I find glass as seductive as it is challenging. As a particularly unforgiving medium it exposes an artist.s vision in designing for its unique properties and their skill in executing work. I.ve always been captivated by how glass can hold elements in suspension, bend light, and layer color in three dimensions as well as the process of working with it in its liquid state.

My current work is an intensive exploration of detailed patterns, colors and transparency created through multi-layered cane and murrine.colored rods and patterned cross-sections of glass. Creating my work begins with meticulous planning and designing of colors and patterns. After I pull the cane and murrine, I carefully compose these elements to design the final work, all days prior to blowing it. I enjoy this process of thoughtful creativity and the contrasting intensity of executing work in the hotshop, where the limited window to shape molten glass requires precision and urgency. The dual challenge of designing and executing complex work satisfies both the artist and the craftsman in me and I continually find it exciting to create a piece I.ve poured days over, watching it come to life in the fire.

While varied in composition and design, I most often create work within a series of graceful forms which I consider three dimensional canvases. The diversity and variation in my work reflects my desire to explore a variety of ideas simultaneously. Some visual themes that recur include windows with views into or through a piece, contrasting transparency and solidity and disrupted repetition. Colors in contrasting and/or complimentary tertiary tones woven into complex patterns challenge expectations of the amount of detail glass can carry and its place in the art world. My indirect influences include textiles, ethnically distinct colors and shapes as well as the marine environment.

See website for more information: www.davidpatchen.com