When one of my favorite people (and favorite artists) tells me about an artist he thinks is doing outstanding work I take notice. This was the case when Michael Janis mentioned Washington Glass School alumnus Jeff Zimmer. Originally from Washington, D.C., Zimmer studied at WGS before leaving the country obtain a Masters degree in glass painting in Scotland, where he currently lives.
The Meeting Place Multiple
Layers of enameled and sandblasted glass in lightbox
24 x 20 x 7″
The artist kiln-fires his paintings on sand blasted sheets of glass, then layers the sheets (up to 23 layers in some cases) in a light box, softly lighting the work from the back, giving the paintings depth and a sense of movement. The images appear to shift and change as you move. The results are astonishingly captivating. The glass sheets are not the only thing layered here. . .these are haunting, thought provoking works of art.
The Home Of My Father
Multiple layers of enameled and sandblasted glass in lightbox
25 x 22 x 7″
“Whitewash depicts a series of landscapes, both urban and rural, American and Scottish, under a blanket of snow – a metaphor for the way we, as individuals and nations, ‘whitewash’ our pasts. The luminous, internally illuminated landscapes, placed in thick frames, contrast the untrammeled snow with the barely-concealed debris which remains, only partially hidden from view.” Jeff Zimmer
Fog of Communication III
8 layers of sandblasted and enameled glass, assembled in glass light box
The Writing On The Wall
Multiple layers of enameled and sandblasted glass in lightbox
18″ x 15″ x 6″
The Superficial Appearance Of Being Right
Multiple layers of enameled and sandblasted glass in lightbox
12″ x 10″ x 5″
Interventions in Landscape
20 layers of enameled & sandblasted glass, in glass light box with l.e.d.’s
7.5″x14″x5″
I am very interested in conveying a sense of the volume of space. The images are built through multiple firings of enamels on many layers of glass, allowing a depth of space within which objects ‘move’ as the viewer moves around the piece as imagery on each layer shifts in relation to the others and to the light.
Watch the video below to see Zimmer show the shifting images in a piece he is constructing. The video is not in English but Zimmer comes onscreen about a minute or two into it – stay for it – worth watching.
Jeff Zimmer’s website
