Monday, September 28, 2009

Miniature Landscapes

My designs are often intricate and colorful. A few weeks ago, I set out to play with simplifying things a bit. I began with a really small piece 5" x 4". Instead of building mountains filled with layers of colors, I looked for a whole mountain in a single piece of glass. I was lucky and discovered two little green mountains and a perfect blue sky. I really liked this piece because it could fit into the palm of my hand but at the same time it reminds me of the vast hilly landscapes I love so much.

I found the above piece so much fun that I went on to create more. I began with one 5" x 4" panel and continued a panoramic scene with three more rectangles until I got to see the view I was looking for.

Below is the whole series which is an extension of the above concept to create landscapes that appear vast but at the same time can fit into the palm of one's hand. 

When I work, there seem to be infinite possibilities of color combinations for the hills and the sky. The mountains on earth are living structures and constantly change. They exist in unique atmospheres which change color with the rising and the setting sun, which then changes the way we see the colors and the shapes of mountains.


For instance the scene below with the yellow hills and the blue sky was inspired by sand dunes on a bright day when the sky is a bit cloudy but still a rich blue. 


Each time we look at a landscape, it is with slightly different eyes. We also focus on different aspects of what is in front of us. Because of the different possibilities of seeing and mentally cropping landscapes, these scenes are sometimes expressed in a single panel while other times extend into a triptych, etc,


This triptych is set at sunrise and focuses on sandy, rock formations in the desert.


I love deep color of the sky when a storm is coming. This triptych comes from thinking about pastures of green rolling hills right before the storm hits.

Besides taking inspiration directly from what I've experienced in nature, I like to over exaggerate certain colors like in the scene with the bright green hills below. Or all together make things up, like the other bright lime colored hills with an tangerine sky.


Each individual panel is 5" x 4", made with stained glass and was created in 2009. This is an extremely playful series that will keep evolving over the coming months.

2 comments:

  1. every piece is beautiful, loved your drawings and ornaments a lot!!! really happy i met you! good luck.

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    1. Thanks Eka! Three years later, I reply =) Hope you and your family are doing well and that you will have a happy holiday and a very good new year!

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