Copper Pond Series…

I’ve been using lotuses are a motif since 2018. Over the years I’ve had to opportunity to create my work in many different studios. Being in touch or involved in many studios has given me the rare opportunity to encounter furnaces that melt Copper Blue glass. Artist don’t usually have access to a colored furnace. Most glass studios have one furnace melting clear glass. Color is not allowed in these furnaces because it would permanently contaminate the pot. Once in a while when a furnace is repaired the the pot is about to be replaced the studio can use this rare window in time to cook color.

These pieces only exist because the flowers and leaves were sculpted and prepared before the furnace was used to cook Copper Blue glass. The puddles are also created using a rare glass sculpting method called hot pour. Large heavy ladles are used to scoop the molten glass and poured to make these lush and fluid forms. As the glass makes contact with the cold flat surface it naturally ripples as it simultaneously hardens but continues to stretch.

After creating the illusion of a pond I was inspired to push this idea deeper into a surreal realm. What if the pond was flowing in a way that it rippled as you moved? What if the pond could defy gravity and take the form of a Daruma? I essentially merged off of my major motifs to realize one of my largest pieces since moving to San Francisco, California. This was my most ambitious piece yet.