Artist Statement

I am a glass artist working in pâte de verre sculpture.  I am drawn to the glow of pate de verre where depending on the times of day, the illumination creates a changing experience of light and shadows through the glass.  It is this juxtaposition of contrasting light that I see as metaphor for the multiple layers within the human condition.  I am interested in perception, paradox and the hidden or revealed elements within relationships.  

I draw inspiration from ancient Asian and Near East ceramics.  I work in numerous methods of pâte de verre using bas relief, sintered and multiple part molds to create vessels and figurative sculpture. 

Pâte de verre begins by designing and translating a drawing into clay or wax. A refractory mold of plaster and silica is then invested around the piece. The clay or wax is removed, the mold cleaned and then packed with numerous glass colors made into pastes for painting into the mold. Under precise firing temperatures the work is fired in a kiln, then timed to the minute to get the desired texture and finish.