Press Releases
May 31, 2011PISMO Exhibition of Works by Alex Gabriel Bernstein
PISMO Fine Art Glass
2770 E. Second Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
www.pismoglass.com
PISMO Exhibition of Works by Alex Gabriel Bernstein
DENVER, CO, May 22, 2011—PISMO Fine Art Glass, Colorado’s foremost gallery for glass art, will present “Natural Progressions”, a solo exhibition of new works by glass artist Alex Gabriel Bernstein. The exhibition will open in conjunction with the Cherry Creek Arts Festival on Saturday, July 2nd in PISMO’s Cherry Creek North gallery at 2770 E. Second Avenue. The exhibit will run through July 21st.
Alex Gabriel Bernstein grew up in a creative environment with access to many of the talented artists of the American studio glass movement. The child of two established glass artists, Katherine and William Bernstein, Alex began “playing” in their studio at around age 7 and began “creating” some of his own designs in his teens. He branched out, developing his own distinctive style and today is one of the most foremost, innovative glass artists in the United States.
Alex says, “I feel as if I am an explorer. With each piece I make I prepare for a journey, I have a general idea where I want to go, but I never know where the path will lead me. Each piece I work on I set out in the hopes of discovering something new and exciting. As with any explorer, my journeys are filled with ups and downs, disappointments and breakthroughs, however with each piece I am sure to gain knowledge and insight which is the excitement that brings me to my studio every day.”
Alex is a master at casting and sculpting. His techniques are as diverse as the sculptures he creates – from smooth to rough, from opaque to transparent, from organic to architectural. His luminous creations draw you in, each piece telling its own story.
He begins his creative process by casting a shapeless block of glass. After a long cooling cycle in a kiln, he begins the subtractive process, not unlike a stone sculptor. Using grinders and saws, he shapes the glass by carving and polishing it into its final form. In some series, he then grinds steel filings directly on to areas of the glass to form a fused metal coating.
These textured, hard-edged metal sections are carefully composed with the carved glass sections to create the final sculpture. The glass areas have an almost organic nature, at times resembling flower petals, jagged ice, or crystals on a geological specimen. In this series, radiant, translucent glass emerges from the steel, expressing the idea of transformation. Life, as it unfolds and brings change, often combines seemingly contradictory aspects. For Alex the translucent, fragile, pure glass represents the interior life with its arrangement of cuts evoking life’s complexity. The metal, which is sometimes rusted and corroded to suggest the passing of time, expresses an earthy exterior which veils the inner life. His work is a compelling expression of beauty, growth and transition.
Alex earned a Masters of Fine Arts from the Rochester Institute of Technology, The School of American Crafts. He has taught at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Rochester Institute of Technology, the Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass and the Penland School of Crafts.
About PISMO Fine Art Glass:
PISMO Fine Art Glass opened in 1990 as a mixed media gallery, and switched primarily to glass in 1995. Owner Sandy Sardella operates three additional galleries in Colorado: PISMO Gallery at Beaver Creek, PISMO Gallery at Vail and PISMO Gallery at Aspen. The PISMO galleries are recognized internationally for the breadth and depth of their collections, offering a variety of pieces to suit everyone from the casual admirer to the serious collector. The Denver gallery is at 2770 East Second Avenue in Cherry Creek North. Their web site is www.pismoglass.com.
