Jess RosenbergThe Elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water
In the past 10 months I added kiln glass* to my ceramics practice. Starting with stoneware slabs, I make vessels in shapes that are conducive to reflect the environment around me: the sensuous lines of the cays and islands, the ever-changing sky and clouds, the fabulous colors in the sea throughout the day and the jungle surrounding my studio. I make glass additions for some of the vessels because the glass seems consistent with the sparkle of the light around me.
The pieces in this show range from solid glass pieces to ceramic and glass vessels. Imaginary plants, classical vessels, female forms, the sea and sky have always been fun to use in my designs and they feature here, as well as I’ve begun to use the vessels as a canvas.
The glass pieces are also a response to my environment. I use several forms of glass: sheet, frit, and powder. Some pieces are cast, some fused, some slumped. Similar to ceramics, the kiln glass is very time consuming. Glass fires (and anneals) at very different rates, temperatures and cooling rates, so though I am using the same kilns, they are never fired at the same time. A single firing of a glass piece stays in the kiln for over 24 hours, as opposed to a 16 hour ceramic firing. Obviously, process is very important in both mediums, just a bit trickier with glass.
I feel I have started on an interesting path by combining the two materials and intend to continue exploring this concept.