Artist Statement
Glass is mesmerizing to me, largely because it possesses a number of seemingly opposite properties. Embracing these contradictions is a compelling challenge that both
informs and confounds my art.
Glass is a solid, a liquid, a powder. When heated in the kiln, solid glass transforms into an entirely new luminous substance, revealing previously unseen depth and hues.
Glass is simultaneously powerful and ethereal, stubborn and flexible. Sometimes it breaks easily; other times it is unyielding.
Glass work merges science and art. The science involves understanding and respecting the idiosyncrasies of the material, and carefully regulating the temperature of the piece, the rates of heating and cooling and the timing of transitions.
Some glass work includes defined boundaries and clear distinctions; but frequently one area, color or texture
literally flows into the next. Still glass evokes motion and rhythm.
Glass transmits and reflects light; it is transparent, opalescent, and opaque. Dichroic glass transmits colors that are different from the hues it reflects. The iridescence of these multiple hues merges to create a sense of illumination and
glowing from within.
Working with glass is an organic meditation on opposites - awareness of the liquid in the solid, the harmony in the chaos, the light in the shadows.
Max Block 2013
Glass is mesmerizing to me, largely because it possesses a number of seemingly opposite properties. Embracing these contradictions is a compelling challenge that both
informs and confounds my art.
Glass is a solid, a liquid, a powder. When heated in the kiln, solid glass transforms into an entirely new luminous substance, revealing previously unseen depth and hues.
Glass is simultaneously powerful and ethereal, stubborn and flexible. Sometimes it breaks easily; other times it is unyielding.
Glass work merges science and art. The science involves understanding and respecting the idiosyncrasies of the material, and carefully regulating the temperature of the piece, the rates of heating and cooling and the timing of transitions.
Some glass work includes defined boundaries and clear distinctions; but frequently one area, color or texture
literally flows into the next. Still glass evokes motion and rhythm.
Glass transmits and reflects light; it is transparent, opalescent, and opaque. Dichroic glass transmits colors that are different from the hues it reflects. The iridescence of these multiple hues merges to create a sense of illumination and
glowing from within.
Working with glass is an organic meditation on opposites - awareness of the liquid in the solid, the harmony in the chaos, the light in the shadows.
Max Block 2013