DOUG
RANDALL
ARTIST STATEMENT
Randall's creations
are spiritual in nature. His childhood fascination with the stained glass
windows of European cathedrals is especially evident in this body of work,
which presents monochromatic expanses punctured by "windows"
into highly textured, multi-colored mosaic inlays. According to the artist,
the pieces that make up the inlays represent the many cultures, religions,
races, and individuals he has experienced on his many journeys. The "windows"
provide a framework or point of view from which the beautiful, harmonious
patterns of life can be considered and appreciated.
The sculptural vessels, or "Offerings," are inspired by spiritual
imagery from Randall's travels. The shrines he found hidden on the walls
of buildings in the back alleys of Murano, Italy were composed of beautiful
mosaics depicting a subject matter from roosters to glassblowers, but
they all included a small dish-like font where one could make an offering.
Initially inspired by these shrines, Randall has taken the idea a step
further, by purposely setting his vessels off level to emulate the gesture
of giving.
Randall's fused glass pieces are created by cutting and arranging colored
glass into patterns and fusing them together in a kiln. After it cools,
the now formed glass sheet is placed over a mold and put back in the kiln,
where gravity allows the glass to slump into the shaped mold. After it
cools again, it is cut, wheel-ground, edged, beveled, sandblasted, and
finally polished, all this by hand, before going back into the kiln for
a final firing.
Doug Randall has worked with a variety of glass artists including Dale
Chihuly, Narcissus Quagliata, and Silvia Levenson at Bullseye Glass Co.
in Oregon. Randall has completed several independent commissions, and
has shown his work at galleries throughout North America and Europe.