Elephant Rig

Addison
St. Louis, Missouri

"The fluid nature of glass attracted my eye at the early age of fifteen, and I became captivated by the art of glassblowing. Quickly, it engulfed my life, and constant practice allowed me to gain the skills, knowledge, and desire to further my career. I left St. Louis to study glass blowing at Emporia State University in Emporia Kansas. There, my understanding of the medium grew as I was able to study under numerous professional artists and travel to studios throughout the United States. My career working with glass, then and since, has been heavily influenced by the Venetian style of glass making, in an effort to build the technical skill required to express myself within the material. Recently, I have been lucky enough to spend a large amount of my time in some of the more remote parts of the pacific northwest, most of that time in south-eastern Alaska. Particularly, my experiences in the far north have provided a unique focus to the lens I view the world through, both artistically and philosophically. u200bIn my current work, I am trying to take glass making, with its rich history of intricate design and delicate craftsmanship, and transform it though form and texture to create a more primal feeling of being one with and part of the Earth. I have always been intrigued by the diversity and variation in the life that surrounds us. From the microscopic, single-celled organisms to the largest mammals, I view all beings with a sense of unwavering fascination, which has, in turn, influenced my work and life. u200bReplicating nature is my personal way of paying homage to an intricate system of which I am only a small, and grateful part."