"Young Expressions" Summer 2014

Because my background is in Fine Art (Post-war abstract expressionism) I am very attracted and responsive to concept, color and form, be it two or three dimensional. Therefore, I was extremely impressed by the recent work of MICHAEL YOUNG, an accomplished bronze sculptor, who has become enamored with the expressive and emotional qualities of cast glass. In his new body of work Michael has successfully captured single moments of the female form in expressive positions depicting movement, intimate thought, surprise or formal stance. The narrative is expressed without being too literal while at the same time not losing sight of creating elegant subtle sensuality. Although these sculptures are small, ranging from 5 - 15 inches tall, they are enormous in scope. The ability of this artist to tell a poignant story in each piece is a tribute to his unmistakable talent.

"Morning Stretch"

In this piece called "Morning Stretch", the woman has just risen from what appears to have been a deep and restful sleep. Thoughts of the day before her may be starting to formulate in her mind.

"Surprised"

Here is a wife that just stepped out of the tub in her master bath. While inspecting some earrings she was thinking of wearing for a night out, she dropped one. As she knelt down on the floor to locate the precious diamond stud, her husband opened the door generating that uncomfortable sense of surprise at being caught in an uncompromising position.

"Wistful"

This figure may be daydreaming of a family or the birth of forthcoming child. Or, perhaps she is remembering a beloved pet she ounce held in her arms?

"Advancing"

This sculpture is poised. She could be in a dance class routine or possibly practicing a ballet posture. Her stance is a formal classical positioning of the feet.








The title of each sculpture in this body of work only supplies an inkling of what is going on in each piece. The stories formulated by these beautifully crafted figures are limited only by the viewer's imagination.

"Glass in the Classical Sense", November 2013

As I have spent more time studying and admiring the JEFF WALLIN glass paintings hanging in my gallery, I am intrigued by the ability of this mid-career artist to bring to his work the mystery, emotion and expression in the same manner as master painters before him.




Here we have a young artist (and I use that term to distinguish him in addition to being a masterful glass maker) who uses, with intent, historical and relevant art history knowledge in his artwork. And in doing so he creates beautiful imagery with a material that was totally unknown to painters and artists of the past. Instead of gesso and oil he has mastered the properties of glass frit, a material that has the power to create layers of translucency and depth unlike any other medium.












The effects and results Jeff is able to produce by manipulating his fused glass technique are nothing less than mesmerizing. When inspecting the pieces the viewer is drawn in and surprised by levels of abstractions and layered textures that when combined create these very impressive portraits.

This is definitely an artist to collect and watch as pointed out by Michael Janis, an accomplished glass artist and one of the directors of the distinguished Washington Glass School, in their "Artist-To-Watch" profile. 



To read the complete Washington Glass School article click this link:
http://washingtonglass.blogspot.com/2013/11/artists-to-watch-jeff-wallin.html