2017
Cast Crystal / Aluminum
33.5" x 33.5" x 3.5"
Public Collection of ProMedica, Toledo OH
Demeter’s Rose takes on the formation of an oculus window, commonly found in churches of the gothic architectural style. Rather than infiltrating light into a sacred space, Demeter’s Rose refracts light to its viewer. The clear crystal segments act as apertures for the residual details of wheat and seed-like formations that lie within.
Here, both the wheel and the wheat pay homage to the ever-flowing cycle of life and death, a rhythm that is embodied in Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest.
For centuries, the ‘wheel window’ has been used as a symbol of spirituality and that, which is infinite: the universe or the cosmos. Demeter’s Rose is stripped of the color and grandiose iconography usually presented in church windows to deliver what is essential and unifying to us all.
2017
Cast Opaline Glass / Stainless Steel / Aluminum
33.5" x 33.5" x 3.5"
'Selene' is comprised of 42 glass segments that take on the formation of an oculus window. The glass segments act as apertures for the residual details of wheat and seed-like formations that lie within. Opal glass, reminiscent of its water-stone has been used to embody Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon whose gravitational pull connects us to the tides.
Selene represents the culmination of several months of studio-practice research. I conducted a series of 20 tests using an opaline glass that changes its color saturation based on the length of time it is held at a developing temperature in the kiln. The castings were held from 15 minutes to 200-hours at this advancing stage, creating a varied spectrum of hues. The segments that comprise 'Selene' were cast in 5 separate kiln firings, each differing in its developing hold duration in order to present distinct opacity shifts in the finished sculpture.