Glass Yarn Spool

Museum of Glass Verified independent store

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DIMENSIONS 8"H x 5.25"D ARTIST STATEMENT Embracing the myriad relationships between science, nature, and art allowed these sculptures to emerge. Science is creative but the languag e is limiting. Art has a wider vocabulary with which to interpret nature, one that can employ the subjective experience. There is room for mysticism, transcendence, intuition, hybridization, feeling and emotion in art. The sculpture “Phosphenes Striated“ is an exploration of the phenomenon of seeing light without light actually entering the eye. Most commonly this is experienced mechanically by rubbing the eyes. I was fascinated by the idea of trying to conjure these fleeting experiences and put them into physical form. These are of course only reference points for the artist and maker. The forms and patterns in this work can also evoke cellular imaging, or marine biology. Increasingly I see the artists’ studio as a laboratory. It is a place to experiment using the tools and knowledge of materials to discover and create something new. Creating these sculptures starts by collecting images. Visualizing nature in ever more detail. Next I draw and paint to explore form and pattern. Training my senses to be aware of proportion. I change the scale and orientation. I abstract, and crop to find a new approach. Finally, there is a flourish in the glass studio; gathering, sifting, marking, shaping, blowing, stretching. I transform these images into blown glass using traditional and innovative techniques. They come alive to me there, but they are not finished. The forms must be carved to completion, the patterns brought to maturity, and the objects given a place to rest. -Joe Grant Show more