Glass: Limina Vessels and Incunabula

The Limina series of handblown vessels was made during my residency at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA.  Limina is Latin for "threshold" and indeed these works were that for me as I entered the unfamiliar territory of glass media for the first time. I was fortunate to have a great team of experts led by Ben Cobb, head gaffer, assisting in the creation of twenty of these vessels.  For each, I made a corresponding painting as its base which took visual cues from the surface achieved in glass. Working with the thrill and drama of fire and liquid glass reminded me how important it is to have a beginner's mind and to just play and explore.

A vase with red and black stripes on top of a book.
Limina VIII, 8.5 inches high x 7 inches diameter, blown glass
A painting of an enso circle with a red seal.
Limina VIII painting base, 10 x 10 x 2, mixed media on panel
A glass vase with some kind of blue and brown design
Limina XIX, 9.5 inches high x 7 inches diameter, blown glass
A blue circle with some white dots on it
Limina XIX painting base, 10 x 10 x 2, mixed media on panel
A yellow vase with red and green swirls on top of it.
Limina XIII, 6.5 inches high x 6.5 inches diameter, blown glass
A painting of green and red with a square in the middle.
Limina XIII painting base, 10 x 10 x 2, mixed media on panel
A bowl on top of a book
Limina V, 5.5 inches high x 7 inches diameter, blown glass
A picture of the back cover of a cd.
Limina V painting base, 10 x 10 x 2, mixed media on panel
A red bowl with yellow rim on top of a wooden block.
Limina XI, 5.5 inches high x 8 inches diameter, blown glass
A painting of a yellow background with geometric shapes.
Limina XI painting base, 10 x 10 x 2, mixed media on panel
A yellow bowl sitting on top of a wooden block.
Limina VI, 5.5 inches high x 8 inches diameter, blown glass
A painting of a triangle and a circle
Limina VI painting base, 10 x 10 x 2, mixed media on panel
A vase with writing on it sitting on top of a box.
Limina XVIII, 10 inches high x 6.5 inches diameter, blown glass
A picture of a bullet hole in the wall.
Limina XVIII painting base, 10 x 10 x 2, mixed media on panel
A glass vase sitting on top of a table.
Limina II, 8.5 inches high x 6 inches diameter, blown glass
A painting of an abstract black and white circle
Limina II painting base, 10 x 10 x 2, mixed media on panel
A vase with the world map on it
Limina XXI, 8.5 inches high x 6 inches diameter, blown glass
A painting of a cross on the side of a building.
Limina XXI painting base, 10 x 10 x 2, mixed media on panel
A vase with yellow rim on top of a book.
Limina XII, 7.5 inches high x 8 inches diameter, blown glass
A painting of an abstract tree with the words " love " written on it.
Limina XII painting base, 10 x 10 x 2, mixed media on panel
A close up of the surface of an old vase
Limina XV, detail of surface, blown glass
A room with several vases on display in it.
Limina installation at Gail Severn Gallery

Incunabula

The Incunabula series came into being through of the generous assistance of artist Stephen Klein and my continued interest in working with glass. What started as an opportunity to learn glass fusing, turned into a body of work titled Incunabula, a word that describes ancient manuscripts with mysterious origin and meaning. The format of these 24 pieces, each 13 x 7 inches, reference book pages. The imagery is derived from my paintings, particularly the Book of Commons series, and my many sketchbook notes. 

A row of paintings on display in an art gallery.
A glass sculpture of an old map on display.
A glass plate with two birds on it
A glass panel with trees and writing on it.
A glass sculpture of an orange and gray abstract design.
A painting of a chair and table on top of a stand.
A glass sculpture of an old letter on top of a stand.
A sign with a bowl on it
A painting of two eyes and a sheet of paper.
Three tables with different types of art on them.
A picture of two birds on display.
A picture of two different drawings on display.