Sky McDonagh

In nature, we find repetition and segmentation of form. My art is in keeping with the spirit of the natural world and therefore many of my glass forms look as though they are alive, resembling natural creatures (as in the snake forms called tendrils), animal and botanical habits, and the cycle of life, time and energy.

My work is shaped by my choice of materials. Natural materials like glass and metals have the properties to mirror nature as they are heated or change from solid to liquid. The heat of an oxygen/propane torch flame creates enough heat to melt the soft effetre glass and this causes it to ball up, curl, spiral, drip, boil and crack depending on how much heat I give it and when. Handling this material in a liquid state requires a constant awareness and a go with the flow attitude. Glass mimics the ebb and flow of the natural tides as it is heated, deprived of heat and so on. I use very few tools aside from the flame; a graphite paddle or marver, a razor blade on a handle, glass sheers and a skinning stainless steel rod called a mandrel. When using a mandrel, I drip molten glass on to it to create beads. I also work off of the mandrel to create objects or forms without a hole in the center. Then, I use an additive method of to compile small objects and create a sculptural work. Within these constraints is how I choose to create pieces of art; therefore in both nature and my work we find repetition and segmentation of form.