Biography
Steven Ciezki’s artistic journey is represented by twenty-two years of drawing and ten years of glassblowing, painting, and photography. He received his BFA in glass at Illinois State University in 2012. Glass has taken Steven to all corners of the country as a student, teacher, and professional glass artist. Teaching opportunities in Arizona inspired him to write and illustrate a glassblowing technique book called “Life on the Rails”. The title describes both his nomadic lifestyle as well as the rails at the bench where hot glass is shaped by hand.
Artist Statements
Speaker Towers / Air Sirens
A speaker’s function is to make speech or music audible.
I grew up in Calumet City, IL, the southern suburbs of Chicago. There weren't tall buildings in my home town, but Chicago was just a quick drive north. The tower series started with the definition of the word "tower". They became my blank canvas to play on.
In 2014, I started to travel outside of the States. For short periods of time, I became part of cities like Sarajevo in Bosnia, Eskisehir in Turkey, and Gent in Belgium. The languages, cultures, and cityscapes reflect how similar we all really are. Hearing the Islamic Call to Prayer during Ramadan was so foreign and eerie, yet new and beautiful. The Mosques and Minarets inspired the addition of the speakers and sirens to the Towers.
A speaker’s function is to make speech or music audible.
I grew up in Calumet City, IL, the southern suburbs of Chicago. There weren't tall buildings in my home town, but Chicago was just a quick drive north. The tower series started with the definition of the word "tower". They became my blank canvas to play on.
In 2014, I started to travel outside of the States. For short periods of time, I became part of cities like Sarajevo in Bosnia, Eskisehir in Turkey, and Gent in Belgium. The languages, cultures, and cityscapes reflect how similar we all really are. Hearing the Islamic Call to Prayer during Ramadan was so foreign and eerie, yet new and beautiful. The Mosques and Minarets inspired the addition of the speakers and sirens to the Towers.
Sweet Spot
This work explores memorialized scenes from my environment. I utilize three-dimensional pattern and colored glass as representational components in ‘forced perspective’ oil paintings. The selected imagery involves a prevalent light source, depth, and layers.
In our environment, when objects line up in multiple planes of space, they compete with each other for spatial attention. Distance flattens and reality gets warped. I take inspiration from these Sweet Spots and glorify a memory with the numerous properties of glass.
This work explores memorialized scenes from my environment. I utilize three-dimensional pattern and colored glass as representational components in ‘forced perspective’ oil paintings. The selected imagery involves a prevalent light source, depth, and layers.
In our environment, when objects line up in multiple planes of space, they compete with each other for spatial attention. Distance flattens and reality gets warped. I take inspiration from these Sweet Spots and glorify a memory with the numerous properties of glass.
Stacks
This technical body of work investigates proportional beauty in size, shape, and verticality. I pull inspiration from historical and contemporary goblet stems, architecture, and the world around me. They are commonly grouped in twos or threes. Each Stack shares a bond with the others through design themes such as color, shape, and pattern. They are a playground for technical refinement.
The progression of this series has enhanced my understanding of how glass heats, moves, cools, and breaks. As a result, I have become more aware of my decisions in the hotshop about temperature, gravity, air pressure, viewpoint, and body movement.
This technical body of work investigates proportional beauty in size, shape, and verticality. I pull inspiration from historical and contemporary goblet stems, architecture, and the world around me. They are commonly grouped in twos or threes. Each Stack shares a bond with the others through design themes such as color, shape, and pattern. They are a playground for technical refinement.
The progression of this series has enhanced my understanding of how glass heats, moves, cools, and breaks. As a result, I have become more aware of my decisions in the hotshop about temperature, gravity, air pressure, viewpoint, and body movement.
© 2018 Steven Ciezki Glass
