WESLEY FLEMING

An ambassador for smaller denizens of the earth, I hope to rekindle awe and curiosity for nature with my fantastic realism. I've focused more than two decades honing my glassworking skills and try to capture the essence of actual species with intricate detail of tiny stamen or antennae... I spent my childhood days exploring the space beneath logs and rocks or reading science fiction. Today I use flameworking to conjure plants, animals and mystical beings by merging the fantastical with the real through choice of color palette and referencing familiar archetypes. Regardless of the end result, I love the alchemical potential of sculpting glass - a brittle and cold substance transformed by fire into a pliable and molten material... I began working hot glass at the furnace in 2001 and gained valuable experience working for Josh Simpson and the MIT Glass Lab, among others. In 2005, I studied with Vittorio Costantini and Lucio Bubacco on the Venetian island of Murano. After learning the..

Primary location: Holyoke United States