Glass and Nature

Blue Heron Gallery opening:
Friday, February 5
6 to 9 pm

Glass and Nature

Award-winning glass artist and Portland native Rob Snyder never experienced rural life until moving to Vashon six years ago. His remote Island home studio, large tables covered with piles of glass waiting to transform into art, is surrounded by five acres of woods and gardens, homemade kilns and a covered outside work area.

Reflecting his personal artistic journey, Snyder’s work – juxtaposing the strength of nature with the fragility of glass – is clearly influenced by the lifestyle he has heartily embraced. Roaming the grounds of his property, it’s simple to see how Snyder finds ample opportunity to create art from the beauty of his natural environment. Initially steeped in a deeply contemplative life of solitude, Snyder says he gradually emerged and evolved to discover a more developed creative mindset.

“In the city, I was beginning to look at man’s relationship to nature,” explains Snyder. Inspired by Pollan’s The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World, Snyder mused on nature conforming to human ideals, which grew into the larger theme consistent throughout his work, ‘chaos and form.’

Setting a meditative mood to honor the cycle of life, his artistic process begins with gathering branches. “It’s a beautiful experience and connects me to nature,” he says. Snyder cuts the sticks to similar lengths and creates individual plaster molds. The molds are kiln-heated to burn away the branches, filled with chunks of glass, heated again and after cooling are chipped away to reveal one-of-a-kind glass branches. In “Calling,” branches are stacked and the form emerges.

“The idea behind ‘Calling’ is my interest in the invisible, silent cords that pull us toward something. It’s quiet and simple, yet very powerful. I get glimpses––glimpses into the future. My job is to bring them to light and to remind myself and others to enjoy the richness of the journey.”

Smooth, sensuous glass leaves are seen in the new work shown in the Blue Heron Gallery exhibit. He uses glassblowing techniques, heating, cooling and stretching the forms; again, no two are alike. Snyder is excited about a large ‘chandelier’ of leaves that will hang from the gallery ceiling.
Snyder loves the collaborative process and often invites other artists to participate. He acknowledges several people for their help with pieces for this show: Nadalie Borcher, Chicago; Fawn LaDesma, Seattle; Noah Greene, Vashon; Antonia Greene, Vashon for current work and Jasmine Zimmerman, Seattle, and Grinelle Benker, Vashon/Seattle, for earlier works.

Snyder began working at Portland’s Bullseye Glass Company in 1975, producing handmade glass for the stained glass industry. Along with making art with glass, he learned to design and fabricate glass furnaces and ovens. Largely influenced by Snyder’s pioneering, the glass fusing movement began.

Snyder became involved with the Pilchuck Glass School, showing his art then moving to Seattle, and became known for his glass equipment fabrication skills. He also designed installations for the Linda Farris Gallery and taught art at the Bush School. Snyder’s work has been seen in numerous solo and group exhibitions, and is found in corporate and private collections.

2010 BLUE HERON GALLERY SHOWS

January Penny Grist (Mixed Media Sculpture)
Larry Muir (Jewelry)
February Rob Snyder (Glass)
March Matt Vogt (Photography)
Suze Woolf (Watercolor)
Dave and Boni Deal (Raku Pottery)
April Tapestry Artists of Puget Sound (Tapestry)
May Kira Bacon (Fiber)
Erin Schulz (Classical Realism Painting)
June Quartermaster Press (Printmaking)
July Shelley Hanna (Photography)
Tove Pisarelle (Oil Painting)
Deby Harvey (Mixed Media Metal)
August Don Cole (Acrylic Painting)
Francie Allen (Wire Sculpture)
September Art Auction
October Tile Guild (Group Show)
November Victoria Adams (Oil and Wax Paintings)
December Masters in Miniature (Group Show)