It's surreal to see a thing that haunts your waking memories become tangible in real time. As an artist, I'm obsessed with creating objects that spark a sense of wonderment and hopefully leave you wondering if you had dreamt them too...
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"The messenger" glass and steel paper plane. Permanent installation for @proposalsforall with a grant from @dash._.studio Neskowin, OR.
Photos @riobutlercreations
Glass, gardens, and light at scale. I've been digging deep and getting really clear this winter about what I'm making and why... Incremental builds at ten foot scale, mixed media, this is the place my artist heart dwells. Here's a little something something I've been quietly working on. More to come when the time is right...
Custom glass garden soji panels for a house in the hills. Portland, Or 2023.
#glassartist #gardeninspiration #designinspo #glasscollector #interiorlandscape #fusedglass
Guess who’s coming back to Madison?
"Reflection" and I have been invited to return to Olbrich Gardens this fall, and while its one of the best sculptures I've ever made, I’ve decided to plan something even bigger for you. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Gleam — and my fourth collaboration with this breathtaking space — I’m creating something brand new. Mark your calendars for September. I can't wait to share what’s next. See you soon friends.❤️
Wait til you realize they're glass...
Monarchs are ancestral and ancient. They carry knowing in small bodies over great distances, on blind faith and traces of memory. There is always awe in an encounter.
"Migration" explores what it means to move this way. To stay open, strong, and in communion. To arrive somewhere unexpected and find you were always heading here.
Pâte de verre monarchs, each hand-made from layers of crushed and powdered glass, fired to the threshold of holding. Landing in the nick of time amoungst bittersweet dreams, the wild comes home.
Landing soon in the 313. 😘✨️🦋
#migration #glassart #patédeverre #interiordesign #monarchbutterfly
Sweet North Carolina days. This place always leaves its mark, and this visit landed deep. I am grateful for the friends here who quietly and monumentally continue to shape the way I see and make.✨️❤️🫶
#bestofglass #castglass #makersgonnamake
One ultra spicy glass paper plane.💥 This one got snapped up the moment I made it available. What color do you want to see next? New planes landing shortly.😘✈️
#paperplane #fusedglass #modernsculpture #aviation_lovers
20 years ago, this all started on a wing and a prayer. I was detained in Canadian customs over the mannequin in my bag, and more than once, I was told I'd never make it in life. I laugh now as I close the book on a two decade drama made of hotrods, short shorts, callused hands, and whiskey. Of all the photos that were ever taken, this looking back snap taken by Katie Greiser the day I started with nothing but a dream in the pocket is one of the special momentos I'll carry to the future.
I opened a book of poetry and a leaf carving from years past fell into a sunset lit lap. These joy metaphors of light and shadow keep an artists heart aloft amoungst dark days. The poem reads:
What if we told the flower,
"don’t bloom"
and told the birds,
"don’t sing"
and told the petals,
"don’t you dare show your tenderness"
and told the bee
kissing the sweetest
part of the rose’s heart
"it’s uncomfortable to see
love given so freely"
and told the stars
"don’t shine, it’ll make someone scared"
and told the quivering bunny
holding itself beneath shivering winds
"toughen up"
and told the morning sun
shining over slowly waking hills
enlivening everything.
stop showing off"
and told the music within the wind to
"keep its voice down."
These are the messages that have been given
to our souls
and quite frankly,
these ideas
really suck.
-Chelan harken (susceptible to light)
Is there anything more exquisite than rare Thai lilies beneath a golden pagoda? I spent the morning with @olbrichgardens horticulture team, gathering these remarkable water specimens, textures and colors so breathtaking they feel like secrets of another world. In the coming days, I’ll begin casting them into molds, the first step in shaping a new pâte de verre glass botanical collection. This garden and the team who run it have meant so much to me over the years. I've built many sculptures amoungst these ponds, but working every few years to cast this garden in glass is a most special feeling indeed.
#botanicalgarden #waterlily #wip #natureinspired
It's that time of year again! This year is the 10th anniversary of @olbrichgardens GLEAM. Over the years, we've made some real bangers together, bridging modern tech, sculpture, and pristine garden. Here's a throwback to three of the award winning projects I've installed in the past years. This weekend, I'm returning in a different capacity than years past, lending my ideas and audio concepts on reflectivoty for a concept collaboration with lead lighting designer Ben Smith. Can't wait to see you, Madison. 🫶✨️
#olbrichbotanicalgardens #lightart #gleam #botanicalgarden
