Artist’s Statement:

When I see myself, I see my hands. I see my hands in motion.

My most recent glass art commissions have been for large installations in spiritual settings. These commissions are where I want to be. The colored glass I use represents the greens of the Earth, the blues of the sky and the purples of the universe beyond.

For me the fluid nature of glass is paramount, which is why I choose to render colors and effects that change as they are viewed dynamically in reflected and transmitted light. In the shifting colors, the mirage of movement in the still medium, I attempt to capture the ceaseless flow of the universe. My hands are the means through which my inspiration flows, diminutive as they are relative to the larger pieces I create, insignificant as they are compared to the Earth, sky and universe that the work represents.

This 14.5” x 19.5” x 1” piece was created using transparent sheet glass and frits as well as dichroic glass in multiple, progressively cooler firings. The piece initiated with a sketch. The translation of the sketch onto a sheet of glass with a frit drawing of my hands and the background was fired at full fusing temperatures to flat smoothness. The next firings added increasing texture to the background and virtual depth to the smooth hands. I then created six crystal clear hands in subtly changing positions. In the last, and coolest firing, the original piece was kiln carved onto a mold, giving actual depth to the smooth colored hands. The six crystal clear hands were gently draped over the color kiln carved hands embracing and transforming them while creating the impression of motion.

Michele Gutlove