kathleen elliot’s glass botanicals

I’m on my way to Synergy2 today – should get to Baltimore by late afternoon and I’m hoping the weather is a little kinder in Maryland.  The snow continues to fall under gray skies here in New York, leaving tree branches in the Hudson Valley bent in impossible positions under the weight of the heavy precipitation.  So gray, so gray.

Blue Crouching Vine With Apricot Feet, 15″ x 13″ x 12″

Kathleen Elliot’s botanical sculptures lift me up from my winter doldrums and remind me that spring will be here soon enough. The Hans Godo Frabel Award winner’s realistic and imaginary glass buds and pods are spectacular.  They all look real to me – an indication that my imagination runs along the same course as Elliot’s?  Or that I need a few days away to remember what is real?

Black Plums, 8″ x 4″ x 3″, glass, flameworked and sandblasted

I Wonder Where Castaneda Landed, Tallest: 15″ x 4″ x 4″

Rust Lantern Pods with Brown Leaves, 15″ x 5″ x 7″, glass, flameworked and sandblasted

Sun Pods, 14 x 12 x 5 glass, flameworked and sandblasted
{to see a detail close-up of the Sun Pods, click on the image}

Art returns us to a mood of wonder and appreciation, helps us stay centered in the face of our culture. Its beauty, strength and clarity can be inspiration for us in our own lives. Art reminds us of human virtues and the wonders of Nature. Its richness and depth can inspire us to rise above the mediocrity of drifting in the cultural norm. Kathleen Elliot