|
Seekers® presents the work of Paul Willsea and
Carol O’Brien, a husband and wife team who collaborate on a series of
handblown glass vases, bowls and sculptural forms. The work reflects their
interest in architecture, the effects of time, and the glass itself. Color is
becoming more complex as they explore the different properties of colored glass
and how it relates to form.
Their series of Pyramid Bowls and Vases feature
a clear crystal, solid pyramidal base, sometimes accented with gold leaf. To
this pyramid base they join either a classically shaped bowl or a tall funnel
shaped vase in a variety of colors including alabaster, beeswax, mint, lilac,
sky blue, cobalt blue, lime green, mango and black. They sometimes do a group of
pyramid bowls in a crackle surface with an aurora of color accenting the rim.
Their color palette, which that ranges from
subtle to bold, is achieved through the use of various formulations of metallic
oxides mixed into the molten glass. When completed, each piece is individually
signed and dated.
They blow and form each piece individually
primarily from glass they have formulated and made themselves. The pyramid bases
are formed in a mold, then joined hot to either bowls or vases, which have been
formed and shaped freely, without molds.
Willsea earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in
World History from Alfred University and has pursued further studies in Glass at
the renowned Pilchuck Glass Center in Washington State. Prior to establishing
his own studio in 1981, he apprenticed with master glass artists Ira Sapir and
Randy Strong. O’Brien received her Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors in
Art, from Hamilton College.
Their works have been shown at major galleries,
museums and juried exhibitions throughout the United States, including the
California Crafts Museum, San Francisco. Among the many corporate collections in
which their work is represented are those of Hyatt Regency Hotels, Kawasaki,
Dean Witter Reynolds Corporation, and Citibank.
|
