This project centers on a series of glass sculptures depicting plants from endangered coastal ecosystems across different regions. Each flower is formed in hot glass, then sandblasted with hand-cut stencils of urban architecture rising from its base. These etched forms appear to encroach upon the plant, reflecting the pressures of development, consumption, and environmental change on ecosystems that predate human expansion. Color will be concentrated at the top of the forms and fade to clear as the architecture encroaches. Initial research will focus on coastal species in the Mid-Atlantic region, with the potential to adapt to different regional ecosystems as the project travels.
Glass is both fragile and enduring, making it a resonant material for this subject. Its translucency allows light to pass through and distort the etched imagery, creating layered visual relationships between the plant forms and the architectural elements. When illuminated from below, the sculptures emit a subtle, atmospheric glow that emphasizes the contrast between organic and built forms.
Support for the development of these glass works was provided by the Virginia Beach Artist Grant through the City of Virginia Beach Cultural Affairs Department. The grant enabled advanced training in blown glass and flameworking techniques at the Perry Glass Studio, expanding the material language of the ongoing Strange Plants series.
Glass is both fragile and enduring, making it a resonant material for this subject. Its translucency allows light to pass through and distort the etched imagery, creating layered visual relationships between the plant forms and the architectural elements. When illuminated from below, the sculptures emit a subtle, atmospheric glow that emphasizes the contrast between organic and built forms.
Support for the development of these glass works was provided by the Virginia Beach Artist Grant through the City of Virginia Beach Cultural Affairs Department. The grant enabled advanced training in blown glass and flameworking techniques at the Perry Glass Studio, expanding the material language of the ongoing Strange Plants series.
Installed in Garden
Sculptures
