David Willis, fullfathomfive (detail), 2010. Lampworked glass, archival digital print, stainless steel. H 50 1/2, W 40 1/4, D 8 in.
UPDATED 2/3/10
From 6 PM – 8 PM, this Thursday evening, February 4th, there will be a preview reception at Heller Gallery for the exhibition “Material Expression: New Works with Glass,” that will include the much-talked-about work of Oregon flameworker David Willis. Known for his extraordinarily life-like renderings of leaves, Willis presents his flameworked glass against a photographic print, extending its two-dimensional rendering off the wall. Willis told the Hot Sheet: “It has 34 leaves in the composition. It’s kind of like my take on Abstract Expressionism.”
David Willis, fullfathomfive (detail), 2010. Lampworked glass, archival digital print, stainless steel. H 50 1/2, W 40 1/4, D 8 in.
Other artists included in the exhibition are Coburg-prize winner Josepha Gasch-Muche, Nicole Chesney, Steffen Dam, Susan Taylor Glasgow, Karen LaMonte, Tobias Mohl, and Sibylle Peretti.
Willis, who will be attending the preview reception, has fabricated work for prominent contemporary artists but is getting notice for his own work. In his artist’s statement, he writes:
My work is mostly created in glass, a hugely versatile medium. Glass is structurally strong and present, yet can be transparent. It is brittle, yet more flexible than steel. The surface can be treated as a canvas, or a lens or a prism. It can be used to divide space, yet allows for connection between the divided parts. It is solid yet sometimes liquid. Glass is a contradiction and something of a mystery but can be formed into virtually anything. The material reflects my thoughts on the world.
IF YOU GO: “Material Expressions: New Works with Glass” Group Exhibition February 5th – 27th, 2010
Heller Gallery 420 West 14th Street
New York, New York 10014
Tel. 212-414-4014 Website: www.hellergallery.com