When the small factory that produced the fusible glass dots Veruska Vagen uses for her dot de verre portraits was forced to close, Vagen bought every last dot so that she could continue to create the unusual portraits that have become her signature.
[nonmember]This archived post is for Members Only. Click here to become a member or to get a one day pass. If you are a member, please login to view the post. [/nonmember][private_archives]Vagen developed the unique mosaic technique during her 12 year tenure working at the William Morris Studio.
In The Wind, 15.5″ x 12″
The work is a contemporary interpretation of traditional mosaics in a fused glass format. To create a portrait, thousands of the 3 millimeter dots are hand placed on glass tile, adhered using repositionable adhesive. Fired twice in the kiln, the adhesive burns off and the dots fuse to the tile, leaving a pixiled image.
Shakespeare, 17″ x 11″
Slavic Girl, image size: 7 1/4″ x 4 1/2″
“Inspired by art history, an intriguing visage or a compelling character, Vagen believes that, though individually unique, human countenance offers a shared and universal language. Within every nuance, faces and expressions enable us to not only recognize a familiarity or loved one, but also act as mirrors, reflecting back to us our own emotions and deepest truths.” From Davis and Cline Gallery
Little Missouri After Kind, 17″ x 10.25″
“Combining the look of Roman mosaics, Photoshop filters and Medieval tapestries, Vagen’s current work focuses on the portrait as a vehicle for merging epoch’s and styles of art that are at first incongruous. The use of dot de verre, a material developed incidentally by an inventor and aerospace engineer in Florida (he called the glass “confetti” with good reason!), acts as a literal and metaphorical fusion of these histories.” From Duane Reed Gallery
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whoa….what a great idea and she has nailed it
Looking forward to the work of Veruska Vagen at the Museum of Northwest Art.
Wish to learn more about the work and the artist.