Vitreosity

The Nature of Glass Disputed

Kenneth Chang of the New York Times has an interesting article about disagreements in the scientific community about the Nature of Glass. I can't say I'm able to follow much of it, but it is still a fun read with terms like 'ideal glass' and 'dynamical heterogeneity'.

And do also check out the rather curious tale of Buzz Aldrin's Flashlight.

What It Is

Speaking of drawing - another item promoting the preservation of the practice of hand drawing - Lynda Barry's new book, What It Is.

It is part autobiography and part creative manual, but the heart and literal center of the book - the part I like best - is the short graphic essay called "The Two Questions", which deals in general with why children abandon drawing as they grow older.

I agree with the conclusion - to all the kids who quit drawing... come back!

Secret of Drawing revisited

I mentioned in a previous post about a series on the BBC called The Secret of Drawing. I've now come across full length videos for 3 of the 4 episodes, on Google Video. I could embed them, but there are more features if you go to the site, so here are the links -

Each episode is approx. 55 minutes long -

Episode 1 - The Line of Enquiry - website info, video is not yet available.

Episode 2 - Storylines - website info, Google video.
It's nice to see otherwise lowbrow arts like Comic Books, Graphic novels, Japanese Manga, Storyboard Art, and Film Animation be covered as drawing, and therefore as legitimate 'Art'. Still, the show's perspective is a bit too much reliant on the 'artist as lone genius' perspective on creating art. For instance, in the segment on Comics, the emphasis is solely on the lone comics creator, in this case on Daniel Clowes. There is no mention of comics made in the more common commercial manner - made by multiple artists with one person writing, a different person doing the composition in pencil, another drawing in the lettering, another inking over the pencil lines. Several different hands drawing to create a whole work of art. Similarly, and more amazingly, there is little mention of the number of hands required to make an animated film. There is only the emphasis on the lone animator again.

Episode 3 - All in the Mind - website info, Google video.
Basically set around the idea of 'Why do people draw?" Going from cave paintings to outsider artists. The compulsion to depict the world, real or imagined, in drawn form. Is it for the artist or the audience, or both?

Episode 4 - Drawing By Design - website info, Google video.
Focusing on drawing as purely to be realized in other media. Architectural drawings, drawings for rock concert and theater set designs. The most interesting part of this is where he distinguishes between practical architectural design and architectural fantasy drawing.

In general, the series is as interesting for what it does not feature as much as for what it does. Still, it is rare to see any kind of emphasis put on drawing, and I like it. No mention of drawing for stained glass, of course, but many of the ideas are relevant, especially in this last episode. I like the idea of applying architectural fantasy drawing to stained glass. That is, I'd like to see a variety of artists create stained glass fantasy commissions in drawn form.

Artist and Patron

More video comic relief - this time from The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball.

Again, not related directly to stained glass, though it does explore the unique and mysterious relationship that exists between an artist and a patron. As art commission situations go, this is actually not too far off the mark - at least it can feel like this sometimes.

Rufus Butler Seder

Did you know? The number one best selling children's picture book this week, according to Publisher's Weekly, is by a glass artist. The book is called Gallop!: A Scanimation Picture Book. The artist is Rufus Butler Seder, and I should note that he doesn't call himself a glass artist. He's more like an inventor/artist/filmmaker who happens to work with glass. The picture book is an extension of his Kineticards.

The glass art comes in with the glass tile murals that he calls Lifetiles. These are lenticular glass tiles that show a remarkable range of motion. The story of how he developed the process is fascinating.

There is no way that you can get the proper effect of any of this with a still image, so you have to see the videos. There are none to embed, but he's got a page of videos of the murals and videos of the gallery works for sale on his website.

Keep in mind as you look at the videos that all you are seeing is glass and fired-in paint. Nothing else. So, the materials are just the same as a piece of painted glass in a stained glass window.

Rufus is well known in the Boston area and I had the pleasure to be in an exhibit with him in 1996, at the time that the Glass Art Society held a conference there.

Portion of a flyer for the 1996 exhibit -

Congratulations Rufus for being a best seller!

Stained Glass Pie Chart

Very curious. At least it's not a pie chart for religious consumer spending.

What is Art?

A curious comic interlude.
Nothing about stained glass.
Still, stained glass is art, and what is art?

Stained Glass Brains

An interview with Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, where she explains why she creates Stained Glass Brains. File under 'stained glass as self-reflexive art therapy'.

[update May 2, 2008 - Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor was named #41 in TIME magazine's 100 most influential people. No mention of the stained glass.]

I Only Wish it Were Glass

This is a piece of backlit gallery art, utilizing transmitted light just like stained glass, but this is not stained glass - it's brown packing tape on plexiglass, by artist Mark Khaisman.

I like the images and I'm kind of fascinated by the process, and I'm always drawn toward light-based art, and I can see where he would like the spontaneity of working in this process. Still, it's packing tape and plexiglass. I can't help but think of the archival implications of using these materials - that is, isn't this likely to simply fall apart in a few years as the adhesive degenerates?

Glass is used for a reason - it lasts.