coombs criddle associates
dcoombs@sover.net
(+1 802) 423 5640

Handpainted mouthblown glass, kiln-fired enamels & lead 12" x 25"

Menfolk

These panels were exhibited in 2007 at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) (more...) as part of a 3-person exhibition and artist's residency titled Boxed Sets: Assembling Objects, Images and People (more...). The exhibition also included a stained glass window made by pupils of Stamford (Vermont) Elementary School (more..)

Artist Statement:

This series of work explores maleness, at various ages, and in different emotional landscapes. It grew from a desire to explore images of people that spoke to me in some way. Combining drawings and photographs of my own family with those of strangers I discovered some interesting relationships.

I handpainted people and patterns onto pieces of coloured glass to form a mosaic. Fixed into strips of soldered lead, these menfolk are now preserved in stained glass; together forever.

Part of the allure for me is working with the real substance of glass and paint. The process feeds my need to make things. Sensual and tactile; craftsmanship is absorbing, technically challenging, and pleasurable. Making provides a perfect counterpoint to thinking.

Debora Coombs 2007