Artist Statement
I am a glass artist, but I would consider my practice that of Alchemy, where I combine ideas, materials, and processes to produce new items, expressions, and or knowledge. For the most part, I try to find intuitive ways to explore ideas.
I'm most passionate about Plasma Light Sculpture, a process requiring the technical and artistic expressions of glass blowing with the alchemical and scientific application of electrified gases and specialized equipment that you would also find used in neon.
Plasma brings something unique to glass, and that is to invite touch, something that is very difficult. By producing light it removes the barrier between the viewer and the art with its animated glow, allowing an invitation for play as it responds to the viewer’s proximity and touch.
Thus this process has challenged me to balance the form and surface of the vessel that holds these gases and the expressions of light that can be produced in and by its interior. My curiosity encourages the exploration of interactivity and subjects that benefit from plasma illumination.
I'm most passionate about Plasma Light Sculpture, a process requiring the technical and artistic expressions of glass blowing with the alchemical and scientific application of electrified gases and specialized equipment that you would also find used in neon.
Plasma brings something unique to glass, and that is to invite touch, something that is very difficult. By producing light it removes the barrier between the viewer and the art with its animated glow, allowing an invitation for play as it responds to the viewer’s proximity and touch.
Thus this process has challenged me to balance the form and surface of the vessel that holds these gases and the expressions of light that can be produced in and by its interior. My curiosity encourages the exploration of interactivity and subjects that benefit from plasma illumination.
PLASMA
I'm passionate about Plasma or Plasma Light, a process requiring the technical and artist expressions of glass with the alchemical and scientific application of excited gases and specialized equipment that you would also find used in neon.
Plasma brings something unique to glass, and that is to invite touch, something very difficult. By producing light through the use of electrified gases it removes the barrier between the viewer and art with its animated glow, allowing an invitation for play as it responds to the viewer's proximity and touch
I'm passionate about Plasma or Plasma Light, a process requiring the technical and artist expressions of glass with the alchemical and scientific application of excited gases and specialized equipment that you would also find used in neon.
Plasma brings something unique to glass, and that is to invite touch, something very difficult. By producing light through the use of electrified gases it removes the barrier between the viewer and art with its animated glow, allowing an invitation for play as it responds to the viewer's proximity and touch
Katabasis
Katabasis is the epic convention in mythology for the hero’s journey to the underworld. It is also defined as retreat inward from the coast, or in modern psychology an unofficial term used to describe the depression specifically noted in young men.
Works produced under this context explore that underworld, or inner space. These spaces include those physically inside the body and that of the mind. Ideas are rendered via somatic symbolism which I define as referencing the human body, such as used in mythology and religious storytelling, allowing for complex expressions to be more readily accessible. The presence of light calls upon our sense of space, as well as our attention. In that light, there is a vitality, and with the use of plasma illumination, that light has a liveliness with its animated glow that responds to the viewer’s proximity and touch. Glass, as the primary medium and container of this light with its transparency, its refractivity, and seeming contradictory properties of unassuming strength, and undeniable fragility shows potential to tell some very human stories in very strange and yet relatable ways.
Katabasis is the epic convention in mythology for the hero’s journey to the underworld. It is also defined as retreat inward from the coast, or in modern psychology an unofficial term used to describe the depression specifically noted in young men.
Works produced under this context explore that underworld, or inner space. These spaces include those physically inside the body and that of the mind. Ideas are rendered via somatic symbolism which I define as referencing the human body, such as used in mythology and religious storytelling, allowing for complex expressions to be more readily accessible. The presence of light calls upon our sense of space, as well as our attention. In that light, there is a vitality, and with the use of plasma illumination, that light has a liveliness with its animated glow that responds to the viewer’s proximity and touch. Glass, as the primary medium and container of this light with its transparency, its refractivity, and seeming contradictory properties of unassuming strength, and undeniable fragility shows potential to tell some very human stories in very strange and yet relatable ways.
Inspire
Inspire is a series of blown glass lungs, which began as an exercise in drawing on glass using engraving and carving techniques. In creating the lungs, an effortless fluidity and breath are required to give it shape and form. To balance these efforts, like its namesake, I let the process be my inspiration. Each drawing starts with a series lines that wrap around the piece. These lines are then used as guides to create an evolving pattern when viewed from multiple perspectives. While Design is the focus of the work, the labor reveals something beautiful when we can peel away the outer layers and see what lies beneath.
Inspire is a series of blown glass lungs, which began as an exercise in drawing on glass using engraving and carving techniques. In creating the lungs, an effortless fluidity and breath are required to give it shape and form. To balance these efforts, like its namesake, I let the process be my inspiration. Each drawing starts with a series lines that wrap around the piece. These lines are then used as guides to create an evolving pattern when viewed from multiple perspectives. While Design is the focus of the work, the labor reveals something beautiful when we can peel away the outer layers and see what lies beneath.