Mass Cultural Council and the New Art Center (NAC) presented Mass Cultural Council Awardees in Crafts and Sculpture/Installation/New Genres, September 18-October 17, 2015, at the NAC.
Stephanie Chubbuck, one of the exhibiting artists, shares her unique process and mesmerizing glass works.
My series of figurative fruit combines visual elements drawn from Dutch “Vanitas” still life painting, figure sculpture, fine craft and commercial materials.
The fruit is produced in blown glass, which is then “cold worked” to achieve the cuts and the installation of the various clothing closures and mixed media. The cuts are made by sculpting the surface away with diamond coated dental tools and a hand held jeweler’s drill. This technique is singular to my work and was developed through my own studio process. These complex cuts would not be possible with any other glass technique.
The hyper-realistic colors are created by using glass bar and powdered pigments added in layers during shaping and blowing. The color is displayed in multiple translucent and opaque substrates, so the surface appears to be skin-like and alive similar to the way natural pearls have depth and an orient of light.
I refer to these works as figurative because they embody the form of fruit but imply corporeal and emotional humanity. They are allegories of my fascination with the rough edges of physicality, human nature, and human conditions. I intend for my peculiar combinations of elements to be beautiful although that beauty is often counterintuitive. This odd visual seduction implies a complex identity. My objective is to seduce the viewer and elicit recognition of corporeal and emotional conditions that are unsettling, disturbing, erotic, humorous, or a combination of these.
See Stephanie Chubbuck’s work at the upcoming exhibition, Mass Cultural Council Awardees in Crafts, Sculpture, Installation & New Genres, September 18 – October 17, 2015. Opening Reception: September 18, 7-9 PM. New Art Center, 61 Washington Park, Newtonville, MA, 02460
Images: studio photos by Erb/Dufault Photography; images of artwork courtesy of Stephanie Chubbuck, photos by Dean Powell.
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