemstones, enamels and pure gold leaf.

My research is not limited to traditional technique and I strive to expand the selection of materials used that lend themselves to new and unusual effects when paired with glass. In fact I utilize mother of pearl, shells, hard stone, paste glass, alabaster, crystal – all precious materials with the same transparency characteristics as glass. I’ve continued experimenting with other techniques such as mosaics. I might suggest a Byzantine theme utilizing enamels and gold leaf, mosaics with hand cut marble tiles and even a more modern mosaic version in glass and ceramics. I use techniques such as these to create flooring, walls, lamps, mirrors, tables, frames, chimneys, sculpture and jewelry. I pay meticulous attention to planning a project and to my choice of materials for it. I avail myself of a rich palette, carefully choosing colors, tones, opacities and transparencies to create unique, emotionally charged works that arouse the viewer with the light they catch and transmit.

Restoration

For years I have also been active doing restorations, bringing new life to original Liberty and Deco era pieces with classic floral and geometric motifs, as well as church windows and their related religious iconographies. The concept of stained glass restoration and conservation is a relatively modern one; formerly, fixes were often achieved by replacing the defective or damaged segments with new ones. The rethinking of the art of decorative glass making has spawned a new culture for such works. Thus, a thorough knowledge of artistic décor and the understanding of related materials and techniques to achieve the desired results in this field remain fundamental and require a decided interaction between the restorer’s historical awareness, dexterity and sensibilities.
Some restorations made:
Castello di Paraggi – Portofino
Villa '600 Lombardo – Brianza Monza
Chiesa di San Bartolomeo – Milano
Chiesa S.S. Apostole del Sacro Cuore di Gesù Cassano delle Murge – Altamura, Stained Glass by Mr. Hajnal
Cappella '600 Val d'Intelvi – Lecco
Parrocchia località Gatta – Reggio Emilia

The studio

“Entering Donatella’s studio, one instantly feels at home, absorbed in a world of colors of opalescent, iridescent blown glass, alive with its own inner light. You are immersed in a random, somewhat bohemian, organized chaos, with objects, materials and tools organized in apparently senseless order. However, the sense is revealed in the various stages of assembly that the “pieces” will undergo before reaching completion. Donatella treats colors with the jocularity of someone who loves being surrounded by them, transforming the roughness of glass into friendly shapes.”

vetri d'arte