Description
The foundation of my work lies within the understanding of primordial forms and their purpose throughout history. These are forms that are repeated throughout history by different, and separate cultures for a similar purpose. Using this as the initial basis for my research, I have then linked this to the aesthetics found in Czech glass, starting with Professor Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova, and the ideas that are found in Cubism and Constructivism.
I utilize the scientific method when approaching my research. I believe that artists and scientists are inherently linked. This foundation allows me to draw from a multitude of resources in art history, psychology, and physics while considering my primary philosophy.
As my work has developed, I’ve utilized a repeating dialogue incorporating space and time, using visual elements that are inherent in solid cast glass. The primary, defining element of sculpture is time. Time is seen as the “fourth dimension.” Time is a very significant asset for this discussion as it is for many contemporary sculptors.
The interior space in my work is its final defining element. I term this as the “fifth dimension.” In this aspect light becomes a linking factor between these two dimensions. By thinking of light as an element of construction, the light allows me to conduct the viewer, as well as the space within the object and eventually the space around the object. Light is essentially the defining and primary factor in cast glass and what links the latter.
By bringing these elements together with the intuition gained with experience, I have found ways of creating new space by multiplying the visual space. This is the most significant attribute unique to glass. This is achieved by an extensive knowledge of the casting process and refining or cold working, of the material as well. Just as my philosophical foundation relates to the Czech Aesthetic, so is my expertise in the refining or “cold working” of the material.
All of these elements together become extremely significant in my research. They do not operate independently. Rather they work cooperatively and cannot exist without the other. As a sculptor working in glass, it is my charge to understand and harness these properties to enable the work to be conceived. With this in mind, consider the idea of “Imagineering.” Due to the nature of the material I must have an awareness and intuition that allows for the manipulation of light, which in turn constitutes a multiplication of space.
