Luminosity : Karen Stapleton | LED, Layered Emotive Dimensions

11.5 x 13.5 x 2, Glass Collage

Taking inspiration from the natural, earthy tones and translucent beauty of an agate slice, I then gathered, what I felt to be, like elements, with the intent to combine them in a layered manner that emphasized the connections I saw within each:

A piece of Wissmach art glass, uniquely-swirled, milky-white, evocative of a glacier that might once have borne the agate stone great distance from it’s source of origin, provides the supporting, unifying background of the piece.

Slices and segments of fluid glass “rolled-edges” ranging from icy-clear to frosty-white, are representative of the mineral-rich water, which once long ago, seeped into a hollow of a volcanic stone in the creation of the agate-to-be. 

A cylindrical, polished quartz crystal appears to have been rolled into being from the swirls of the glass surface below, and a uniquely-folded ‘find’ of white seaglass so too feels formed-from, and as-one-with the supporting glass background.

Lastly, the naturalistic rough wood frame does not merely simply contain the piece, but has been made an artful element of the whole. And, to further be in keeping with the Luminosity theme, the piece is backlit with LED warm white wire string lights, to enhance the glow from within. 

BIO

Karen Munro Stapleton is a Marin County native, currently living in Point Richmond, California. She is a graduate of California College of Arts (and Crafts CCAC) and has spent her entire professional life as a successful Graphic Designer, with logo design as her forte. After nearly 40 years of producing client-need-driven artwork, having recently retired, Karen is now enjoying the freedom of creating simply art, and in particular, creating art with “luminous” glass. As an emerging artist, participating in this show marks Karen’s debut exhibition, and her piece she created for it, which she describes as a “glass collage,” a unique departure from her from her usually favored tiffany foil method stained glass art.