Summer Haze Bowl

Description

Summer Haze

Summer Haze is a landscape bowl 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

“Everyone can remember those lazy hazy days of summer, looking across a deserted beach when the tide is out. That’s the sort of feeling I’m trying to convey in this piece”

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 we all develop our own styles. As you hone a technique your work develops and you start to get different results. I’ve always felt that I approach my work from a painterly perspective and then work out how to achieve it in glass. So perhaps that is why some people have commented that my work can look more like ceramic than glass”

Technique

Adam begins by choosing a palette of powdered glass colours, so he can use 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 only used three colours but 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 although I see a deserted beach in this piece, others might see an arid landscape. 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”.

Summer Haze bowl 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.