Spring Hills

Description

Spring Hills

Spring Hills is a small landscape vase that Adam Aaronson has made in his studio in West Horsley. This complex, freeblown glass sculptural vessel is a triumph of composition. The surface is fired with pure silver leaf and textured coloured glass. This creates a dramatic, shimmering perspective.

Inspiration

“I’m always walking in the Sheepleas near to my home in West Horsley so I tend to see some beautiful scenes. I take lots of photographs on my phone and I use photographs as reference points or visual notes for my work. So, I don’t set out to re-create an image. But I merely allude to the kind of tonal inspiration that I’ve photographed”

When asked what makes one of his landscape bowls different from other glass artists who work on landscape themes, Adam replied

“Every artist sees the same landscape or scene differently and that is really one of the most wonderful things about art. We’ve all got our own parameters and stylistic approach. I create with a very open mind so there’s often a bit of the happy accident in my work.  Some people have commented that my work can look more like ceramic than glass and that is always a compliment, because in a way it reinforces the absence of preconception”

Technique

Adam begins by choosing a palette of powdered glass colours. He uses these to reflect a landscape that he finds inspiring.

He applies layers of pure silver leaf, delicately adding the powdered colour, to create a soft luminosity. At this point the silver becomes a canvas, depicting the effects of light reflecting on seascapes or forest scenes. Perhaps a change in the seasons or dramatic skies.

The colours melt into the surface by a process of heating and reheating and this builds up unique tones and texture. In this piece Adam has limited himself to just a few colours. However, their density and the chemical reactions between them and the silver leaf have produced a rich diversity of tones and textures

Title

Adam then gives each piece a title reflecting his own inspiration.

“I think that whatever landscape I see  in this piece, someone else might see hillsides or a coastline. Everybody sees something different in the finished piece. It depends on whether skies or trees, the countryside or the sea attracts you most and that reflects the beauty of the whole process”.

Spring Hills has a lustrous quality. This can change depending on where you place it. On a windowsill it will change throughout the day with the changes in daylight.

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