Kiln-fired Glass Mosaic Art
My Lakota ancestry and the mysterious nature of glass inspire my fascination with making art. Glass contains light. When I depict a person from the past in glass it has a three dimensional depth that I could never achieve with paint.
My artworks are glass mosaic tiles. Most of my images are based on black and white figurative photographs of my ancestors. Color is central for emotional power but the true value of an artwork lies in its ability to communicate directly with the viewer.
The saturated colors, transparent and light capturing qualities, iridescence, textures and patterns of glass captivate me. My artwork requires a myriad of steps to coax the contrasting areas to coalesce. Each artwork that I create cycles through three different mediums: stained glass, vitreous enameling and tile work. All of the pieces of glass must be hand cut and ground, some or all of the pieces are painted with glass enamel (powdered glass and a medium) and fired slowly in a kiln to over 1000 degrees (often multiple times) creating a glass on glass piece, all are then set in place by hand. Only after the very last step - the application of custom-tinted mortar - the whole becomes visible for the first time.
Upcoming Shows 2019
Takuwe (WHY?) Exhibition: a Lakota group show about the Wounded Knee Massacre, Dahl Museum, Rapid City, South Dakota, Thru May 18th 2019.
June 1-August 11, The Red Cloud Indian Art Show, The Heritage Center at the Red Cloud Indian School, Pine Ridge, South Dakota.
July 9-August 8, Sacred Visions American Indian Art Exhibition, Livingston Center for Art and Culture, Livingston, Montana. Reception Friday July 27th.
July 19-20, Native Pop Indian Art Show, Rapid City, South Dakota.
September 20-22, Northern Plains Indian Art Market, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
December 2019-March 2020 showing at The Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art, Great Falls, Montana.
October 4 2020-March 6 2022, Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Re-Imagined in Glass, Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
My artworks are glass mosaic tiles. Most of my images are based on black and white figurative photographs of my ancestors. Color is central for emotional power but the true value of an artwork lies in its ability to communicate directly with the viewer.
The saturated colors, transparent and light capturing qualities, iridescence, textures and patterns of glass captivate me. My artwork requires a myriad of steps to coax the contrasting areas to coalesce. Each artwork that I create cycles through three different mediums: stained glass, vitreous enameling and tile work. All of the pieces of glass must be hand cut and ground, some or all of the pieces are painted with glass enamel (powdered glass and a medium) and fired slowly in a kiln to over 1000 degrees (often multiple times) creating a glass on glass piece, all are then set in place by hand. Only after the very last step - the application of custom-tinted mortar - the whole becomes visible for the first time.
Upcoming Shows 2019
Takuwe (WHY?) Exhibition: a Lakota group show about the Wounded Knee Massacre, Dahl Museum, Rapid City, South Dakota, Thru May 18th 2019.
June 1-August 11, The Red Cloud Indian Art Show, The Heritage Center at the Red Cloud Indian School, Pine Ridge, South Dakota.
July 9-August 8, Sacred Visions American Indian Art Exhibition, Livingston Center for Art and Culture, Livingston, Montana. Reception Friday July 27th.
July 19-20, Native Pop Indian Art Show, Rapid City, South Dakota.
September 20-22, Northern Plains Indian Art Market, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
December 2019-March 2020 showing at The Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art, Great Falls, Montana.
October 4 2020-March 6 2022, Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Re-Imagined in Glass, Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Santa Fe, New Mexico.