Nina Casson McGarva
About my work
The starting point in my work is nature. I take a detail of an element I find in nature and use it as a inspirational base to create my own abstraction, that then builds into a complex sculpture.
My inspiration comes from cycles of nature that I associate with glass making process because to me the material is at it's most alive when it’s hot and being transformed. The end result is solid and doesn’t move any longer, it is at the fragile time before disintegration and maintains a dynamic form and rich structures such as dry leaves, feathers or sea shells. In the making process I shape it hot in an open kiln until the glass stops moving. When the glass transforms to be a solid, the piece is finished.
The technique
My current work combines several techniques with the goal of creating a unique aesthetic.
My work process consists of making a repetition of one glass unit. When combined together these multiples create a textured pattern which then get fused to a glass background. The final step is to open the hot kiln and hand shape the glass creating the movement and organic aesthetic. I have tried this process with small units using different techniques:kiln cast, blown glass and fused sheet glass which are then cold worked before fusing.
To discover and check for available pieces, I invite you to look at the galleries who represent my work.
UK
Vessel gallery in London,
Peter layton's London Glassblowing Gallery
Gallery 10 in Edinburgh
USA
Habatat Galleries Florida
Habatat Galleries Michigan