TWO OF WANDS, 2014, blown, roll-up, murrine, kiln-transformed, cast. 28″H.
EIGHT OF CUPS: MADONNA DE SOUS TERRE, 2007, blown, roll-up, murrine, kiln-transformed, cast. 65″H.
The Grail Variation series is inspired by the lower arcana cards of the Tarot. Begun in 1998, and inspired by travels in Occitania, France and Catalunya, Spain. Two suits of cards have begun to be explored. The Suit of Wands describes creativity, while the Suit of Cups refers to goodness; with the ultimate prize being the Ace of Cups, or the Holy Grail. The sculptures emanate from reading the card. Then the process becomes very formalist in determining the color, proportions, and scale. The work is not an illustration of a particular card. Instead, the sculptures refer to the artist’s journey, in search of perfection- which is an impossibility. The acknowledgement of the passage of time, and the transience of beauty accompanies the journey.
Each separate cup or bowl is blown and then cast. The work is assembled and invested in a mold, as the objects become united through heat. This technique was demonstrated at the Glass Art Society conference of 2001 at the Corning Museum of Glass.