Into the Wild at Maxwell Gallery

Grant Garmezy’s “Into the Wild” exhibit at Maxwell Gallery stands out against the current art offerings in Nashville for its demonstration of rare and impressive technical skill, and its inspiring beauty forged through a balanced dance with the elements. 

Maxwell Gallery is a family affair started by Julianna Maxwell, daughter of the founder of acclaimed Sculpture in the Park sculpture shows, her husband Joe Maxwell, and her son Wyatt Maxwell, who runs the Glasshaüs workshop attached to the gallery.

Located on 438 Craighead Street, at the very South edge of the Wedgwood Houston district in Nashville, Glasshaüs is the first glass blowing facility in the Nashville area. In the entrance sits an inviting cafe bar, with glass art on display for purchase. Glasshaüs offers classes, demonstrations, and commissioned custom work, including lighting and installations designed by owner Julianna Maxwell and crafted by Glasshaüs resident artist Paul Nelson.

The current Maxwell Gallery exhibit showcases the stunning realism of Grant Garmezy’s “Into the Wild.” Grant grew up in the Nashville area and now resides in Virginia, where he shares a studio with his wife, Erin Garmezy. He specializes in hot sculpting, a glass shaping technique that is entirely freeform, eschewing the use of any molds in order to prioritize instinct. As a result, each piece of artwork on display is an entirely singular form that can never be replicated. With all of the specialized equipment in the workshop, Grant said his favorite tool for hot sculpting is a piece of wet, folded newspaper.

Erin, also a glass artist, specializes in torchwork, a technique she uses to create incredibly delicate florals and botanicals. You can see her work placed throughout the exhibit, most notably, draped on the horns of the titular piece “Into the Wild,” which has already been purchased.

I had the privilege of watching Grant hot sculpt a beautiful koi fish out of glass at his demonstration on the evening of October 24th, and his wife Erin kindly shared two of her delicate glass flowers with my children who were watching her torchwork. The Garmezy’s artist page describes their work as exploring nature and myth by creating intricate, lifelike, sculptures. Their “Into the Wild” exhibit is a thing of beauty and it comes to you highly recommended.