Kaiju Jars

    Non-stop bits of colored glass layered over a blown form, creating a scaled texture. This was something I had not personally seen before using hot glass. These forms are inspired by the aesthetics of giant monsters (kaiju) from old Japanese suitmation movies and shows like Godzilla and Ultraman. The suits the actors wear have such exaggerated textures and I knew it was something I wanted to translate into glass. I began making this series around the time my son was born.
    The process in the studio is very straightforward, repetitive, and probably somewhat boring for the assistants helping me: heat the bit, cut the bit, smash the bit flat, flash and repeat. But the finished objects have so much allure. These works start out a little daunting and tedious, but as they get heavier with each bit of glass, the scales create a new exotic form. Each of the colors used react to the heat differently. After many consecutive flashes in the flame, every iteration's scales achieve a unique finish.
    The first one in the series was The Milk Lizard (2021) and is easily my favorite. It was always meant to reference a baby's bottle. It was only after making more of these that I began to notice a narrative theme of nurturing. The lids or stoppers atop the objects add an extra visual layer. Another one titled Sour-spitter (2022) refers to the bright green bile my son was spewing up to alert us of his intestinal atresia. What actually goes inside these jars I do not know, perhaps they only contain an implication of use. Certainly not milk.