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Wildhorse Gallery |
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Artist ProfileLinda Wingate |
 "Aspen Leaves" Glass |
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My venture into the world of glass was serendipitous one. While involved in the opening of a new restaurant in Steamboat Springs Colorado and searching for a window treatment that would allow privacy yet allow filtered light in, I became deeply enthralled by the possibilities etched glass had to offer. In 1982, a chance meeting with a well-known glass artist led to an appreciation in the process of sand carved glass. My primary focus as an artist addresses the inherent qualities of glass. It’s optical and tactile properties are the perfect medium for channeling my creative energy and expressing my artistic vision. Glass, from its humble beginnings as the most basic of elements, sand, imparts the true spirit of nature-both powerful yet fragile. My pieces incorporate the simplicity of nature and its forms, as well as symmetrical and geometric design. I’m captivated not only by the end product, but also by the very process each piece must go through in achieving its final artistic form. Starting with only the highest quality blown glass crystal forms, I encapsulate each piece with a rubber resist, apply my design and then sandblast, carve, cut, and clean them. The addition of paint or found objects in some of my pieces adds balance to its more formal elements, thus completing the design and creating a sense of “texture” on the smooth, clear surface. In order to allow myself the freedom to expand my creative palette with each new piece, most of my works are one-of-a-kind limited edition. |
