Reflections of Life
As part of my studio art major in college I completed a capstone project. I chose to do an exploration into glass work. I also ended up including ceramics work, and wire work.
Overall I intended to imbue every piece with symbolism and a meaning beyond what is actually shown.
An early version of the piece with oil clay instead of final materials.
The Christian Teacher's call is all about what it means to be a Christian Teacher. A Christian Teacher is entrusted with guiding and teaching the little lambs in God's flock of believers. That is a difficult task, as teachers are still fallible and suspect to crumbling under the responsibility. However, the Holy Spirit supports teachers, pastors, and all called to share the Gospel. He is not fallible, and can easily hold both the teacher, and the lambs up.
The Christian Teacher's Call
The materials are important when looking at this piece.
In the final piece, the lambs are glass, the hands (molded from one of my professor's hands) are plaster, and the wings were intended to be metal.
The version as seen at the capstone show. Wax (intended to be metal), plaster, glass
When I Grow Up
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When I grow up,
I want to be just like...
As people grow up they look
towards others for guidance. The different ages of these birds each look to someone else, and the ripples help reinforce the sight lines.
Cast Glass
One of the most distinctive elements of my capstone show was the cast glass. While I never managed to polish them to a shine, and ran out of time to attempt colorful versions, these are still solid glass sculptures that had quite a bit of work put into them. As it is from a casting process, I actually have two-three more versions of each of these.
Chunky Chickadee
Cast Glass
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These started this whole journey of glass casting, as seeing chickadees in bird boxes cemented my love for birds.
A Wish or A Fulfillment
Cast Glass
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The title changes according to you. You are the adult swan, this is your wish, or your fulfillment. To me, however, it may always be a wish. To others, this has already been fulfilled.
Slumped Glass Works
Slumped Glass was the largest part of my capstone, in part because it was one of the easier elements of glass work for me. My favorites out of the slumped glass have to be "When I Grow Up" which is featured at the top of this page, and the difficult to photograph "Break the Mask."
Break the Mask
Glass, Multimedia
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We all wear a mask to cage our eccentricities, our passions, and ourselves. Keeping up that mask slowly suffocates those and ourselves.
Not all Birds Flock Together
Glass, Clay
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Even if in a flock, belonging is never guaranteed.
The Little Things
Multimedia
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Last year, a tree fell by the chapel. I hadn't realized how much it meant until the small glance every day reminded me of what was lost.
Duck Duck Goose Lid
The entire work of Duck Duck Goose is an allegory already, however the lid does add an extra layer to this.
This lid's original idea was just to cover the project so my cats couldn't attempt to eat the fishing line based reeds, however it gave the opportunity to add something more.
The original piece is about the believer's life in the world, and the isolation that brings. The lid allowed for a look into what is above, where the goose is not alone, but part of a mighty flock, and the ducks are not to be seen.
The glass pieces of the lid were all scrap pieces of glass, slumped into a large set of different molds to be layered over one another. The birds had to be painted silver to help them stand out, although due to how difficult it is to photograph glass, it's hard to tell anyway.
View of the lid over the piece.
A closeup and better peek under the obscuring glass.
The original piece of Duck Duck Goose was created in 2022-2023. It is not made of glass, instead it consists of clay, wire, fishing line, glue, plaster, and lots of paint.
You can find more about it on the sculpture part of this portfolio.
How Warm Glass Works
Video Editing done by Jadon Kerkow
Reactions to Adversity
People have different reactions to adversity, not just different based on the person, but also on the context. As I went through this capstone, I had different reactions, both positive and negative. When putting together the show I decided to write down what I was thinking during the whole process. Given how late labels were being made, some of the reactions were more real at that time than others.
Hope
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The first piece I did was this, bright and happy, looking to the future of this year.
Confidence
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​So what if the clay mold broke? I can make another easily, I have no worries there.
Determination
Supper at 9 pm is all the tastier when eaten after a day full of good work.
Desperation
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I needed help. Help was not in the building, yet I searched for it anyway.
Despair
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This capstone will amount to nothing, I have done nothing worth displaying, I have nothing done at all.
Defeat
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I can't continue anything, there is no space, no time long enough, and no help when I need it.
Whim and Other Experiments
Kiln's Whim
Wire
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Meet Whim (Kiln's Whim if he's in trouble). He is the personification of the kiln, he can say no, he can be a distraction, and he can bring delight on occasion. Just on occasion though, you can't have too much delight, that would require everything going perfectly and Whim is not going to let that happen.
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Whim is an articulated puppet mounted on a stick, during the show people could use the pull tabs to open and close the wings and tail. His head also can be shaken side to side. He was an early experiment while I waited for the college's kiln to be replaced.
The way glaze and glass interact can produce some fun effects. In these two cases I made something of clay to be glazed, and then placed glass within. The green glaze (which was heavily watered down in both) reacted with the glass and produced this stunning blue.
Oasis of Rest
Clay, Glaze, Glass
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Fun little clay projects make good stress relief.
Wolves of Pisano
Clay, Glaze, Glass
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Pisano carved a wonderful, famous, baptistery pulpit. At the bottom, though, the lions at the base of the pillars terrify the huddled believers. Once baptised in Christ, shouldn't the believers be safe?