Over the weekend I attended the 23rd Annual Hyde Park Village Art Fair. The trendy area of Hyde Park, located in Tampa, FL, was the perfect setting for a show of its kind. The brick-paved streets were lined with booths showcasing high end art - everything from life-sized sculptures and paintings, to handcrafted sterling silver jewelry.
One of the exhibitors was world-renowned glass artist and Delphi customer Vincent Pernicano.
I recognized his work three booths away. There is something so captivating about his approach to mixed media.
Pernicano, who has won several awards for his work, including the 2009 Delphi Art Glass Festival Online Competition, uses layers of colored glass that have been cut into shapes and fused together with glass frit and fusible glass paints to create 
three-dimensional components.
The glass components are then backed with wood and attached to a canvas-covered wood-backed panel and frame that has been pre-painted with acrylics and/or oil paints and sealed with five coates of varnish. Dichroic glass stones are sometimes added as accents to the finished piece.
Pernicano lives and works in a small community in Northern Michigan, but his art has received international attention for more than 35 years. In 2009, he was the only glass artist to be invited to Japan's first major art festival.
Pernicano also creates stunning glass jewelry using combinations of Argentium sterling silver, 14K gold, copper, brass, stained glass and fused glass stones in a variety of sizes and designs including pins, pendants, earrings, bracelets, and sculptures. His display cases sparkled in the sunlight with dazzling dichroic designs.
If you get a chance, check out Vincent Pernicano's website to see more of his beautiful work.
It's always fun to see our customers' art on display. If you've recently exhibited at an art show and would like to be featured on our blog, drop me a line, and a few pictures, at [email protected].
Vincent Pernicano: A Showstopping Mixed Media Artist
