Teresa Kowalski is a glass artist from Newport, Oregon
who has worked with glass fusion art for more than 20 years. Her Northwest
glass art appears in invitational shows and gallery exhibits across the
US. Her work reflects the dynamic play of color, tone and nature of the
Northwest where she has resided for 30 years.
The medium used in Teresa’s artwork
is referred to by several names, such as fused glass,
kiln formed glass, art
glass fusion and warm glass. This process involves firing
a mosaic of compatible
glass in a kiln up to 1500 degrees until it fuses together.
The glass is then fired a second time to a slightly
lower temperature
to slump
into the desired shape and then annealed (a slow cooling
process that relieves stress in the glass). Many unexpected
and wonderful
things can
happen in each firing that makes each piece distinctive.
The alchemy of intense heat and glass creates the illusion
of fluidity
in each
unique piece.
Because glass is a liquid even in
its (seemingly) solid state, it has unusual versatility
and shows
magical qualities as
the colors change with the light. Light filtering through
transparent or translucent glass plays with our perceptions
and gives a
sense of depth. The reflective qualities of iriidescent
and dichroic
glass have
a brilliance
that changes
with each viewing position.
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Warm glass is the perfect medium
for the artistic expression of the water theme that runs through
her kiln-formed sculptures and bowls. Teresa finds that the wonderful
properties of glass:
transparency, refraction, and magnification set it apart from
other art media, and that the optics of glass can bring the illusion
of movement
and life to a sculpture. Because of this, the fluid nature of glass
fusion art holds a fascination for her that no other technique can satisfy.
Her current work flows from realistic
representations of nature to abstract interpretations of the essence
and palette of her environment. “I don’t try to pre-think
a piece. Leaving it to the unconscious, ideas and designs can come
from the intuitive or subconscious level. In this way designs can
express that which lies
under the surface. I’m searching for what remains after self
is forgotten. Something that comes from deep within you brings
resonance with others.” |
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