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Seekers presents the work of Bob Kliss, who
creates bold, contemporary sculpture and sculptural vessels that are
distinguished by a playful use of color, form and shape.
His Shard Vessel series allows Bob to exercise
his lifelong interest in color. Each vessel is decorated with a one of a kind
abstract "shard drawing" composed of glass shards, cane, stringer and
murrini that he has made ahead of time. The vessel’s form becomes the canvas
upon which the shard drawing is displayed.
To prepare the elements for his shard
drawings, Bob blows colored glass spheres in the traditional method. Once
cooled, he cuts the spheres into pieces and flattens them in a fusing kiln.
He assembles the colors and shapes that form
the base of the drawing, then adds the secondary color elements to complete the
design. Once the shards and other elements are in place, they are fused together
in a kiln.
Bob then blows the vessel, on which the shard
drawing is placed after first being heated to 1000 degrees F. He continually
reheats and works the vessel until the drawing is melted and fused into place,
blowing the vessel to into its final shape and applying a "frame" of
pulled glass cane around the drawing. He then transfers the drawing to a punty
rod and completes the blowing process. When completed, he signs and dates each
piece.
Bob’s newest series of sculptures are his
Amazon Flowers, in which he fills a large sculptural vessel with an assortment
of fantasy flowers that can be arranged in any way.
A self-taught artist, Bob worked in stained
glass, then in slumping and fusing, beginning in 1986.
Since 1980 he has maintained his own
independent glass studio, Kliszewski Glass.
He studied glassblowing at California Polytechnic State
University, San Luis Obispo, and since 1989 he has been Assistant Glass
Instructor at California State University, Fresno. His work has been shown at
major galleries and juried exhibitions throughout the United States.
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