Some months back, I stumbled upon a long forgotten, unfinished wood sculpture. I had abandoned it because I had excavated it so much that I could not execute my intended design. The dangers of reduction art! Now, I’ve given it another try – this time converting the sculptural concept in wood to a glass sculpture.
Enigma| 1′-8″ h, 11″ w, 10″ d | Kiln cast crystal | Cobalt Blue | Inquire.
Limoncelli: This is the first time I used the color called Citrine (a color not likely found on my personal palette), but I am delighted with the outcome. It shimmers in the light and delivers one of the true rewards for working in glass – the added dynamic of color and luminosity.
Limoncelli | 10″ diameter | Kiln cast crystal | Citrine | SOLD by Thomas Riley Galleries.
I’m continually inspired by re-thinking (and thus always eager to try variations of) my own work. My #27 kiln-cast piece is an open design glass sculpture influenced by previous pieces — and by #26, which had failed at the foundry. Come take a look at the final result as well as a few progress photos.
Sentinel | 2′-4″ h, 11″ diameter | Kiln cast crystal | Dark Orange Red | Inquire.
T with ‘Tude: I have done mostly vertical pieces in the past. A few pieces went horizontal like Morph II and Levitation. I am always searching for new expressions in my designs. So I thought about combining both vertical and horizontal for this piece…mostly horizontal to get the main element up off the surface.
1′-3″ h, 1’-8″ w, 10″ deep | Kiln cast crystal | Emerald Green | SOLD by Thomas R. Riley Galleries
Fluid Dynamics: Over a year in the making and a real envelope-pusher for the foundry. Given degree of difficulty, this piece may reach parity with my more complex wood sculptures. What do you think?
Escape Velocity : I say if I’m not a little bit scared, I’m not doing good work. Well, Escape Velocity had me scared. It wasn’t until I got the wax form down to 9 lbs that it started to “make it.” Somehow it’s the scary part that really drives me.
Escape Velocity: 1′-6″ h, 12″ dia | Kiln cast crystal | Pale Copper Blue | Inquire.
Ode to Morph: Inspired by my wood sculpture, Morph VII, and wanting to go larger, Ode to Morph emerged. Sculpting a curl over the center in wood had been one thing. But in glass was quite another.
SOLD. Blue Tango is my largest glass piece to date at 2′-2″ tall. During layout, I envisioned a schematic representation of dance… tall and slender with open dynamic upward movement. This spiral glass sculpture emerged.
Blue Tango | 2′-2″ tall | Kiln cast crystal | Cobalt Blue | SOLD by Thomas R. Riley Galleries
Mariah: I thought it was time to actually try my hand at the evocative, sensual and organic Art Nouveau period. To see what would happen. Here is the result. I must admit, I didn’t expect this outcome!
Splash: My intention with this piece was to expose the inner core and draw the eye…from the outer structure…to the tight twists and turns…to the inner core…and swirl back out.
For this piece, I called upon several elements that I had incorporated in earlier glass works – intersecting lines and curve-over edges. It’s not plagiarism if I steal from myself! But I also included a more open core, multiple penetrations and three tunnels to play with. I sculpted Blue Shift as a donation piece for an AACG Auction.
11″ h, 8″ diameter | Kiln cast crystal | Cobalt Blue | AACG Auction Donation, SOLD at GlassWeekend 2013
Red Shift: On previous works, I had been noticing hints of shapes and colors being projected onto one side of the piece by design structures on the other side of the piece. With Red Shift, I intentionally planned for that occurrence and chose a glass that does dramatic color shifts depending on the thickness.
Red Shift: 1′-3″ h, 8″ dia | Kiln cast crystal | Inquire.
At 1′-8″ tall and over 50 pounds, this was my largest (and, if I may say, one of the most dramatic) pieces to date.
Mythic Fire | 1′-8″ h, 10″ diameter | Kiln cast crystal | SOLD by Holsten Galleries.
When this sculpture was still in wax form and nearly finished, collectors stopped by the studio. They fell in love with the horizontal layout and wanted to add it (finished, of course) to their most impressive glass collection. She chose the color and it was off to the foundry. The rest of the story was harrowing – but with a great ending.
Levitation | 11″ h, 1′-9″ w, 12″ d | Kiln cast crystal, Lime Green | SOLD
This glass piece was a fun project because it was my first “design as you go” glass sculpture. No layout lines in advance, just start working and see what happens. I conceived it as horizontal. Hmmm. What do you suppose happened?
Event Horizon | 1′-8″ h, 1′-6″ w, 8″ d | Kiln cast crystal | Cobalt Blue | SOLD by Thomas R. Riley Galleries
Currently available Kiln-Cast glass sculptures, Small Treasures and contemporary wood sculptures
