NGG Gallery
The series of glass sculptures deals with the nostalgia of objects. Each part, I used as a model, was found in my travels, at flea markets and thrift stores, gifted to me or came from my collection of stuff. They all have their inherent history. Through a lost-wax casting process, I transfer the insignificant objects into delicate crystal keepsakes. Each vintage truck, serving as a vessel, hopefully, delivers a different thought on the subject of nostalgia in objects through color, form, and the load it bears. - Austin Norvell
The following sculptures are available through Habatat Gallery and Not Grandma's Glass.
Please Contact Regina at Habatat Gallery for Pricing.
Scroll down for more information about the work.
Not Grandma's Glass 2024
Habatat Detroit Fine Art
I am honored to be included in Habatat's NGG 2024 virtual program. An artist talk will be presented online and posted here. In addition, I plan to share several experimental techniques for casting glass with the assistance of custom-built machinery, complex core-casting molds and 3D scanning/ printing processes. Follow along here and on social media.
More at https://www.notgrandmasglass.com
Putting Things in Things:
Core Casting Glass
A few years ago, I began an exploration of core casting glass. The process results in a cast glass object with another object cast in the negative inside the first object. I started off by putting things in boxes. I have been traveling between the US and Europe working in glass casting studios, so the stuff I have been loading in the trucks is now safely in boxes.
I'll be teaching this technique in a workshop at Pilchuck Glass School this summer!
https://www.pilchuck.org/programs/session_6_build_fabricate/
3D Printing from a Modified 3D Scan to Cast in Glass
I'm experimenting with manipulating 3D scans of my work and then 3D printing those pieces to create a new body of work that shows more movement and expression.
Photogrammetry Rig
I built this rig so that I could 3D scan any small object and use software to manipulate that object. I can shrink and enlarge objects as well as morph them in a number of ways. I can also use the rig to capture any sculpture and then present a virtual rendition of that sculpture to viewers online.
Basically, I take hundreds of photographs of the object from different angles. I then plug those photographs into a photogrammetry software that will stitch the images together into a virtual 3D object.
Brush On Silicone Mold for Rotocasting Wax
I typically cast the glass parts separately and slowly assemble the sculptures using a super strong museum-grade epoxy. I'm trying things a little differently for this one. Over the past year, I've been assembling wax parts and filling this model so that I can cast it in one piece. This completed mold will be rotocast with wax using a machine I specifically built for this process. This will create a hollow wax model that I can then cast in glass... hollow. Just a different way to do things.
Inspiration: Flea Markets around the World
The Significance of a Selection of Parts
My pallette of wax parts
A couple of fun mockups!
Mold Making for Glass Casting: Silicone Positive
I put together a short slideshow of the process I use to cast the glass trucks I make for the Loaded Trucks. I start by creating a silicone block mold on a prepared model (vintage truck in this case). I then make a soft silicone positive of that model. I make this so that I can bypass the wax stage I typically use when casting glass. It's made with a removable plaster core so that I can remove the soft silicone without disturbing the refractory mold. A mold that can withstand the heat of the kiln and the expansion/contraction of the glass/ mold is poured onto the soft silicone. The silicone positive is removed and the mold is ready for glass. I cast these pieces up to 1540 degrees F over a week long firing schedule. The trucks are then coldworked and ready for loading.