Artist Statement

Pate-de-Verre is a French term meaning “Paste-of-Glass” the paste is made by mixing a powdered binding agent with water and creating a sticky material, similar to the viscosity of a super-glue. This paste holds the glass frits together when I am forming and packing tiny shards inside of a refractory mold. In the modeling stages, a silicone master-mold blankets the chosen object for shape and detail, then it is transitioning through a series of mold making procedures, into wax, and into glass. The Pate de Verre will heat inside of an electric kiln at temperatures just above 1400 degrees and finally, the hollow vessel is carefully divested from the refractory mold, cleaned and wax finished. The head seen here is a Pate de Verre Emergency Trauma Dressing, known for providing pressure control against hemorrhaging, a metaphorical reminder that with care, life heals over time.