I've blogged previously about the Mark Rothko-inspired pieces I've been blowing here. I've completed quite a few and put them all on a display shelf to try out different arrangements.
I made the display shelves as well. I been doing woodworking for about thirty-five years and may be better at it than glass! This display is a little over three feet tall and almost five feet wide.
It is interesting to mix and match the various colors and shapes. The speckled ones on the top two shelves are very different depending on how you view them. Looking straight down into them, especially the flatter ones, give wonderful reflections.
There is a lot of work represented here - there is at least two hours into each piece, some as much as three. Blowing them takes about 20-30 minutes max, and then upwards of two hours of cold working (grinding & polishing).
I feel tired now.
A certain individual (OK, it's my wife) has been pestering me for several months now to post pictures of my newest work. I've been delaying for lots of reasons which I don't care to elaborate on right now. This is work I've been thinking about for a while, but has evolved to where I think the pieces are good enough to share.
I wish pictures could impart the texture of the pieces. Glass is normally pretty smooth and glossy. These aren't. They are actually pretty rough. The surface feels a lot like about 120-grit sandpaper. This is in stark contrast to the lips, or tops, of the pieces, which are ground to a very high polish. In this grouping, the silvery blue color on the top half of the piece is very reflective, but still exhibits the texture. When you look down the top you can see the yellow interior reflected and the look changes as you change your viewing angle. Neat.
This work doesn't yet have a title - one of the things I'm still searching for - but the working title is called "Rothko", after Mark Rothko, the abstract expressionist painter. I love Rothko's work - one example shown here. The texture and color and interplay really are wonderful. You really should check out the "Rothko Room" at the Tate Modern gallery in London.
