12.8 x 6.9 x 2cm.
2024 / 25.
Taking Stock is a series of small-scale glass and concrete artworks made in response to the large stocks of Italian smalti I have accumulated in the studio.
Stock taking has required me to delve deeply into the backs of the shelves and under tables and what I’ve unearthed has led me to consider material use, waste and creative value.
Each piece, within the series, is a joyful exploration of colour.
I recently acquired some vintage ‘Angelo Orsoni’ glass smalti, fabricated over 50 years ago by master glass workers in Cannaregio, Venice. Whilst the colours are similar to today’s smalti (due to the detailed recipes and skill of the colourists) the dimensions of the cut of the tessera is slightly larger – a minute detail but one that informs the layout of the work.
Parallels can be drawn between the individual tessera and the stitch or bead of woven fabrics, particularly tapestry.
Contained within hand-cast concrete box-frames, some in raw, grey concrete others tinted with iron oxide pigments the work inhabits a space that embraces and moves freely between the disciplines of art, craft and design.
The miniature scale is perfect for this explorative process of making, enabling me to work freely, placing the coloured tesserae intuitively.
