June 1, 2021, Submitted by Artisans in the Square member Sandi Smith
Artisans in the Square, located at 63 South Street, Hingham is pleased to announce their 3 newest members of 2021, Janine Senatore (Janine Senatore Pottery, from Hanover), Rebecca Potash (K+ Glass, from Duxbury) and Claire Hassett (Barn Door Arts, from Hanover).
Janine has been making pottery since childhood. Growing up in the town of Hanover, MA, she was first introduced to clay and ceramics by her grade-school and high-school art teachers, William Bell and Percy Van Dyke respectively. Janine relocated to south east Florida in the 90's and committed herself to mastering the potter’s wheel at the local pottery studios she joined near her home. She also attended ceramic classes at Broward College and Florida Atlantic University, where she came to fall in love with high fired, gas reduced pottery. Attending the legendary Tuscarora Pottery School in Tuscarora, Nevada, during the summers of 2007 and 2008, was a great time for her to push her limits with clay and grow in her skill level. Janine has given workshops in basic wheel throwing and in the construction of her "fancy handles".
Janine has dabbled in raku and hand-built pieces but primarily, her work is wheel thrown and functional/utilitarian. She always strives to add beauty, uniqueness and a bit of whimsey to her work. She incorporates sgraffito, reticulation/cut outs, sculptural elements, and slip trailing surface decoration into her pieces. Her work is microwave and food safe (unless she indicates otherwise). She is available for classes and workshops by appointment.
In Rebecca’s elementary school yearbook, she stated that she wanted to be a glassblower when she grew up. That dream became a reality when her parents gifted her with glassblowing classes for Christmas in 2004. Since then, she has been honing her craft while pursuing a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in chemistry. Glassblowing switched from her full-time obsession to full-time job when she joined the Corning Museum of Glass’ Hot Glass Show in 2016. As part of the Hot Glass Show team she traveled the world demonstrating glassblowing while educating audiences on glass science, history and technique. After demonstrating everywhere from Alaska to Antarctica, Rebecca returned home to the South Shore to establish her own business, K+ Glass.
K+ Glass’ name pays homage to Rebecca’s love of chemistry, glass and her heritage. Her last name is coincidentally also the name of a potassium chemical used to lower the working temperature of historic glasses. She focuses on drinkware and home décor inspired by the natural world. In addition to bringing joy to the world through her glass she also works to educate the public on the science and history of glass, dispelling common myths like the falsehood that historic windows are melting (glass will not flow at room temperature, the windows are rippled because of how they were originally made).
Claire Hassett has pursued a variety of artistic crafts since childhood. Her mother, an avid quilter who owned her own craft store, taught her to sew, knit, and crochet. Any free moment during her high school years was spent in the high school art room. Macrame was a favorite at the time. Decorative painting, pottery and photography are more recent interests.
Today Claire spends much of her time weaving on a traditional 4 harness loom. This interest began through the encouragement of a neighbor and friend who also happened to be an art teacher with a few extra looms. After learning with a more basic rigid heddle loom, she quickly moved on to a 22-inch wide and then a 45-inch-wide loom. Claire has woven tea towels, placemats, table runners, and tablecloths. She is currently working towards coin purses, hand bags, pillows, and rugs. Color, texture, and design are intriguing elements to each new creation. Original items are often inspired to coordinate with specific home décor. Although Claire loves to make functional items, her woven creations have been referred to as “heirlooms” and “works of art” as well.
The members are very excited to have these talented women as part of the shop.
For more information, please call 781-749-2590 or visit www.artisansinthesquare.com.