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Seekers Glass Gallery presents the work of
Stephen Rich Nelson, who creates handblown glass and cast glass sculpture that
involves a painterly attitude and controlled playfulness.
His work reflects an unusual childhood spent
growing up in Pennsylvania and the South Pacific. The latter seems to have had
the greatest influence on his designs and color palette. His pieces are ablaze
with bright colors and gentle, organic forms that suggest the leaves, fruits and
flowers of an island paradise.
Nelson earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree
from the Tyler School of Art, and his Master of Fine Arts degree in glass
sculpture from the highly respected Rhode Island School of Design.
The Creative
Glass Center of America honored him with two fellowships. In 1998 he was awarded
First Place in Crafts in the Pennsylvania: Art of the State 1998 – 31st
Annual Juried Exhibition. He has taught at both Tyler and Rhode Island
School of Design, and has served in the coveted position of teaching assistant
at the renowned Pilchuck Glass Center near Seattle.
Nelson’s work has been featured in the two
definitive books on the American studio glass movement: Contemporary
Glass: A World Survey from the Corning Museum of Glass and Glass:
A Contemporary Art. Articles about Nelson’s work have appeared in
American Craft Magazine four times.
His work was selected for inclusion in New
Glass Review, issues 3, 5 & 7, published by the Corning Museum of Glass.
(Each year thousands of glass artists from throughout the world submit entries
for this prestigious publication, from which only 100 are selected.)
Among the many private, public and
institutional collections in which his work is included are those of Bell
Atlantic; Johnson Wax Collection; McDonald’s Corporation; Tyler School of Art;
Pilchuck Glass Center; the Corning Museum of Glass, NY, and The American Museum
of Glass, NJ.
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