Stephen Adams

Although these pieces are “abstract”, I don’t consider myself an abstract artist. I think all art is at least somewhat representational and symbolic—an abstract form usually reminds us, or point toward something existing in the real world, in our day-to-day lives.

Most glass artists work with kiln-fired techniques, but I generally use a process of room-temperature glass lamination with an optically clear conservator-grade epoxy. I then extensively cold-work and polish the pieces. Lamination allows me to achieve a scale and complexity of form that would be difficult to duplicate with kiln-fusing.

The result accentuates the optical and esthetic properties of layering, in which complexity arises from stacking and laminating simpler forms. It also increases the likelihood of accidents, which I often welcome, because I believe that as the pieces come alive, they almost seem to have their own intent, which I can’t always know in advance or completely control.