Enigma

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From an abandoned design in wood to glass sculpture.

Many months ago, I was back rummaging around in my old wood pantry looking for something. And I stumbled upon a long forgotten, unfinished wood sculpture that I only vaguely remembered. However, finding the form promising, I decided to have another go at it, only this time I converted the wood concept into a glass sculpture.

A fuller explanation might help you understand why, at 99% completion, it didn’t make the final cut. (No pun intended). It was originally a small tree that began to split into two upper limbs, creating the “Y” shape. This would have been Morph XV, and I really liked where I was going with the design — with severe undercuts and penetrations. But the ultimate flow and balance just didn’t work for me because I had sculpted too far into it. So I abandoned the piece. I have referred to “risk” many times in my wood art and glass sculptures. This was a classic example of the problem with “reduction art.” Once the material is removed, it is gone forever.

As a glass sculpture, Enigma was to be my first new work for 2014. And it is, but October was not the planned delivery date. (There’s a story in there somewhere. Something about how Gaye and I have just moved to downtown Santa Fe. And how I also moved and totally re-designed my studio. But that’s a story to be told elsewhere on the site at a later time. At the moment, I am settled in, in full production and also preparing for SOFA Chicago 2014 next month.)

Creating this piece

From wood design inspiration, through wax & foundry to glass sculpture

The original wood sculpture was Wormy Chestnut and, as photographed here, measured 1′-3″ high, 10″ wide, 6″ deep. The blank wax form for the sculpture in glass started out as 1′-8″ h, 1′-0″ w, 10″ deep.

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POST SCRIPT:  After three weeks at the foundry, the piece is no longer brown wax nor a kiln cast, cobalt blue form from the foundry.  It is now my 28th glass sculpture and the first piece I cold worked & completed in the “Wet Room” of my new studio.

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