Glass Artist Josh Simpson - Essay Example

They consist of representations of the night sky in the desert - blue, black, and gold-hued - showing swirling galaxies and constellations. (Seekers Gallery Website)As he himself states, Josh gets his inspiration from the medium - glass, when heated to high temperatures, moves fluidly like honey. It has a radiance and translucence, which he finds inspiring. But it's not merely artistic vision that Josh requires to produce this work. Scientific and technical precision (knowing the hows of working with glass and at what temperatures it can be manipulated) the ability to work in uncomfortable and potentially dangerous conditions (the high temperatures of the furnace and the danger of something blowing up) and even physical strength are required, as solid glass spheres are heavy.

One of the heaviest planets that Josh has fashioned is 85 lbs, which, the Artist, in The Glass Talk Radio interview states is with a Commercial University. Another of his planets, weighing 50 lbs is displayed in the Yokohama Josh Simpson Sphere Museum. (Simpson Website: Video) Josh has received a commission from the Corning Museum of Glass, New York, for a planet of 100 lbs. In the Glass Talk interview, he describes how he attempted to produce this work. Unfortunately, the globe blew up before completion.

He mentions that he had actually worked out at the gym for two months to build extra muscle to be able to do this 100 lb planet! (Simpson Website: Video)Josh has a Lifetime Membership Award from the Glass Art Society, and his works are included in several prestigious collections - the U.S. State Department, Corning Museum of Glass, the Chrysler Museum, the Reflection Gallery in Geneva, Switzerland; the Galerie L in Hamburg, Germany; and the Josh Simpson Sphere Museum in Japan. He has also won a Humanitarian award from Niche magazine for his involvement and leadership in the crafts community.

It should not be long before Josh produces the 100 pounders for the Corning Museum!