Tied in a Bow July 2015 | Page 24

Glass sculpture artist extraordinaire Jack Storms has achieved serious recognition in both the public arena and the demanding world of fine art, since he opened his own studio in 2004. Storms works in an incredibly rare medium. A true pioneer in the cold-glass world, Storms' award-winning work is sought by discriminating collectors around the world and has been commissioned for award ceremonies, as commemorative pieces, and even as an emissarial gift to the President of Nigeria. Storms is one of the best-selling glass artists in the country today. Currently, there is up to a six-month waiting list for some of his pieces.

The Method:

Drawing inspiration from both his heart and his mind when conceiving his artistic designs, Storms uses the theory of Fibonacci at the heart of each lead crystal sculpture. Fibonacci is a great mathematician that articulated the natural math seen in nature. Natural beauty is created, not manufactured. From the repetition florets of a flower to the scales of a pineapple’s skin, Fibonacci numbers are found in the pattern of growth of every living thing in nature.

Cold Glass The Process:

He combines pure lead crystal and dichroic glass through a cold-glass production process. These beautifully reflective hand-sculpted pieces begin with a core of dichroic glass pieces, each cut, polished, and laminated until they shine like mirrors. This core is then wrapped in sculpted, optic crystal, refracting the light passing through the pieces and creating a hypnotic light show of fire and ice colors. The results are incredibly beautiful and coveted by all who lay eyes on them.

This sculpture process is incredibly intense and physically challenging. In the entire world, there are only a handful of fine glass artisans working in this medium. It can take up to ten weeks to create just one of these amazing designs, longer for large and specialized pieces.

Not content to be limited by what was possible, Storms set out to do what many thought was impossible in designing a cold-working glass lathe. In achieving this major accomplishment, Storms drew on early memories of his father’s woodworking lathe while pursuing his vision. Storms is the only cold-glass artist to work off of the lathe of his own design, allowing him to discover unique forms. This process gives him the ability to turn glass and sculpt curved, detailed shapes never before seen in cold-glass production.

Masterpieces of Jack Storms:

Bella Vino sculpture by Jack Storms won the People’s Choice Award at the 2007 BAGI Awards. This is the largest wine bottle ever made using the cold-glass process. It is one of a kind!

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