When I see myself, I see my hands. I see my hands in motion.
My most recent glass art commissions have been for large installations in spiritual settings. These commissions are where I want to be. The colored glass I use represents the greens of the Earth, the blues of the sky and the purples of the universe beyond.
For me the fluid nature of glass is paramount, which is why I choose to render colors and effects that change as they are viewed dynamically in reflected and transmitted light. In the shifting colors, the mirage of movement in the still medium, I attempt to capture the ceaseless flow of the universe. My hands are the means through which my inspiration flows, diminutive as they are relative to the larger pieces I create, insignificant as they are compared to the Earth, sky and universe that the work represents.
This 14.5” x 19.5” x 1” piece was created using transparent sheet glass and frits as well as dichroic glass in multiple, progressively cooler firings. The piece initiated with a sketch. The translation of the sketch onto a sheet of glass with a frit drawing of my hands and the background was fired at full fusing temperatures to flat smoothness. The next firings added increasing texture to the background and virtual depth to the smooth hands. I then created six crystal clear hands in subtly changing positions. In the last, and coolest firing, the original piece was kiln carved onto a mold, giving actual depth to the smooth colored hands. The six crystal clear hands were gently draped over the color kiln carved hands embracing and transforming them while creating the impression of motion.
13 comments:
The movement in those hands is really special, and I'd love to see that movement in person. When you say "My hands are the means through which my inspiration flows" do you also feel a type of spiritual relationship or responsibility with the creative process? I hope it is displayed somewhere very special.
Wow, what a great piece! I love the way you did the movement of the hands, keep coming back looking at it.
Beautifully done!
I really like the depth and the perception of movement. The color choice and addition of dichro adds to the feeling. I would really like to see this in person with the light shining on it. Lovely!
Very Nice.
What I especially like about your moving hands is how successfully you have allowed the image to change its visual textures when viewed from various distances.
There will be a constant, dynamic dance between the light and glass throughout the day. I would like to be able to watch it.
Thank you for the comments!
Glass, feels to me like the perfect medium for capturing the essence of motion. I have always been fascinated with hands. This particular piece was very difficult to photograph because the hands are made from BE Tekta Crystal Clear glass and disappear in the overall photograph. I think the most successful photograph is the middle one, especially up close. Perhaps a video would capture it better.
I have wanted to work on the path this piece has taken me for years. I feel like this is a only a small step and my mind is exploding with ideas for the next pieces. Thank you Cynthia for creating this venue for all of us as an opportunity to be our own clients and explore in a direction of our choosing!
I enjoy the subtle blurring of the static images of the hands (via the transparent overlays). This makes their positions ambiguous. It also makes the space between the hands seem dynamic – either expanding or contracting. Then the dots of dichroic glass seem to infuse the dynamic space with magic.
I will add my voice to the chorus lauding the dynamism of the hand-overlays. Really, quite striking!
I would be excited to see the progression of this idea in future pieces.
Hands express love in so many ways. One of them is in the creation of beautiful works such as yours, Michele. How wonderful that you have included the very means of you creation as the objects in the creation, simultaneously creating a link and a bond between all who view it.
The clear overlays on the hands not only give a sense of motion, but make me think that the hands are being guided by some nebulous spiritual force. I don't know whether you intended this, but for me that would be an apt image representing the creative process. Brava! ~~JM
Wow! I absolutely love the piece! At first I thought there was more than one similar piece of art. Then I realized that the third image appeared different because a shift in lighting. The overlay of glass on the hands not only gives the impression of depth but also of movement. Different angles also make it hard to tell if the hands are releasing stars or if maybe one hand is reaching towards one of those stars.
Your work keeps evolving as your creative genius leads you down different paths. Very nicely done!
NB
Dear Michele:
What a gorgeous piece of work! I love art that is visually stunning as well as deeply meaningful. Your work is layered, not only literally, but in terms of its meaning. I see motion; I see the passage of time arrested in one moment. I see the cosmic, and the human as part of the cosmos.
In an age where so much art feels plastic (in the sense of the material plastic, not the adjective) and so alienated from everything as to feel almost self-indulgent, your work brings me back, both to myself and the greater world. Thank you!
Vandana
I am absolutely in awe of this piece.. it is fascinating.
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