A
native of Chicago, William Zweifel now works out of his Wisconsin studio, which
he opened in 1999. Largely self taught, Bill has studied with many successful
artists in their studios and attended the Pilchuck School for glass in Washington
to further develop his glass skills.
|
After
seeing a piece of glass that was labeled as "woven glass," Zweifel became fascinated
with the idea of being able to weave glass as a weaver would weave fiber. He sought
out a weaver to learn how fabric is created on a loom. This principle of manipulating
the "warp" and the "weft" could be applied to his media of glass. After years
of experimentation and a lot of broken glass, Bill finally created a true glass
weave. Since then he has been experimenting with creating form, texture, and color
to further develop the final work. I
view my art as "Shapes that appear simple and smooth, but are in fact made up
of individual lines, working on different planes and heading in different directions,
yet interweaving in a way that they directly influence one another. I view life
in much the same way. We are who we are as a result of the interweaving of many
life experiences. The influences of outside pressures and our core beliefs determine
our character. How much we allow these pressures to influence us will determine
whether we will be in turmoil or at peace. The
medium I have chosen for this work is glass. Beyond its obvious attributes of
color and texture, it provides permanence, the ability to freeze a moment or movement
in time so that it can be examined and explored. At the same time, I find in its
very fragility, a metaphor for the fragility of our existence. Being able to freeze
these moments in time, in such a delicate medium offers me an opportunity to create
the tranquility that I find so comforting." Above:
Repose
|
