Kait Rhoads

In my art-making I have always been attracted to color and pattern. When I discovered glass, I was drawn to its transparency and vibrant colors. Through time and exposure to other glass artist’s manner of working I came to see the vast potential of glass as a canvas for complex design. My color and pattern combinations are inspired by a reverence for nature. To render natural imagery such as feathers, seaweed, and cherry blossoms, I use the traditional Italian patterning techniques of cane and murrine. The fluid nature of the created line illustrates how obstacles can inhibit or enhance movement; this aspect of melting and fusing the colors infuses each piece with rhythmic movement and organic growth.

The Peacock Vessels showcase designs made up of zanfirico cane and murrine, Italian terms which describe forms of glass. A cane is a pre-formed rod of colored glass that can be “picked up” and incorporated into a larger form. Zanfirico refers to a spiral pattern created by making a solid glass cylinder with cane on the surface and then rotating each end of the pull as the cane is stretched. Murrine are pieces of a thicker glass rod (cane) that is cut into slices so that the visible surface is a cross-section of the rod. Murrine patterns can be very complicated or simple; in the case of the peacock pattern, I use simple color rings to emulate the ‘jewels’ on the tip of the peacock’s feather. Some pieces are engraved on the surface of the glass to add more visual depth. This series continues to grow and challenge my understanding of the material of glass.

Soft Sculptures

In this series, I use hollow glass murrine to describe the boundary of sculptural forms. The hexagonal shapes of the murrine interlock seamlessly; their compartments evoke the empty wax storage containers manufactured by bees and the cellular structure of coral colonies. Combinations of opaque and transparent color alternately highlight the architecture of the form as a whole and the perforated topography of the surface. As in the use of dots of paint in pointillism, the individual murrine can combine to form images from a distance as well.

My childhood was divided between rural Virginia and a sailboat in the Bahamas and Caribbean. The experience of growing up on the water and assisting my mother in her diving business has had a deep influence on my artwork. I greatly admire the structure and design of underwater plants and animals; the varied phyla of coral are particularly amazing. Many of the sculptures in this series are inspired by the life forms of the ocean. Today, my own diving refreshes my love of this underwater world.

The soft forms and other woven pieces composed of hollow murrine are created through a labor-intensive process. Using a steel hexagon-shaped mold, I blow different colored glass bubbles and pull them out into a hollow rod shape. These rods are cooled, annealed, and then cut into small, beadlike pieces either by hand or with a diamond saw. Finally, the beads are heated in a kiln to soften their edges. This step tapers them slightly, making it easier to create a flowing curve when I weave them together with copper wire.

Wall Panels

In this series, I strive to create dynamic forms that have life on a flat surface. Sea and sky are my primary references, along with the flora found in these realms. Flowers speak to me of rebirth, a budding chance to experience joy and happiness in the midst of our complicated lives. Images of kelp and seaweed allow me to explore arrested states of languid movement, flowing under the force of exterior motion.

A number of steps are required to make the works in this series. The glass panels are first made with Italian patterning techniques used in blown glass. I may pick up a design of murrine and cane, draw with small canes of colored glass upon the surface, or apply patterned cane hot upon the surface upon a bubble. A cylindrical bell jar shape results; when cool, the top is sliced off and the remaining cylinder is cut and slumped flat. The resulting panel is water-jet cut into the desired shape. With the flower shapes, I also fire-polish each piece, slump them for a slight curve, and prepare them for mounting hardware.

Closed Forms and Small Sculptures

At a smaller scale, I can indulge in specific investigations of color or texture complexity on simple, evocative forms. I am presented with a different set of questions when making more abstract works. How can I make a form not quite recognizable via texture--or incredibly dynamic with an unusual use of color? In this series, I choose amorphous shapes that ask to be stroked or touched—non-threatening, inviting, whimsical shapes. Their scale, surface, and playful attitude invite different interpretations from curious viewers.