Fran Bowling
artist statement
I am a stained glass artist. I work in glass
because it has fascinated me all of my life. I first fell in love with glass
while growing up in Europe. I went to many of the old churches. I was awed
by the play of light coming through the old stained glass windows. I wanted
to learn how to make these colors of glass come alive. I like the different
colors, textures, and fell of glass. When working in glass, it allows me
to slip into another plane were the pain I live with can not touch me. It brings
a feeling of accomplishment and joy to create something that has the potential
to be here long after I am gone.
I receive satisfaction from taking broken pieces of glass and making them
into a thing of beauty. Line and color are the most important concerns when
I build
a window. Because the window is held together by lead, I have to make sure
the line flows and does not jar the viewer and will still structurally hold
the glass
together. Much of glass color is controlled by light. I must know how the glass
will look from both inside and outside a building, at night time and in daylight.
I do private commissions, restorations, and installation pieces; mostly for
churches. Lately I have begun to experiment with fused glass, making jewelry,
wall art,
and decorative tiles. Most of my designs are inspired by the Art Nouveau period
because it conveys a sense of fluid movement caught in time and an organic
feel that combines with the shifting patterns of color created as light asses
through
the piece. I am fascinated with how I can take two seemingly solid properties;
glass and metal; work them with flame, making them liquid, and then carefully
cooling them until they are once again solid.
Frances Bowling