I'm a biologist who loves to create art. I use photos of scenes I encounter while hiking and kayaking as inspiration for my art. I’m intrigued with perspective and how that changes as conditions change. That's how I became interested in the technique of painting in reverse.
Glass is the surface that I choose for my paintings because it's a lot of fun to play with. The direction and intensity of light can change the image. Colors jump out from the shadows and withdraw again as light intensity changes. The paintings take on a three dimensional quality when liquid is added because light is bent and the images are magnified. Facets and prisms built into the glass also bend the light and change the appearance.
My artwork is constructed by layering several very thin coats of paint, building the image using a stratum of colors. Images can change, sometimes quite dramatically, when light direction or intensity changes depending on which layer of color is illuminated. I begin a painting by using reverse glass technique which produces the image seen by looking through the glass. Details are painted first and background layers are added. The layering process is continued in reverse, ending with details for the image facing the opposite direction. The two opposing images work together, details from one side produce shadow in the other, to create a depth to the artwork. The resulting artwork can be enjoyed from any angle and changes as you turn the glass.
I'm also creating my own original fused glass art pieces. I begin with clear glass, add tiny pieces of colored glass and long thin pieces of glass, and melt it all down in my kiln. The pieces then go through another kiln run to shape the piece.