Small Glass Sculpture
Internal Space is a series of small cast glass sculpture that encompasses all of David’s experiments with sheet glass and fusing which led him to try to make the glass thicker in order to see more interior space. It was during this time a professor pointed out that he was working with a metaphor, for which the internal space of the glass was the equivalent to the internal life of the mind. This became his operating mantra but also forced him to come to terms with the casting of thick sections. Each piece from this series is unique and explores a different facet of the world around us and how it pertains to the internal space within.
Alioth
Solid Worked Glass
45.5 x 19 x 10 cm
18" x 7.5" x 4"
Thiba
Solid Worked Glass
23 x 38 x 12.5 cm
9" x 15" x 5"
Ras Alegethi
Cast Glass
115.5 x 19 x 25.5 cm
23.5" x 10" x 9"
Altair
Cast Glass
152.5 x 106.5 x 38 cm
60" x 42" x 15"
Al Safi
Cast Glass
53.25 x 17.75 x 17.75 cm
21" x 7" x 7"
Vela
Cast Glass
73.5 x 25 x 26.5 cm
29" x 10" x 10.5
Kaus
Cast Glass
48 x 8.5 x 20 cm
19" x 7.25 x 8"
Rano Kau
Cast Glass
39 x 23 x 9 cm
15.5" x 9" x 3.5"
Leya
Glass, stainless steel
14 1/2 x 9 1/4 x 4 1/2"
Kedra
Glass, stainless steel
16 x 8.25 x 4.5"
Inave
Glass
11 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 3"
Aretai
Glass
Height: 12"
My experiments with sheet glass and fusing led me to try to make the glass thicker to see more interior space. One professor pointed out that I was working with a metaphor, for which the internal space of the glass was the equivalent to the internal life of the mind. This became my operating mantra, but forced me to come to terms with the casting of thick sections.
Warning! Glass can be a cruel mistress! Mistreated, or mishandled and it breaks; it is very expensive to follow your dreams with this material. It can demand the highest perfection.
Creating those internal spaces came with some problems. Other than telescope mirrors, I did not know that anyone annealed glass in a kiln for more than a day or two. When pieces cracked after five days of cooling, I could not believe they would need even more time. The tragedy quotient was huge for this type of technical exploration, and that is well before any exploration of internal space as poetry. While some sculptures I have made have been in the kiln for as long as two months, most of my recent pieces cook for two to three weeks, for slow, steady annealing and cooling.
Excerpt from David’s Alchemy of Glass