Catch Tone Orvik's glass casting work at the Habatat Galleries at Tysons Corner, Virginia, June 21- August 9.
"I came to glass from stone carving, bronze casting, and ceramic sculpture – thinking initially that glass was yet another casting medium. Casting my first small figure in Gaffer glass was enough to convince me that glass is another material altogether: The light of glass seems to lift figurative sculpture up and out of dense matter.
My strongest desire as a sculptor has always been to portray the light, the spirit, the soul,if you will, in our human experience. Glass makes that easier. But, with glass, figurative sculpture has new challenges, especially in portraiture, for what is dark in bronze can look light in glass – some times, some times not – and surface competes with the light of color and mass.
I start by creating the sculpture in clay, then make a mold, and then cast the sculpture in wax. A special type of plaster mold is poured around the wax. The wax is then steamed out, the mold is placed in a kiln, and glass is melted into the hollow space, much like the process of lost wax bronze casting. The challenge and the mystery lie in annealing – the cooling process, which for a large glass sculpture can take several weeks with strains and stresses unique to glass. Out of the kiln, the sculpture is cold worked, sandblasted, and put in an acid bath. The surface that is created should be faithful to the detailed features and modeling from the artist’s hand, and work in sculptural integrity with the light, the color and mass of the glass."
Opening reception:
When: June 21, 7pm - 9.30pm
Where: Habatat Galleries at Tysons Corner, 8020 Towers Crescent Drive, VA
Please rsvp to infoVA@habatatgalleries.com
or (703) 989 7110
For more info, please visit Habatat's website