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Czechoslovakian Alphonse Mucha was THE Art Nouveau artist. In fact, Art Nouveau was termed "Mucha Style" for a time before it was termed "Art Nouveau". Most of Mucha's Art Nouveau style work was produced commercially, and in his life, Mucha sought to distance himself from his commercial art. He believed commercial art was a betrayal of fine art and he hated to be considered a "sell out" essentially. He believed that all art conveys the spiritual and comes from within, but much to his chagrin, the fame in his life came from his commercial art, leading to great frustration for the poor man.I admire the Art Nouveau style and you can see it in some of my work. What I am drawn to is not the images of Neoclassical women, or the pastel colors, because neither of those inspire me much, but it is the way nature is portrayed in this style that truly appeals to me. In each photo I have posted, take note of the trees, the leaves, the flow of nature that runs through each piece. Again, this liquidity and swirls of color can be translated to glass. Glass is a liquid medium (some would say a highly viscous liquid, or better yet, an amorphous solid) and that is what draws me to it. It is unlike any other substance on this planet. When I see nature represented with such flow, it reminds me of the beauty of glass, and better yet, what I can do with it!
So while Mucha didn't fully appreciate Mucha, he was a pioneer in art who continues to inspire artists to this day.
Every once in a while I post another artist's work that inspires me. This is a sculpture made from cast bronze letters that were then welded together. Lucky for me I live only 20 minutes away from Steve Tobin's workshop so I can drive by and ogle his sculptures as often as I like! The other day when we stopped by, he was out in the yard welding something that is sure to be ingenious like everything else he does. If you live near the Quakertown area, be sure to drive by Tobin's, you won't be sorry. Check out his site, which has more info about him and also more photos of his excellent work, at http://www.stevetobin.com/. When you check it out you will see that Tobin has used glass in his work in the past, and used it very well. Glass and metal are natural companions and I admire those that see the compatibility like Chris and I do. You will be seeing a lot of sculpture coming from our studio in the future as we blend the two mediums together.
These two pieces, a votive holder and resting tile, were commissioned as a wedding gift. The groom I am told is interested in martial arts and meditation, cool colors. The bride likes iridized and dichroic glass, and is also an accomplished artist, art critic, and jewelry maker. I blended the two styles together as well as I could to make this gorgeous set that is a combination of cool colors in a very peaceful and watery design, with an iridized backing that shimmers and shines. I hope they both enjoy these pieces for years and years to come! Congratulations to the bride and groom!
