Strattman Design

Today the world of Plasma and Neon art lost an important pioneer, Bob Iannini, the owner of Information Unlimited and Scientific Systems. Bob, an engineer and a modern Edison of an inventor developed a large catalog of high voltage devices many of which helped light artists for almost 50 years to power their creations. Bob passed away yesterday April 3, 2023, at age 84 from complications developed during a hospital stay.

Among his many other products, Bob developed many power supplies specifically for powering neon and plasma of all shapes and sizes. He also made neon testers, induction heaters, animators and many more useful devices, many of which ended up in retail products. His catalog at www.Amazing1.com shows his extensive creative talents developing science based effects that have educated and tantalized millions of people.

The Plasma Art Alliance was planning on honoring Bob and his life’s work that allowed our field to exist just as the pandemic started. Unfortunately we’ve now missed our opportunity.

Personally, I worked closely with Bob for the past 40 years and deeply respected his talents as we built thousands of plasma installations worldwide. It wasn’t always easy building reliable technology for this field but Bob always kept learning and making newer and better products.

I believe the current plan is for his company to continue on which will continue to allow artists to make use of the wide array of interesting products he created. I think that would be the best legacy he would have liked to have.

Wayne Strattman
April 4, 2023

Highlights of finished work from last month’s workshop taught by Wayne Strattman. It was great to teach and make these two plasma pieces!
⚡️⚡️⚡️
2023 Private individual workshops with Wayne Strattman for all experience levels are still available for scheduling in the new year, in addition there are also still spaces an advanced plasma teaching workshop, February 9-12, 2023. See link for full details: www.strattman.com/workshops
⚡️⚡️⚡️

There is still limited space available for an Advanced Plasma Workshop taught by Wayne Strattman at our Boston, MA studio February 9-12, 2023!
⚡️⚡️⚡️
This 3 and a half day lecture and demonstration course is designed to help expand the practice of those artists and instructors already involved in plasma-based art and would like to deepen their knowledge. This intensive course will endeavor to cover the history and current practice of the fields that make up plasma art: vacuum science, electricity, and glass forming techniques used in plasma art, as well as a good number of associated techniques and technologies.
Cost for this course is $2400 (deposit to hold a spot $240). For full details and information see link: https://www.strattman.com/workshops
⚡️⚡️⚡️

PLEASE SIGN A LETTER IN SUPPORT OF ARTISTS!

I am personally writing to ask you for a show of support, specifically, a signed letter of support to help us and our neighboring artists try to remain in Boston as working artists.
We are trying to show the people doing the planning in our city who are on the brink of some major planning decisions that there is active support for having modest income creatives like us to remain within our city borders.
We are told that we need these letters right away to stop the current move to move all of us out without any recourse to the developers.
We are told that WE CAN REALISTICALLY STILL CHANGE THIS DIRECTION if enough people just submit a letter, or copy and paste the letter below with their name on it to support this cause, sent to the destination below.
This meeting is coming December 15th. Please help us if you care about this issue!
*ATTACHED https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c90L_MhWJgomyXqbd43ErU3cH97wBIZRKDOoLEJsJOQ/edit?usp=sharing is a sample letter and the emails of everyone to send it to. Just copy and paste the letter into an email and sign your name, and copy the email to all the addresses listed. Thank you!

Wayne Strattman - Strattman Design
Cary Rapaport - Strattman Design

Anti Artist Displacement Letter of Concern_119 Braintree Street_Allston The problem: -For decades, 119 Braintree Street has been a home to working artists and creative small businesses in Allston. It has also been the home of Allston Open Studios. -The owners, the Blank Family, have been great landlords, and all tenants speak highly of them and how well they run...

Announcing new 2022 and 2023 workshops:
⚡️⚡️Advanced Plasma Workshop February 2023⚡️⚡️
Wayne Strattman is offering a 3- 1/2 day lecture and demonstration course designed to help expand the practice of those artists and instructors already involved in plasma-based art who would like to deepen their knowledge. This intensive course will endeavor cover the history and current practice of the fields that make up plasma art: vacuum science, electricity, and glass forming techniques used in plasma art, as well as a good number of associated techniques and technologies. For further details: www.Strattman.com/workshops
⚡️
Dates: February 9-12, 2023
Location: Boston, MA USA
Spots are limited!
***
We are also offering individual workshops for artists at any level of experience with plasma art. Spaces for these workshops are open with flexible timing in fall/winter. For more information, email Wayne at: [email protected]
*

Celebrating the ‘International Year of Glass’ in New England - The Boston Globe 50-plus artists are featured in "Fired Up: Glass Today" at Hartford’s Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. It’s one of several exhibitions showcasing the versatile and luminous medium honored by the United Nations this year.

***WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT*** In September and November, I will be open to teaching some individualized workshops in my Boston, MA studio. Beginners and any level of experience welcome.(*Small groups could be possible too.) The workshops can be tailored to individual skill level and interests with a focus on flameworking, plasma processing, plasma sculpture making, special effects, equipment and more. Dates are flexible but will be limited. For further details, the best way to contact me is directly by email at [email protected] and we can chat about what you are looking for.

“Discovered by the prolific forefather of many lighted devices, Daniel McFarlan Moore, the glow discharge lamp was invented and patented in 1919, though experimenters like Geissler had already been using this effect for decades.” —The Art of Plasma, Chapter 8: Special Tube Effects

⚡️⚡️⚡️

“It is said that you can’t consider yourself a true plasma artist until you’ve spent hundreds of hours looking for—and suffering the frustration over—leaks in your manifolds or tubes. Nothing gives a better appreciation of the physical principles of a vacuum manifold or a gas discharge lamp than when they are almost, but not entirely working successfully.” —————- The Art of Plasma, Ch. 3, Plasma Tube Processing
⚡️⚡️⚡️

“Glass comprises the physical envelope of a plasma sculpture and forms the transparent wall that separates the states of matter in our with the plasma within. The only thing passing this barrier is electromagnetic energy, mostly in the form of light. This transparent barrier has dual functions: to allow the viewer to see the light that emerges and also to physically interact with the plasma. The viewer becomes a participant who can move the light around, concentrate it under their touch, and add additional dimensions to enhance the appreciation of the plasma sculpture” ————————— - The Art of Plasma, Chapter 2: Glass

⚡️⚡️⚡️

The first book dedicated to the medium of is now available! The Art of Plasma by Wayne Strattman is available for online order: https://strattman.com/books

“Glass, gas and electricity combine to create unique possibilities for artists. Historical techniques are now made modern in this hands-on text, revealing ways to fuse art with science to create revolutionary forms of light art. The history, theory, and practice of the plasma artist are all covered to give the practitioner both context and practical information to work within this dynamic medium.”
⚡️⚡️⚡️