My work in fused glass stems from a deep love of materials and techniques. I have always been inspired by the technical processes and aesthetics of Japanese block print making and Buddhist and Navajo sand paintings, both of which are deceptively simple art forms. These artistic methods all share in common a complex process hidden behind a surface of apparent meditative simplicity. While the end results appear simplistic in themselves, the challenge of their mastery is staggering. It is this hidden relationship between execution and composition that I find so satisfying and try to replicate in my own work.
I attempt to integrate these traditions into my unique style of glassmaking, which I have developed over the past ten years. My technique involves many technologies and processes. I create my compositions on the computer using image editing software, which I then break down into its constituent colors and design stencils for each color. I use the stencils to apply powdered colored glass to a base layer of sheet glass, progressively building up layers to create the complete composition which is then fused together in the kiln.
Similar to the Japanese mode of bock print making, I explore the boundaries between the familiar and the abstract. I take found photos and reduce an image to its most essential, abstract elements. In so doing, I am able to stretch the limits of the naked eye, using the microscopic lens of digital drawing programs to play with the line between conceptual abstraction and concrete representation.
