Joseph Porcelli

Joseph Porcelli is a craftsperson specializing in leaded glass lamps and a painter. In the beginning of his career, Porcelli was a lamp maker and worked in a production lamp shop. This is where he learned how to turn a drawing or design into a functional piece of art.

Porcelli's glasswork is done in the American School style and utilizes techniques popularized in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His leaded glass lamps incorporate stained glass with various metals such as spun brass, copper and bronze to create elaborate designs focused on nature and color. The bases are composed of various forms of metal and, like the lamps, they are copper plated for the application of patina and finish.

Porcelli's transition to painting stemmed from his desire to express his skills in the manipulation of color, as was present in his lampmaking. Through his use of disturbing news headlines as titles for his pieces, Porcelli hopes to challenge the viewer's experience of the iconic floral bouquet in its immediate and universally recognized form.

Porcelli credits his friend and glass paperweight artist, Paul Stankard, for guiding him as an individual in the professional art world. He also notes Louis C. Tiffany and Paul Gauguin as a few artists who influenced his artwork.

Porcelli received an award for Best Video Program at the Art Glass Industry Awards in 1995. He also won Best in Show at the Bayshore Arts Festival in 1983.

He has published a series of writings, books and instructional programs in an effort to guide and instruct those who express an interest in the leaded glass lamp.

Education and Training
Art Students league, New York, NY, 1978
NY School of Visual Arts, New York, NY, 1978-1979
New School for Social Research (Arts Business Classes) New York, NY, 1977-1979

Influences and Teachers
Paul Stankard, Mentor
Influenced by Louis C. Tiffany, Kees van Dongen, Odilon Redon, Paul Gauguin, George Baselitz, Sandro Chia, Fancesco Clemente, Camille Pissarro, Robert Rauschenberg, Raoul Dufy, Maurice Utrillo

Connection to Bucks County
Porcelli moved to Bucks County in 1988, and currently resides in Newtown.
Bucks County colleagues include Gail Bracegirdle (artist), Stan Jacobs (independent film producer), and Tisha Tinsman (photographer)

Exhibitions
Glassworks Mills Pond House, St. James, NY, 1982
Brooklyn 81, The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY, 1981
In a Winters Garden, Glassmasters Guild, New York, NY, 1980
The Thirteen Collection WNET, New York, NY, 1980
Contemporary Art Glass Gallery, New York, NY, 1980
Glassmasters Guild Gallery, New York, NY, 1980
Heller Gallery, New York, NY, 1980
Branch Gallery, Washington, D.C., 1980
Theo Portnoy Gallery, New York, NY, 1980

Major Awards
Aurora Film Festival Award Winner/ for the documentary String Nation as Producer/Director, 2009
Art Glass Industry Awards Best Video Program, 1995
Bayshore Arts Festival, Bayshore, New York, Winner Best In Show, 1983

Major Publications
The Lamp Making Handbook by Joseph Porcelli, 1st Edition Published 1993, Arts & Media, Inc.
Jewels of Light: a History of Stained Glass by Joseph Porcelli, 1st Edition Published 2001, Barnes & Noble.

Teaching and Professional Appointments
The Real Golden Age of Glass, Celebrity Solstice Cruise Line, 2009-2010
The Cutting Clinic, Skillfest, 2002-2005
Tiffany Lamp Super Workshop, Skillfest, 2002-2005
Tiffany Lampmaking, Glass Craft Expo, 2004
Secrets of Fine Patina, Glass Craft Expo, 2004
Fine Patina, Glass Visions, 1998
Patina & Finishing, Glass Craft Expo, 1998-2010
Difference between Doing Business & Making Money, Glass Craft Expo, 1998-2010
Tiffany Lampmaking Super Workshop, Glass Craft Expo, 1998-2010
Patina & Finishes, Glass Craft Festival, 1994
Lampbuilding, World Glass Congress, 1992
Designing Your Own Lamp, Glass Craft Expo, 1991
New Lamps From Around the World, Glass Craft Expo, 1991
Building Successful Lamps, Glass Craft Expo, 1991
Lampbuilding Workshop, Glass Craft Expo, 1991