Topic: Small swirly rectangular bottle signed J Wall or Walk 86

[ahremck]

What we have here are many small bottles, etc. made by "John Walsh" an Australian Glass artist who seems to have been very prolific with these small pieces in the early 80s.  I have 5 pieces - including a paperweight. 

I have attached 4 pictures.  The first pair show a typical bottle with a signature that looks like "J Walk".  The second pair shows a much cleare picture of the "J Walsh"

Ross

[ahremck]

Just thought I should mention Cathy yours are typical - note colour similarity to my two examples.

Funny you should mention JFW  - I had never seen it until a week or so ago when friend had a vase with AM JFW 81 on the base.  AM = Alex Mitrovic who was at the Jam Factory about that time and so JFW = Jam Factory Workshop (I assumed) because I could not find anyone's name that fitted the initials.

The only other workshop mark that I know is common in Australia is GS = Gordon Studios  - production glass at Eileen Gordon & Grant Donaldson's studio in Rosebud/Red Hill Victoria.

Ross

[Cathy B]

 :hiclp: Thank you! That's brilliant - yes, you see them crop up on eBay.au relatively often so it doesn't surprise me that he was Australian. Is Pip's by John Walsh as well?

I have a fully signed Alex Mitrovic vase somewhere. It's nothing like his JFW signed vase that was recently on eBay.au, which was quite lovely I thought. Mine is pretty awful - a misbegotten lump of opaque orange and sickly yellow sort of vaguely paddled into a very rough vessel. Guess it must be early, and/or he was under the weather... I also have a Gordon Studio bird, signed GS, which fooled me for years.

Also, for quite a long time there was a very odd lump of blue, green, yellow and blue glass on the oddities shelf at the Geelong St Antiques Centre, labelled as Gordon Studio. We laughed at it for ages, and it was only after it had vanished that I clicked that the form and colours were taken from a crimson rosella. Wonder who scored it?

[Cathy B]

Do you think my third piece is John Walsh as well? The signature is quite different, and very clearly JFW. I may be able to get a better shot of the base.

[ahremck]

(a).    Yes I am sure Pip's is by John Walsh as well

(b).    I do think your third one is by him as well - compare the colours to my first bottle.

(c).    Some tricks to show up a signature I use - and posted re a pwt recently:-

Four little tricks that may help - I have had to use all four from time to time:

1.   Rub a pencil lightly across the signature area.  The rough surface willl be darkened and the signature will stand out being lighter (works if the base is not smooth) - see photo #1

2.   Gently rub talc across the signature so the grooves fill with it then carefully clean off the talc from the flat surface - hopefully you have a white signature on a dark
      background.

3.   Try taking a picture of the signature so that light is reflected off the flat base.  Keep the angle shallow < 30 degrees.  The signature will then appear darker as it absorbs the light.  Do not shoot straight on because the internal reflections and colours camouflage the signature.  See Photo #2 which would never have worked with the dichroic in the perfume bottle.

4.   If the piece is light in colour try putting it on a dark background and photograph directly (making sure you avoid flash reflections)which will hopefully show the signature lighter than the glass itself.  See Photo #3

Hope that one of these methodsis of use in getting a good photo.

Ross

[Cathy B]

Thanks, Ross. Aus Art Glass is not my bag, usually, although I have a few bits and bobs, incl. a gorgeous Julio Santos bowl and some Peter Crisp oddments.

Would you be interested in seeing the Alex Mitrovic piece? It's a hoot - but again, I'd have to find it.

[ahremck]

Cathy I sent you an email direct so I could include two largish tables of data.  Do not worry about the Mitrovic piece.

Instead have a look at this puzzle.  Who is A M Goss?

My answer:-   AM = Alec Mitrovic & Goss = Peter Goss - I reckon they collaborated making this and both signed it.

Ross

[Cathy B]

I wonder whether either glassmaker is still around and could tell you more about it? Does that second signature look very much like Peter Goss' - I have no experience of his work.

[ahremck]

I think Peter Goss is stiil alive some of his pieces come up on Ebay but are usually expensive.

Ross